#Alan Crowhurst

Miss Yoda: Lingfield Oaks Trial winner ran in the Bahrain Trophy last time Frankie Dettori jets off to Germany on Sunday in his bid for a first win in Dusseldorf's Preis der Diana and connections of Miss Yoda, owned by Georg von Opel, the billionaire great-grandson of the founder of the German car manufacturer of the same name, are hoping she…

Pic D'Orhy (Harry Cobden) landed the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon last month As I scan the field for the Silviniaco Conti, one question keeps coming to mind: what on earth are you doing here? That is no slight on the quality of the runners, of whom four have won at this Grade 2 level and the other two have won Grade 3s. It is more to do with…

Racegoers returned to Royal Ascot on Tuesday There are at least two Americans who are very excited about being at Royal Ascot. One of them was among those waiting for the gates to the Royal Enclosure to be opened. She was patient and polite. Not everyone was like that. One of the Ascot greencoats had no idea why there was a delay. The first…

Biometric (pink cap) denies a five-timer for Frankie Dettori on Turgenev (green) Frankie Dettori was famously denied his five-timer at Royal Ascot by Biometric in the Britannia Stakes, and Khalid Abdullah's colt is back for more here. Harry Bentley is again on board Biometric, whose form is not just all about Royal Ascot. He has been beaten only…

Desert Crown: the new favourite for the Cazoo Derby Thursday: Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante Stakes, York It was just like old times. Racegoers packed eight or ten deep around the paddock to see the runners before the Dante Stakes and afterwards everyone was crowding around Sir Michael Stoute to acclaim a new star. Now, racing's worries about…

Hurricane Lane: an impressive winner of the St Leger last year The Cazoo St Leger (3.55) is the final Classic in Britain this year and one of the standout races this weekend. We have looked back at a number of factors to see who may win Sunday's Group 1 highlight. In the last ten years, only two winners have had a rating below 110. Harbour Law was…

Run Wild Fred: declared for the BetVictor Ten Up Novice Chase at Navan on Sunday Leading National Hunt Chase contender Run Wild Fred is set to clash with high-class stablemate Farouk D'Alene at Navan this Sunday after featuring among declarations for the Grade 2 BetVictor Ten Up Novice Chase (4.05). Trainer Gordon Elliott had indicated earlier this…

Jack Kennedy: took a heavy fall from Top Bandit at Naas on Sunday X-rays have confirmed that Jack Kennedy has broken his leg for a fifth time following a fall from Top Bandit at Naas on Sunday, but Gordon Elliott is hopeful his number one jockey will be back in time to ride at the Cheltenham Festival. The 23-year-old leads the Irish jump jockeys'…

Commissioning (navy) streaks away from her rivals in the Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket Commissioning surged into contention for next year's Qipco 1000 Guineas with an impressive performance to maintain her unbeaten record, becoming the next potential star for trainers John and Thady Gosden in the process. However, far from overflowing with…

World class sprinter Artorius is likely to have his first jumpout this time in later this month. Picture: Alan Crowhurst-Getty Images Trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman have identified the perfect distance for Artorius's latest bid for a second Group 1 win in the autumn. Artorius won the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes as a two-year-old in February 2021…

Hollie Doyle and Dame Malliot land the Group 2 Princess of Wales's Tattersalls Stakes Fresh from her first Royal Ascot winner last month, Hollie Doyle ticked the latest item off her bucket list after Dame Malliot gave the high-flying rider her first success at Group level in the Princess of Wales's Tattersalls Stakes. Doyle rode more winners than…

Tenebrism: showed speed and professionalism when landing Saturday's Cheveley Park On a day full of clues for the future, Juddmonte Cheveley Park heroine Tenebrism made the biggest impression of all. That is not to detract from the professional way Perfect Power overcame a couple of stumbles to pick up his rivals in the Middle Park, nor to…

Tiber Flow (number 9): game winner under Tom Marquand Saturday: Newbury William Haggas, a big-race winner with the fantastic Baaeed, enjoyed a treble on the card, which started when Jon and Julia Aisbitt's homebred Tiber Flow struck in the Carnarvon Stakes, which had bookmakers trimming him for the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot next…

Battleground makes light work of his Vintage Stakes rivals at Goodwood There is nothing flashy about Battleground but he is effective and has Aidan O'Brien already thinking of next year's Qipco 2000 Guineas. As short as 7-1 for the Classic, Battleground had the look of his mother and Arc winner, Found, in claiming a third Vintage Stakes for…

Steve Parkin: owner was left nursing an injury following Last Crusader's win at York Thursday: York Owner Steve Parkin had to grimace through the pain barrier to collect his trophy for the Westow Stakes after his exuberant celebrations cheering on Last Crusader's success left him nursing a suspected torn calf. Last Crusader, who runs in Parkin's…

Mares' Hurdle champion Marie's Rock faces a considerable challenge on the first stop towards her Cheltenham Festival defence, but trainer Nicky Henderson hopes the mares' allowance will give her the advantage. The eight-year-old is against geldings in open company for the first time and also lacks the match fitness of all eight rivals, with this…

