Category: Horse Racing News

The Goodwin Partnership’s Sahis put in an eye-catching performance when winning the Al Bustan Beach (0-65) Handicap. The four-year-old son of promising young sire Al Tair won by a length and a quarter from Shadwell Estate’s Alsimsaam, with Zayin Zyperion a further six and a half lengths behind in third. This was the second of five races sponsored by the Royal Cavalry of Oman, run over a mile and a quarter at the Essex track. Owen was delighted saying: We bought this horse as a two-year-old from the Arqana sale…

Rachael Blackmore made history earlier this year when she became the first female jockey in history to win the Grand National as she rode Minella Times to victory at Aintree back in April. Prior to that, the 31-year-old became the first female jockey to win the Champion Hurdle and, by finishing with six winners over the course of the four-day event, Blackmore also became the first female jockey to win the Ruby Walsh Trophy for leading Cheltenham jockey. Expect her to receive lots of hype heading into next year’s Cheltenham…

Dary Al Khalediah wins Tiwaiq Central European Arabian Derby! Dary Al Khalediah won the first ever edition of the Tiwaiq Central European Arabian Derby. The prestigious race entered the Polish racing calendar this year and immediately attracted top 4-year-old Arabians to the starting line. The race took only 2’16,1”, which is an excellent time. Born in 1982, the patron of the race, Tiwaiq, made a huge contribution to world Arabian horse breeding and along with Amer is one of the most recognizable and acclaimed purebred Arabian racehorse sires. For the…

What to expect at ever popular Royal Ascot 2021 The Ascot in Berkshire is one of the most famous horse racing tracks in England and the world, not least because it attracts all of England’s high society, complete with hats and tails. The highlight of the year is Royal Ascot. This event is known as the most famous racing event in the world. However, the attention of the press is more on the clothes (especially the hats) than on the races. It is therefore a real society event. Certain areas of the…

Royal Ascot: What to Expect in This 2021 Session? Royal Ascot takes place between Tuesday 15th June and Saturday 19th June 2021. Established in 1711, Ascot Racecourse is one of the main racetracks in the UK. The best horses and their jockeys race there for a prize of £ 5million. Members of the British Royal Family are loyal spectators of the Ascot Race and Queen Elizabeth II visits it every year. The event attracts over 300 000 people to the course each year, as a strict dress code is required,…

It’s a One-Two-Three for Shadwell Estates at Wolverhampton The good form of the James Owen stable continued at Wolverhampton on Wednesday, May 26 with a one-two-three for Shadwell Estates in the Follow @AROracing on Instagram (0-80) Handicap over nine and a half furlongs. Last years’ course and distance winner Mazyoonah just got up by a head to win from Nadelshiba, with recent course winner Farasah a further three and a half lengths behind in third. This was a debut win on an Arabian for Rossa Ryan, who is currently third…

Shadwell Estates’ Wanaasa started her season as she ended her last one, with an impressive win at Chelmsford City. Stepping up in company for her handicap debut, the four-year-old daughter of No Risk Al Maury put up a professional performance under Jack Mitchell for trainer James Owen. Though she was receiving weight all round, she remains a progressive looking filly, finishing two lengths ahead of Al Kaaser and a further ten lengths clear of Farhaa, both from the Owen stable. After the race Mitchell, who had been in the saddle…

She really is a remarkable horse and continued her unbeaten career record with yet another Grade One victory, as she landed the Paddy Power Champion hurdle at Punchestown. Honeysuckle was drifting in the run-up to race, much of this due to the struggling stable form across the week but on the day, she was then well supported, which saw her sent off as the 4/7 favourite. It was another high class field, with all the key contenders from the Champion hurdle at Cheltenham taking part.  Honeysuckle was held up behind the…

The British racing season is well and truly underway now. Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National are behind us but there are a number more big attractions to look forward over the summer of 2021. Epsom Downs festival takes place in early June, followed by Royal Ascot and then Newmarket. One of the biggest events of the summer will be Qatar Goodwood Festival, more commonly known as Glorious Goodwood, which takes place between Tuesday 27 – Saturday 31 July. Prior to that, Royal Ascot will attract a number of visitors…

The Arabian Racing Organisation (ARO) is looking forward to welcoming back the HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival to UK Arabian racing in 2021. The ever-popular Wathba Stallions Cup series supporting the sports’ grassroots is back with five races starting on April 28th at Wolverhampton. However, the Festival highlight will be the Group 3PA HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Cup run at Haydock Park on Saturday 4th September. The one-mile contest will have a prize fund of £14,000 and is registered as the ARO Cup which was previously run…

The highlight of the National Hunt season is fast approaching. On the 16th March, the Cheltenham Festival will take place over four days. Here horses, ranging from champions to underdogs, will put their best hooves forward in hopes of mastering the course and its obstacles to win a trophy. Besides sourcing a fancy hat and outfit to grace the event, horse fanatics and strategic bettors are researching the horse and jockey duos to determine which ones are worthy of a wager. Research often entails examining the horses’ trainers’ experience whilst…

