#Irish Champion

Narrowly beaten on his racecourse debut at the Curragh, the son of No Nay Never went on to win each of his four subsequent starts, including the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot. But it was his scintillating display on what proved to be his final juvenile appearance in the Group One Phoenix Stakes that saw him top the charts with a rating of…

From Hurricane Fly's fourth consecutive Irish Champion Hurdle victory to The New One brushing aside the opposition in Cheltenham's International Hurdle, it has been an exciting year of racing. As 2014 nears its conclusion racing correspondent Marcus Townend reviews the past 12 months of racing, and picks his best race of each month. JANUARY Paul…

MOST of you will never have heard of Al Hakeem - but I'm hoping that will change in the next 48 hours. Al Hakeem is a French-trained colt and horses across the channel have been pants at home in Group 1 races this season. So, the Jean-Claude Rouget runner is a massive price to land tomorrow's Arc. The Longchamp thriller, screened live on ITV, has…

A tour of Coolmore Stud in Fethard, County Tipperary is a wonderfully enriching experience for any Flat racing fan, the site being home to so many champions from years gone by. To drive the point home, simply check out the stud's roster for 2021 which counted 16 stallions and the winners of 44 Group/Grade 1 races between them. Of course, winning…

Tommy Lyons ranks the country's greatest horsemen from the past 50 years. A star from the outset, Walsh served notice of what was to come by winning the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham aboard Alexander Banquet, and winning the Aintree Grand National at the first attempt. He showed his outstanding natural ability and adaptability by being able to ride…

A busy weekend of racing in Ireland is highlighted by a quintet of Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races. Among the prospective starters are Mishriff, Saffron Beach, and Highfield Princess, a trio of Group 1 winners whose connections have mentioned the Breeders' Cup among their possible year-end targets. Let's dive in and explore the upcoming…

Honeysuckle and Rachael Blackmore will aim to bounce back from her first defeat at Fairyhouse to win a fourth consecutive Irish Champion Hurdle This year's Dublin Racing Festival looks set to play host to a star-studded line-up after early entries for the two-day Irish calendar highlight at Leopardstown were revealed on Thursday. Eight Grade 1s…

Kilmaley native, Richard O'Brien, came in for lavish praise following the success of Paul Nolan's well-fancied newcomer, Cut The Rope (5/1), in the concluding four-year-old bumper at Naas on Sunday. O'Brien is a very successful trainer based in Ballingarry, County Limerick and it was on his advice that the Nolan camp purchased Cut The Rope, before…

The weekend's action at Leopardstown provided further pointers towards the Cheltenham Festival with plenty of movers in the betting markets ahead of the four-day extravaganza at Prestbury Park in March. Who are the big movers following the sixth renewal of the Dublin Racing Festival? We've taken a look at their impact on the big Grade Ones…

Join our channel to stay up to date on the latest in marketing Successful Ryan Moore rides are often significant, but there was a major milestone for the jockey at Deauville on Sunday. Steering Blackbeard to victory in the Prix Morny was his 100th Group 1 winner for trainer Aidan O'Brien. Moore's first top level victory for the master of Ballydoyle…

State Man continued his march towards a likely clash with Constitution Hill at the Cheltenham Festival in March with a comprehensive victory in the Matheson Hurdle at Leopardstown. Nicky Henderson's Constitution Hill is long odds-on to lift the Champion Hurdle crown in March following his latest demolition job in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on…

Nicky Henderson's Constitution Hill is long odds-on to lift the Champion Hurdle crown in March following his latest demolition job in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day. And while connections of the unbeaten five-year-old are unlikely to be quaking in their boots, State Man gave further evidence he may well prove his biggest threat with…

The Weatherbys Super Sprint was devised by Richard Hannon Snr and Lord Carnarvon as a lucrative prize for two-year-olds who hadn't cost a fortune at the sales. Accordingly, it has been the source of numerous wonderful rags-to-riches stories in its 30-year history. But just because the popular five-furlong dash staged at Newbury each July caters for…

Tighthead props don't usually make for good jockeys. Henry de Bromhead was no exception. "I rode, I did hunting and pony club stuff, but I was probably poor-to-moderate as a rider," he says. Training horses is a different matter, however. Last March he secured his place in the Cheltenham pantheon by taking an unprecedented triple crown of Champion…

Full results from day two of the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown. Honeysuckle, Galopin Des Champs and Sir Gerhard were among the favourites to win on Sunday's card Five horses, including winner Lily Du Berlais (green), race for the winning post at Leopardstown Several bookmakers were saved from a seven-figure payout as a 40-1 outsider took…

Bravemansgame provided Paul Nicholls with a record 13th victory in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase on St Stephen's Day. Bravemansgame's stablemate Frodon, the King George hero of 2020, gave his usual bold sight in front for much of the three-mile journey, but began to give way turning for home and at the top of the home straight it became clear…