The ITV cameras roll into Newbury on Saturday as the Christmas Racing Festival continues with five races in Berkshire, headlined by the Grade 1 Coral Challow Novices' Hurdle (3.00). It's one of the highlights of the season at the track and in recent years the race has produced top-class names such as Champ, Thyme Hill, Stage Star and this year's…

Reach For The Moon: heads the betting for Solario A small field has become predictable in the Solario (average of 6.6 runners since 2011), but that matters little to favourite backers who have cashed in on five consecutive winning market leaders. Will likely odds-on favourite Reach For The Moon follow suit? His pedigree indicates that 7f would be…

Newbury's Mandarin Chase has unearthed some real talent among staying chasers down the years Considering it has not been part of the Pattern since 1989, the Mandarin holds a strong roll of honour. Its first winner after demotion was Party Politics, with Jodami a couple of years down the line. Over the last 15 years or so it has become one of the…

Jim Crowley enjoys an armchair ride on Baaeed in the Thoroughbred Stakes William Haggas and Shadwell Estates might have had a few balloons deflated this season with Mohaafeth and Al Aasy, but perhaps the combination's brightest star shone in the Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes when Baaeed strolled to arguably the most impressive performance of the…

Gesskille (near side) has twice finished second at Aintree this season Turn the clock back 12 months and Nestor Park was being prepared for a crack at the prestigious Mandarin Chase at Newbury. Trainer Ben Pauling had indicated that would be his main aim for the season and he ran well to finish third without getting to grips with easy winner Saint…

Mr Jack and Niall Houlihan on the way to an emotional victory at Plumpton on Monday Mr Jack's victory in the concluding 2m handicap hurdle provided a poignant success for Andy Irvine, partner of trainer Zoe Davison who died earlier this month after a long battle with cancer. Davison's death on January 3 was preceded by a double for the yard on the…

Aidan O'Brien: has grand plans for Luxembourg this season The Classics are drawing ever closer and after another busy week of action, including trials at Newbury, here are ten quotes that could give us clues. . . He's a bigger horse than Camelot and I think he has more pace, so that would give you hope going for a Guineas. We'll have to wait and…

Britain's festive spectacular, the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase (2.30), is one of the highlights of the year and is already shaping up to be a post-Christmas cracker on December 26. The King George has been won by some of jump racing's legends in the past, and we have taken a look at who could join that illustrious roll of honour based on…

The biggest empires in history evolved from one great individual at the very top. From the heady days of Julius Caesar and the Roman empire to Napoleon Bonaparte's French conquests, it takes the best leader to ignite sheer success. For owner John Dance, his expanding racing empire is thriving thanks to his own Empress at the top charting the…

Donnacha O'Brien: aiming at a Group 1 with his first runner in Britain Starting at the top leaves you with an awful long way to fall but Donnacha O'Brien has never looked afraid of heights. Having the favourite for a Group 1 race as your first British runner might faze many trainers, particularly if they were only months into their new career and…

We posed some questions to ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence research system that has been making headlines all over the world for its incredible ability to give convincing answers to requests on a mind-boggling array of subjects, and we wanted to see what this super AI could do with racing. Open AI, the company that developed Chat GPT, says its…

Taunton: staged racing on Thursday Taunton: Thursday Frost could eradicate much of the weekend's racing schedule but Fiona Shaw felt blessed to avoid the cold snap as it might have cost her a first winner in almost two years. Sure Listen, one of just six horses in her string in Dorset, produced a 40-1 surprise in the 3m handicap hurdle to break a…

Bradsell and Hollie Doyle win the Coventry Stakes on day one at Royal Ascot We knew Bradsell must be good, you can't win at York on debut by nine lengths and not be good, but it turns out he's a lot better than just good judging by this stellar Coventry show. It supplied Hollie Doyle with her third Royal Ascot victory and made her the most…

Gary Moore: hopeful Perseus Way can make better shapes on Saturday Gary Moore believes Perseus Way has what it takes to shape into a Triumph Hurdle contender, provided the promising three-year-old improves at his hurdles at Cheltenham on Saturday. Perseus Way is set to line up in the JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle (12.05) where he could…

Appleby, 47, a retained trainer for Godolphin at Moulton Paddocks in Newmarket, fought off sustained challenges from John & Thady Gosden and William Haggas to keep hold of the Trainers' title. It completes a clean sweep of the Jockeys', Trainers' and Owners' Championships for Godolphin in 2022, with the organisation winning the Owners' title and…

Peter Thomas (right) receives his racing writer of the year trophy from Chris McGrath Peter Thomas was crowned racing writer of the year for the first time at the 56th annual Derby Awards in London on Monday, securing an eighth consecutive success in the category for a writer at the Racing Post. Thomas, whose interview with trainer Peter…

