#King Power Racing

War of Will, shown winning the Maker's Mark Mile at Keeneland in July, is a major player in Saturday's Grade I Woodbine Mile. Photo courtesy of Keeneland Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Two days of top-level turf action at Woodbine, including three Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" events, provide the feature attraction in weekend horse racing. Two of the…

It is not only the England football team who are bidding to bridge a long gap between top-level triumphs at a venue. Leading owner and breeder Jeff Smith may have won countless big prizes in the past four decades, but he has not landed one of the Group 1 prizes at the Newmarket July Festival since the brilliant Chief Singer saw off all the best…

THE Ayr Gold Cup is Scotland's richest Flat race and one of the biggest betting heats of the season. The overall pot is £150000, with the winner netting over £75000 for connections. The value of the six furlong race attracts horses from some of England and Scotland's top yards. Great Ambassador won the Garrowby Stakes at York earlier this month and…

28-1 shot Johan gives Mick Channon and Silvestre De Sousa unexpected victory in Lincoln Handicap at Doncaster JOHAN put one in the back of the net for former football ace and now trainer Mick Channon when landing the SBK Lincoln on the opening day of the turf Flat season at Doncaster. Partnered by Silvestre de Sousa, the 28-1 shot proved strong for…

Horseracing's premier Flat meeting ends with a race run over a distance more suitable to the Cheltenham Festival, in conditions more in keeping with the Welsh National. The Queen Alexandra, Britain's longest Flat race, has attracted a maximum field of 20 runners, most of whom can be given a winning chance. Chester Cup winner Falcon Eight, whose…

Rogue Millennium (red) bids to take another step forward in her career The Oaks at Epsom might not have looked the strongest edition going into the race but Nashwa's victory in the Prix de Diane at Chantilly last weekend has given it a boost. Nashwa probably did not stay a mile and a half when third at Epsom and looked more at home over the shorter…

Wesley Ward is anticipating a "great race" as Lady Aurelia and Battaash do battle in Tuesday's feature race, the King's Stand Stakes. American-based horse Lady Aurelia is eyeing a Royal Ascot hat-trick, victorious in the King's 12 months ago and having also won the Queen Mary in 2016. But Battaash is the new kid on the block, looking to stake a…

The Queen will be without a runner at Epsom on Derby day after her final horse was not declared. Just Fine had been due to contest the World Pool Northern Dancer Handicap at the prestigious fixture. The gelding's trainer, Sir Michael Stoute, has the favourite for the feature Cazoo Derby (4.30pm). The big race is the only Flat Classic the Queen has…

Ascot's straight course tends to favour sprinters who are ridden cold - it's a long way home without cover on this wide track - and a glance at the race comments for winners of the Wokingham since 2011 features'held up' on eight occasions. The two anomalies have come in the last two years as Cape Byron (2019) and Hey Jonesy (2020) were always up in…

Irish champion flat trainer Aidan O'Brien is responsible for 12 of the 72 entries for the QIPCO 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, England, on Saturday, 1 May 2021. The first Classic race of the British flat season, which will be staged on Newmarket's Rowley Mile course, will see the Irish handler bid for an incredible 10 QIPCO 2000 Guineas success. The…

It is unusual for a 17-runner handicap on ITV to revolve around a short-priced favourite but Gaassee dominates the Old Newton Cup market and is the only place to start. The positives to his chance are easy to find. Gaassee has won four on the bounce and boasts a Group 1 entry later in the season in the Irish St Leger, while his sole soft-ground run…

Glen Shiel: winner of last year's British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot The Bengough Stakes provides the perfect opportunity for talented handicappers to take the step up to Group 3 level. Recent winners include Tropics (2013), Cape Byron (2019) and Dakota Gold (2020), although the presence of Blue Point and Shalaa in the roll of honour suggests…

Happy Romance and Sean Levey (near) win the 2021 Hackwood Stakes Since the establishment of British Champions Day, the Hackwood Stakes has forged a close link with the big end-of-season meeting. The Diadem became the Champions Sprint in 2011, and since then four of its 11 winners had run in the same season's Hackwood. Two did the double, Deacon…

William Haggas: has a big chance with Mahrajaan If you go back to before 1998, the Magnet Cup as it was known then was often won by a lightly raced, progressive three-year-old, but the shape of the race has since changed entirely. Only one three-year-old has won it since 2001 and that was Wigmore Hall in 2010. He went on to win the Grade 1 Northern…

SILVESTRE DE SOUSA daren't put his phone on silent. For the sake of a moment's peace and quiet, he could end up missing out on hundreds of thousands of pounds. But the former champion jockey knew what he was signing up for when he swapped the UK for Hong Kong back in August. The Brazilian, 41, has had stints riding in the Far East in the past, but…

The grey was a runaway winner of the latter Group Three contest last season, streaking home five lengths to the good under David Allan. The same rider has received the leg-up all season, guiding the horse to fourth in the City Of York Stakes before coming home eighth on unsuitable ground in the Sprint Cup at Haydock. Back in Ireland for a repeat…

There is more to life than just Group 1s for championship-chasing trainer William Haggas. He still takes joy in lifting the traditional big handicaps and has won most of them, from the Lincoln and Victoria Cup in the spring to the Ayr Gold Cup and November Handicap in the autumn, plus numerous others in between. However, the Cambridgeshire is one…

Ray Acevedo-USA TODAY Sports Breeders' Cup Challenge action takes place at Newmarket this weekend The Royal Lodge Stakes offers a place in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf The Breeders' Cup Challenge series is drawing to a close, but there are still important places on the line across the world over the next month. This weekend, the eyes will be on…

Khanjar (left) and last year's winner Bielsa both have strong claims for Ayr Gold Cup glory Kevin Ryan's record in the Ayr Gold Cup is legendary. Successful five times with Advanced (2007), Our Jonathan (2011), Captain Ramius (2012), Brando (2016) and Bielsa (2021), the Malton trainer is four-handed in his bid for a sixth win. Bielsa heads the…

Previous runnings of the Supreme Stakes may be crucial to finding the winner of this year's race, with last year's second Double Or Bubble and 2020 winner Happy Power the clear choices in the betting. Double Or Bubble brings standout top-level form to the table, having been a solid fifth behind Alcohol Free in the July Cup at Newmarket last month…