One-time Derby favourite High Definition made a successful start to his jumping career in the opening race of the Christmas Festival at Leopardstown. The Galileo colt looked every inch a Classic contender in the making after charging home to win the Beresford Stakes as a two-year-old, but had failed to get his head in front in 12 subsequent…

Saint Roi and Lossiemouth were the highlights of a sparkling Willie Mullins treble at Leopardstown on Monday. The former came from last to first to open his account over fences in the Brand New Racing Post App Novice Chase at Leopardstown. Fourth in the Irish Champion Hurdle, the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham and the Punchestown Champion Hurdle…

Twenty years after Desert King gave Aidan O'Brien his first Classic win in the Irish 2000 Guineas, Churchill gave the trainer his 11th win in the race under Ryan Moore. Despite seeming to be uneasy on the rain-softened ground, the 4-9 favourite pulled two and a half lengths clear of Thunder Snow on Saturday. The son of Galileo joined fellow…

Ghaiyyath has been named the world's best racehorse at the Longines World Racing Awards after a stellar 2020 campaign which saw him win three Group 1s and achieve an official rating of 130. Owned by Godolphin, the son of Dubawi was a dominant winner of the Coronation Cup in June before getting the better of Enable in a pulsating clash in the…

THE late Queen Elizabeth II is in all our minds, but there's a Princess very much in the thoughts of racing folk right now as well. When the gongs are given out at the end of the year, there is little doubt that Baaeed will take centre stage. For instance, in the Cartier Horse of the Year race, it's hard to believe that the William Haggas trained…

It's Flat racing's Arc weekend - 12 horses, the smallest field in 12 years, are due to be chasing Europe's grandest prize at ParisLongchamp racetrack in the Bois de Boulogne on Sunday. Though two-time winner Enable is hogging the build-up headlines as she and Frankie Dettori seek an historic treble in the mile-and-a-half-long feature, the…

Chris Hill brings us his round-up of the news from the bloodstock scene following a good weekend for Willie Mullins. With the Cheltenham Festival just over six weeks away, Willie Mullins' domination of the 2015-16 British and Irish jumps season showed no sign of relenting last week with the eight-time Irish champion trainer saddling all three…

Godolphin pair Adayar and Hurricane Lane, the Aga Khan's superstar mare Tarnawa and dual Oaks winner Snowfall have been declared for Sunday's Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe as 15 runners stood their ground on Thursday. The Roger Varian-trained Teona, who beat Snowfall in the Prix Vermeille this month, misses the race as the ground will be…

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…

Tighthead props don't usually make for good jockeys. Henry De Bromhead was no exception. "I rode, I did hunting and pony club stuff, but I was probably poor-to-moderate as a rider," he says. Training horses is a different matter, however. Last March he secured his place in the Cheltenham pantheon by taking an unprecedented triple crown of Champion…

With horse racing in Ireland dating back to at least 60 AD, it is easy to see why the sport is so deeply entrenched in our culture. And perhaps having horse racing in the blood is why we can claim to have produced some of the greatest race horses in the world. It would be interesting to know the form of the horses that took part in races of ancient…

Father Gianfranco Dettori (13-time champion jockey in Italy; won 2000 Guineas on Bolkonski 1975, Wollow 1976) Apprenticed to Luca Cumani, Newmarket 1987-89 First winner Rif, Turin, November 16, 1986 First winner in Britain Lizzy Hare, Goodwood, June 9, 1987 Lost claim Versailles Road, Beverley, July 18, 1989 First Group winner Legal Case (1989…

JP McManus nods at the white boards at the other end of the office. It's late September in Martinstown and the rain is coming down in great grey sheets outside. "Our horses in training," he says, gesturing at the names of hundreds of thoroughbreds and their respective trainers. When asked the number he replies, "Marian Finucane once asked me how…

It is nearly ten years since Frankel put up the best performance in Timeform's history when he beat Excelebration by 11 lengths in the 2012 Queen Anne Stakes, earning a rating of 147. Unsurprisingly, no horse since has come close to reaching that lofty figure. In fact, only a dozen other horses have reached the 140 benchmark since Timeform was…

Horse racing fans are in dreamland this weekend as the Dublin Racing Festival takes centre stage at Leopardstown. The cream of Irish national hunt racing will strut their stuff and pecking orders will be established with Cheltenham on the horizon. If you need an idea of how good the racing is today then you only to need to look at the second race…

HONEYSUCKLE has been crowned Horse of the Year at a prestigious awards do - the day after losing for the first time in her amazing career. Kenny Alexander's wondermare could finish only third when bidding for a record fourth Hatton's Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse on Sunday. Gordon Elliott's shock 20-1 winner Teahupoo crashed the party - meaning…

The weights for the 2022 Randox Grand National at Aintree Racecourse have risen by 5lbs after the top three in the handicap - Galvin, Conflated and Melon - were taken out at the latest scratchings' stage. There are now 78 entries remaining, with Henry De Bromhead's Chris's Dream now topping the weights at 11st10lb, for the Aintree showpiece on…