Henri The Second: will bid to emulate his half-brother Enrilo by winning the Winter Novices' Hurdle This race has produced a slew of Grade 1 performers since 1987, including winners of the Stayers' Hurdle, Gold Cup and Grand National. Success here usually indicates a penchant for a proper staying test further down the line and outstanding hurdler…

Three of flat racing's biggest names are set to go head-to-head in this year's Goodwood Cup, as Stradivarius, Kyprios and Trueshan battle it out for glory. Anticipation is building ahead of one of British racing's most prestigious flat races. The Glorious Goodwood Festival is about to get underway and the traditional highlight of day one will be…

Nomadic Empire (near): a winner over this distance at York last season Yorkshire folk are extremely generous hosts but that does not mean they enjoy watching visitors make off with their money. This 6f handicap has been won by a horse trained in the county in seven of the last eight runnings and it looks set to stay at home again this year as only…

Godolphin and Charlie Appleby started this season with a Classic bang thanks to Coroebus in the 2000 Guineas, but his death in the Moulin last week and Newmarket second Native Trail's underwhelming efforts since may have taken some gloss off of the campaign. However, in St Leger favourite New London, the royal blue operation has a red-hot chance of…

David Egan: bids for more big-race success on Mishriff in the Dubai Sheema Classic Ten days of hotel quarantine await David Egan after riding on Dubai World Cup night on Saturday, but the sacrifice will be more than worth it should his Saudi Cup hero Mishriff strike in the $5m Longines Dubai Sheema Classic. Egan, champion apprentice in 2017, seeks…

Sir Michael Stoute: trainer of Derby favourite Desert Crown With the first two Classics completed, and after another busy week of action, including trials at York, here are ten quotes that could give us clues. . . I was very pleased. He was impressive in his maiden and we got behind schedule. We had to do what we did and he didn't let me down, he…

Greaneteen: won the Haldon Gold Cup but can he strike once again in the Tingle Creek? Monday With the exception of Wolverhampton's Saturday evening card, which was restricted to riders who rode fewer than 30 winners in 2021, there had been an absence of all-weather racing in Britain for just over a week as the season took a short break. However,…

William Buick with Adayar, a definite starter in Saturday's Group 1 Qipco Champion Stakes Adayar will add spice to Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday after trainer Charlie Appleby confirmed on Thursday morning that the Derby and King George winner would be a definite starter in the Group 1 Qipco Champion Stakes. The son of Frankel has come out of…

Henry de Bromhead has hailed Honeysuckle an "all-time great" no matter what happens when young pretenders Constitution Hill and State Man challenge over the coming months. The trainer is well aware of the whizz-kids arriving on the scene this season, but thinks his unbeaten wondermare still holds all the aces in the Champion Hurdle pot. The…

Star Of India: impressed in Chester's Dee Stakes After a week of trials for the Derby and Oaks, we asked our panel where the value now is for the Epsom Classics? Several Aidan O'Brien Derby contenders were sighted this week and although Changingoftheguard was visually impressive, he had things all his own way, and Star Of India in the Dee…

Kyprios (black, white and red) stays on best of all to win a dramatic Gold Cup at Ascot There promised to be drama and high emotion in the Gold Cup and it did not disappoint, with Kyprios crowned the new king of the stayers in a race that left as many questions as it did answers. Youth ultimately conquered experience as Kyprios narrowly defeated…

Ralph Beckett and Colin Keane: pair will team up again with Westover in the King George Ralph Beckett has confirmed Colin Keane will keep the ride on King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes favourite Westover on Saturday. Rob Hornby rode the horse to finish third in the Cazoo Derby after meeting trouble in running, but Keane then partnered…

Former winners Al Boum Photo and Minella Indo with Gold Cup victor A Plus Tard (left) Robbie Power does not think any horse in training could have beaten A Plus Tard in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup this month and admitted he thought it was going to take something special to catch him on Minella Indo when he quickened clear off the final…

Homeless Songs after her victory in the Tattersalls 1000 Guineas on Sunday After Homeless Songs ran out a dominant winner of the Irish 1000 Guineas at the Curragh, we canvassed the view of three Racing Post experts and asked: how does she measure up against the top colts we've seen? I think she compares favourably and I'd certainly back her getting…

Haydock: will open Betfair Chase day with a World Cup prediction race Haydock's Betfair Chase meeting will get off to an unusual start on Saturday as six horses bid to predict the winner of the Fifa World Cup. The Betfair Race to the World Cup Stakes will feature runners representing the six leading nations in the betting for the football…

Imperial Alcazar: will he be suited to the unseasonably quick conditions at Cheltenham? It's good ground at Cheltenham on Saturday with only a small possibility of showers during the afternoon. Here are three fancied runners on Trials day who could struggle on the unseasonably quick going. Why's the ground an issue? The short-priced favourite for…

Who can stop superstar chaser A Plus Tard? No horse has even got close on his last two visits to Britain. He ran away with the Cheltenham Gold Cup last March, putting 15 lengths between himself and stablemate Minella Indo from the final fence in a way that even the down-to-earth Henry de Bromhead described as "extraordinary." However, that was a…