#Prime Venture

After two days of brilliant racing in Liverpool, amid the fancy hats and the tossed bet slips, it all comes down to this: day at Aintree. The flagship race, a four-mile steeplechase, leads the attractions on Saturday, the big one at 5:15. But there's plenty of other racing before that. And after a thrilling Thursday and a fantastic Friday, you can…

The veterans' final has always been used as a gateway to big handicaps by a certain few - even going back to its first winner, Soll, who used the race as a Grand National prep. But such runners had been limited to one or two a year - until now. Look down the field of 18 - the biggest ever, if they all go to post - and there are potentially as many…

PRIME VENTURE gets the vote to rack up back-to-back victories in the Unibet Veterans' Handicap Chase (3.00) at Sandown Park on Saturday. Twelve months ago, Evan Williams' 12-year-old came from the clouds under Adam Wedge to clinch this race by nine lengths. There's little doubt the race was run to suit a hold-up horse that afternoon, but there's…

TAHMURAS can provide Paul Nicholls with another noivce success at the top level in the Unibet Novices' Tolworth Novices' Hurdle (GBB Race) (2.25pm) at Sandown Park on Saturday afternoon. Nicholls claimed the Challow Hurdle with Hermes Allen at Newbury last week and he is heading to the Cheltenham Festival with a big chance. Now Tahmuras can book…

Happy New Year! I don't know about you, but I always forget to say that when I see someone for the first time since the change of the year. The period between Christmas and New Year (I got many an eye roll for calling it Twixmas!) blurs into a succession of days and as I was in bed before 9pm on New Year's Eve, 2022 rolled into 2023 almost…

The Scottish Grand National takes centre stage of the horse racing calendar this weekend in Ayr. Here's a full breakdown of every runner and rider among what is a quality field. First off, let's get the basic info out of the way. What date is the race on and when does it start? It takes place on Saturday April 2 with the race set to get underway at…

One of the biggest race meeting in the British sporting calendar is returning to Ayr Racecourse this weekend. Action at the Scottish Grand National in 2012 Last year local hero Mighty Th under, trained by Kinross-based Lucinda Russell, was first over the line in the Scottish Grand National - the first home-grown winner in a decade. It completed an…

The Randox Grand National takes centre stage on the third and final day of the Aintree Festival - and what a race we have in store. The world's greatest steeplechase is woven into the fabric of the sporting year - an occasion when once-a-year punters get to pit their wits against the bookies, while more dedicated racing fans will look at the race…