In the words of legendary Italian breeder, Federico Tesio: "The thoroughbred exists because its selection has depended, not on experts, technicians, or zoologists, but on a piece of wood: the winning post of the Epsom Derby." Those comments may not apply to the same extent when it comes to the recent crop of Derby victors, but one thing remains the…

In its enduring 149-year history, the Irish Derby has been synonymous with exceptional racehorses. ften, it has been the race in which greatness is confirmed, a coronation of sorts for the champion that has triumphed in the original at Epsom. That has been especially so since the Curragh Group One gained elite international status in 1962, when its…

Baaeed has "a strong chance" of ending his career in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in October, trainer William Haggas said on Sunday. Provided the ground is suitable, the unbeaten colt looks set to be tested for the first time over a mile and a half in Europe's most prestigious race. Speculation has been rife over targets for…

OAKS heroine Tuesday and one time Derby favourite Stone Age will spearhead a classic Aidan O'Brien Breeders' Cup raiding party. And with the champion of Ireland being joined by Britain's top gun Charlie Appleby in a strong challenge, the message is loud and clear to the Americans that the best of Europe is on its way to the World Thoroughbred…

Westover will be partnered by Colin Keane for a mouthwatering clash with Oaks heroine Tuesday in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh on Saturday. A fast-finishing third in the Derby at Epsom three weeks ago after enduring a troubled run, the Ralph Beckett-trained Westover has been at the head of ante-post lists for the Irish equivalent…

EARTH can Strike in the opener. Having won like a nice prospect on debut here last month, Joseph O'Brien's EARTH STRIKE should take all the beating in this Listed contest. She bumped into a decent stablemate and Ger Lyons' Sister Rosetta that day, but this course and distance proved to suit her much more than it did them as she flew by both in the…

Cheltenham Festival 2022 is just weeks away. Key runners will continue their preparations at Leopardstown, with contenders for the Gold Cup and Champion Chase on show Honeysuckle and Appreciate It could meet in the Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle Top class horses are put through their paces at this weekend's Dublin Racing Festival at…

Steve Chambers previews the 2020 Prince of Wales's Stakes, which sees a stellar field line up for the Wednesday Group 1 feature at Royal Ascot. A multiple Group winner last season, Japan will be one of the primary shots fired from the Aidan O'Brien gun during Royal Ascot, and the four-year-old will be a red-hot favourite for the Prince of Wales's…

Leopardstown is the sole fixture on Saturday. The rest of the programme was cancelled as a mark of respect following the death of the Queen, a lifelong supporter of racing Top class French-trained three-year-old Vadeni attempts to plunder yet another huge prize when he faces six rivals in Saturday's Group 1 Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes at…

The first of two days of top class horse racing action takes place at Leopardstown this afternoon as Irish Champions Weekend kicks off. The eight-race card features two Group 1s, two Group 2s, one Group 3, a listed race and two incredibly competitive handicaps. Just seven line up in the Irish Champion Stakes, but it is a high class field, as you…

Harry Allwood kept a close eye on the racing action at Leopardstown and the Curragh over the weekend and selects five horses who are worth adding to your Racing TV tracker. The 2020 Longines Irish Champions Weekend certainly did not disappoint, and we were treated to some stunning performances from some equine stars, as well as some potential…

Honeysuckle is as short as 1-2 to retain her Champion Hurdle crown at Cheltenham next month after making it 14 runs unbeaten in the Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown. A third consecutive win in the feature race on day two of the Dublin Racing Festival looked a formality with Rachael Blackmore's mount sent off at odds of 1-5 and…

All eyes will be on the Arc as the best middle-distance horses in the world compete at Longchamp. Adayar, Tarnawa, Snowfall and Chrono Genesis are key contenders It's nearly 20 years since a horse running in Godolphin's royal blue silks won the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe but the owners have two leading candidates with Adayar and Hurricane…

Dalaika, shown winning the Grade I Beverly D. at Churchill Downs, returns for the $1 million Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf on Saturday. Photo courtesy of Churchill Downs Sept. 9 (UPI) -- It's all about the turf in weekend horse racing with Kentucky Downs staging an extravaganza unmatched anywhere in North America short of the Breeders' Cup World…

THE Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is the race that stops a continent. Worth a stonking £4.3million, Europe's richest contest always throws up a top class winner. This year's race over 1½ miles takes place at Longchamp on Sunday October 3 - and it looks to be an absolute stonker. Epsom Oaks winner Snowfall was the runaway favourite but has now drifted…

The dark bay was by Cape Cross and was both bred and owned by Lord Derby having been foaled in March 2001 at his Stanley House Stud in Newmarket. Her two-year-old season included a novice win and a placed Listed run, but it was as a three-year-old that she really came to the fore when taking Newmarket's Pretty Polly Stakes before going on to an…