The ruler of Dubai was still splashing the cash at the sales last week while his No 1 Godolphin trainer suffers a torrid timeIt is tough at the bottom, as Adam West pointed out after winning the Nunthorpe Stakes at York on Friday with Live In The Dream, his first runner at Group One level. “Quite simply, it’s not viable,” West said. “The BHA do their best but realistically, unless you are on the top, top scale, [training] is not a viable option. But that’s not why any of us do it, we do it because we love the animals and the sport.”But it can be tough at the summit as well, as Charlie Appleby, the reigning champion trainer on...
Racing’s powerful figures responded with silence on Sunday when questions were asked about how a valuable racehorse was transferred recently to GodolphinRacing’s powerful figures responded with silence on Sunday when questions were asked about how a valuable racehorse was transferred recently from the ownership of Princess Haya to that of Godolphin, the racing vehicle of her former husband, Sheikh Mohammed, from whom she fled last year seeking protection from the English courts. Related: Love comfortably collects sixth 1,000 Guineas for Aidan O'Brien Chelmsford12.00 Ventura Vision 12.30 Rock Boy Grey (nb) 1.00 Monarch Maid 1.30 Bristol Missile 2.00 Disco Fever 2.30 Maria Rosa 3.05 Exotic Escape 3.40 Fieldsman 4.10 Dapper Man 4.40 Mayfair SpiritHaydock 12.15 Meshakel 12.45 Gobi Sunset 1.15 Dear Power...
The Sheikh Mohammed revelations should prompt the BHA to make the sport less dependent on a single investorIt is four days since a family court found that Sheikh Mohammed had probably ordered the abduction of two of his daughters, one of whom was in Britain at the time she was taken. It seems fairly clear that the British Horseracing Authority does not intend to say anything in response. Officials apparently see the government’s silence as justifying their own but, while deferring to government is a responsible way to deal with the coronavirus, it looks like a convenient cop-out in this case.Saying and doing nothing reduces the risk of the Maktoum money tap being turned off. No executive wants to be...
It is difficult to imagine where British racing might be now without the staggering sums that have found their way into the sport since Sheikh Mohammed took a train to Brighton in 1977 to watch his first winnerThe British Horseracing Authority and the executives at tracks such as Ascot and Goodwood have – quite understandably – had little or nothing to say so far about the developing crisis in the Gulf, which places British racing’s two biggest benefactors from the region on opposite sides of a blockade.Godolphin’s Sheikh Mohammed is the defence minister of the United Arab Emirates, part of a coalition led by Saudi Arabia which has cut diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar. Land, sea and air links...