The upcoming Cheltenham Festival will once again provide horse racing fans with four days of thrilling equine action during March. The meeting is firmly established as the highlight of the National Hunt season in the United Kingdom and always attracts the best horses in the business. Read on as we take a look at some of the steeplechases that will be staged at the event and pick out four horses that we believe are well worth watching. Shishkin – Arkle Novices’ Chase Nicky Henderson’s talented chaser is likely to be…

The 2020 Champion Hurdle winner Epatante looked like a horse that could go on to win multiple titles when she hacked up in the race last season. She has further justified those claims on her first start this season, landing the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle with ease. The feature race on day one of the 2021 Cheltenham Festival could well have a strong odds on favourite by the time we get there, with the Henderson mare already trading at a short price. Antepost betting has her as a strong 7/4…

Horse racing fans are in for a treat during 2021, with the international calendar packed with some high-class events throughout the year. National Hunt racing dominates proceedings during the early months, with the prestigious Cheltenham Festival the undoubted highlight in March. Read on as we take a look at some of the best meetings and provide some early pointers for horses that will be worth watching and following. Cheltenham Festival The Festival is the standout meeting of the National Hunt scene in the United Kingdom. There are a host of…

2020 has delivered one of the most unusual and unexpected seasons in the British Horse Racing calendar. From the Virtual Grand National back in April to many of the summer races being conducted behind closed doors, the year has presented challenges for runners, riders, organisers, and bookmakers alike. It’s no wonder, then, we’re already looking forward to the 2021 season and the showpiece races that lie ahead.   Two of the most loved and crucial events in the European racing calendar, The Cheltenham Festival and The Grand National Festival are on track to…

The Melbourne Cup is arguably Australia’s most important horse racing event, and of course, emanating from that is the rich history developed since the first-ever race took place, in 1861. The Melbourne Cup field is exclusively composed of thoroughbred racehorses, with only those with the finest ancestral lineage able to compete. This years’ Cup is just around the corner, on its customary first weekend of November date, this year falling on 3rd November. As such, we thought it is appropriate to reminisce some of the most memorable moments from throughout…

The Emirates Breeders Novice Stakes to be run at Wolverhampton today (Thursday 22 October) has attracted a strong field of nine runners. The race which looks particularly competitive features the third, fourth and fifth from the UK Arabian Derby, and will be run over a trip just short of the Derby 1m2f distance. Heading the field is Alameen, who had gone into the Derby race on the back of a promising win in Belgium, though his trainer James Owen felt the race at Doncaster didn’t play to his horses’ strengths…

Enable is set to have her final appearance on the track before the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in the September Stakes at Kempton next month. Connections opted against running their mare at the Ebor Festival at York where John Gosden’s runner has won the Yorkshire Oaks twice before. Enable’s absence from the Ebor Festival means racing fans will have to wait a little longer to see the six-year-old take on the Epsom Oaks winner Love for the first time. That clash is likely to come at Longchamp in October.…

Ebraz and Tayf, two of the world’s leading Arabian racehorses, will go head to head in the 2020 Qatar International Stakes for the fourth consecutive year. The £200,000 Group 1PA contest will see a total of nine runners cover over a mile a mile on the final day of the Qatar Goodwood Festival. The race will be the first to be held in front of UK spectators since the onset of Covid19 and promises to be a thrilling contest. The Arabian Racing Organisation (ARO) was delighted when Qatar Racing and…

The eyes of the horse racing world will be on the United Kingdom in June as the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting takes place. The five-day event kicks-off on Tuesday, May 16, with the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes and will feature a further 35 races during the rest of the week. Top Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien will be taking his usual strong team to the Berkshire course and there will be plenty of punters using William Hill Royal Ascot offers to back his most fancied runners. Read on as we…

The coronavirus outbreak has decimated horse racing, leaving many fans wondering when their favourite sport will return to normal. The Grand National and Dubai World Cup are amongst the major events that have already been cancelled and more are expected to follow over the coming weeks. However, there is some light at the end of the tunnel, with the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting in June still scheduled to go ahead. The Berkshire course is set to stage the event from June 16-20, so read on as we look at three…

News that The Grand National 2020 has been cancelled due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic was announced earlier this week. Due to take place on April 4th, the news came without shock due to the current global environment, whereas a worldwide effort we are asked to stay indoors, avoid social gatherings, minimise travel and take additional measures to keep ourselves safe, and virus free. The decision to cancel the 2020 Grand National came following the government’s advice on the 16th March, only three weeks prior to this year’s fixture taking…

Katie Walsh says that riding a winner at the Cheltenham Festival is unquestionably the pinnacle of a jump jockey’s career. Walsh rode her first National Hunt winner back in 2003, but had to wait another seven years before finally getting off the mark at the Festival. She broke her duck aboard Poker De Sivola in the National Hunt Chase, driving the horse home to beat Becauseicouldntsee by two-and-a-quarter lengths. Walsh secured her second Festival victory later the same week as she booted Thousand Stars to victory in the County Hurdle.…

At Cheltenham, Nicky Henderson and Willie Mullins have consistently remained the top two trainers in recent years. The only thing separating them is one win, with Nicky Henderson being in the number one spot at present. These two horse racers have been in fierce competition for quite some time, always having the desire to gain more wins over the other. This, of course, is mostly down to the success of the horses they train. But with new young horses entering all the time, it’s challenging to work out just how…