#Magna Grecia

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…

Don't be a plonker - go with Jubiloso to land the Coronation Stakes (4.20, ITV) on Friday. Sir Michael Stoute's filly, whose uncle is the great unbeaten champ Frankel, faces a big step up in class but could hardly have made a more promising start to her career. An easy winner at Chelmsford at the end of April, Jubiloso went on to blitz her rivals…

KILLER CLOWN can scare a few better-fancied rivals in the Jewson Monet's Garden Old Roan Limited Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (3pm) as racing returns to Aintree Racecourse on Sunday afternoon. Emma Lavelle's seven-year-old may just come out on top for a slight shock win in the Grade Two feature at the home of the Randox Grand National. Last year's…

There is a lot riding on Advertise in Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, much more than the laudable feat of landing the first Classic of the season. Victory would be the biggest in the career of trainer Martyn Meade. It could also provide the extra impetus to Meade's dreams of bringing the glory days back to the historic stable on the Manton Estate…

Rhea Moon (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) was produced by the hot-riding Juan Hernandez approaching the final furlong and fought her way past pace-pressing stablemate School Dance (Animal Kingdom) in the final couple of jumps to win Monday's GI American Oaks at Santa Anita. A 6-1 gamble exiting a 1 1/4-length success in the GIII Autumn Miss S.…

The 2000 Guineas is the premier Classic race for three-year-old colts over a mile. The race is open to fillies but their participation is rare - the last one to run in it was 59 years ago. Held on the Rowley Mile course at Newmarket, the 2000 Guineas is the first race in the British Champion Series and is sponsored by Qatari investment company…

Charlie Appleby couldn't be happier with Native Trail and Coroebus, the two star colts who bid to give him a first success in the £500000 Qipco 2000 Guineas. Native Trail, unbeaten in five starts, including the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes, is the Godolphin standard bearer, but few would be surprised if Coroebus made him work mighty hard. Appleby said:…

Tom Segal with ante-post tips for the Ascot Gold Cup, Queen Anne Stakes and more Maddy Playle, Nick Watts, Tom Segal and Paddy Power's Darren Hughes are back for a new series of ante-post shows previewing Royal Ascot 2019. This week they look at the Ascot Gold Cup, Queen Anne Stakes, St James's Palace Stakes and Coronation Stakes. On the show: -…

THE five Classic races during the Flat season are always strong tests at their respective distances and, with his stamina assured, MAGNA GRECIA is taken to give trainer Aidan O'Brien a remarkable tenth victory in the Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday. While a son of the speed influencer Invincible Spirit, Donnacha O'Brien's mount is out…

Reference Point, High Chaparral, Motivator, Authorized, Camelot. All won the Vertem Futurity Trophy at two and the Derby at three between 1986 and 2011, but the fab five haven't been joined by another horse in the last decade. Perhaps the-times-they-are-a-changin'? The Doncaster race has become more of a pointer towards the 2000 Guineas in recent…

Auguste Rodin: did he put up the best juvenile performance of the season? Little Big Bear in the Phoenix Stakes. Auguste Rodin might have more scope for improvement next year and was pretty flawless in the Vertem Futurity Trophy but it didn't match the explosiveness of Little Big Bear at the Curragh in August. He beat the first two home in the…

The cream of the flat racing crop assembles at The Curragh and Leopardstown over the course of the weekend for Longines Irish Champions Weekend. As Aidan O'Brien said: " It's an unbelievable two days' racing, we're very lucky to have it, and we want to run as many as we can." O' Brien will run plenty judging by the five-day declarations. The…

Tom Segal with ante-post tips for the 2000 and 1000 Guineas Maddy Playle, Tom Segal, Dave Orton and Paddy Power's Darren Hughes with a horse-by-horse ante-post betting guide to the Qipco 2000 and 1000 Guineas Stakes at Newmarket on May 4 and 5. On the show: - Tom and Darren argued over Tiger Roll's Grand National value last time but thankfully…

Bloodstock expert Nancy Sexton ranks the stallions who have left the most indelible mark in the last 100 years. Today: the top five Nearctic - Natalma (Native Dancer) Stood: Windfields Farm, Canada; Windfields Farm, Maryland, USA Northern Dancer was a game changer as far as the industry was concerned, and not just in North America but Europe as…