#of comedy

The definition of the Timeform squiggle was changed towards the end of the twentieth century and it is now commonly used to identify a horse who is "unreliable (for temperamental or other reasons)". The symbol is used alongside - or sometimes in place of - a horse's form rating and phrases such as "one to treat with caution", "quirky" or…

Champion trainer John Gosden admits his firepower at Royal Ascot next week is heavily biased towards his older horses with his three-year-olds "the worst I've had in living memory". While Gosden and his son Thady can rely on the likes of Palace Pier in the Queen Anne Stakes, Lord North in the Prince of Wales's Stakes and Stradivarius in the Gold…

For once, you couldn't blame Matt Chapman's enthusiasm. "Nicky, you were rated 6lb below Istabraq going into that, have we seen, arguably, the greatest hurdler of the modern era just now?" Nicky Henderson, watery eyed at Newbury, 300 miles away from the scene of the Betfair Fighting Fifth, tried his best to play it cool. "Now now, hang on a minute,…

THE St James's Palace Stakes is the fifth race on day five of Royal Ascot and we've got all the latest news, views and top tips ahead of this year's renewal. To get you in the mood for the Group 1 - here's a run-down of the race. The 2020 St James's Palace Stakes will take place on Saturday, June 20 and will be live on ITV. It's a Group 1 Flat race…

It's getting to that time....again. Which means of course we now need to start looking at the competition that surrounds this team, starting with the teams that, at least in my opinion, the Bruins will have to actively keep up with this season. I'm sure you're familiar with them. Last year, any negative opinion about the Panthers defense, real or…

JAPAN should bid his rivals "sayonara" in the Group 1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes (3.00) at Royal Ascot today. Although beaten half a length and a nose behind stablemate Anthony Van Dyck in the Derby at Epsom last June, the Aidan O'Brien colt made great strides in the second half of the summer. Having routed his opponents in the King Edward VII Stakes…