Get the facts about your family tree from Genes Reunited, and dependant on your level of interest you can obtain either our Standard or Premier package. For full details, click the link below:
Group company likely for Strawberry Daiquiri.
Sir Michael Stoute's Strawberry Daiquiri added to her Listed Distaff Sandown success when landing this afternoon's Listed Valiant Stakes at Ascot. The odds on favourite was always in control, running out a comfortable one length winner over Balaagha.
After the race, connections confirmed the filly would now probably moved up to Group class for her next outing.
Late words favour Tartan Bearer.
Add to the fact Ryan Moore believes any one of Sir Michael Stoute's three entrants can win tomorrow's Betfair sponsered King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Michael Kinane is firmly convinced Moore has selected the wrong horse, and Tartan Bearer is going to provide Kinane with his sixth victory in the Ascot July centre-piece.
Some might suggest this may be fanciful thinking on the part of Kinane, but the news from the bookmakers this evening suggests people in the know are beginning to support Tartan Bearer, with Ladbrokes now only offering three to one about the second favourite.
Bonus Fund up for grabs on tenth anniversary.
It seems hard to believe, since it feels like it has been around forever, but tomorrow represents the tenth anniversary of the introduction of the Totesport Scoop Six Bet, and on tomorrow's milestone anniversary date twenty lucky punters who won nearly forty five thousand each last Saturday will have the opportunity to win the £619,728 up for grabs in the Bonus Fund.
With exactly twenty punters trying to pick the winner of the 3.45 pm twenty runner Skybet Dash at York, it is quite possible they might pool their resources,and ensure they all end up with an extra £30,986.40 each - but you never know what they might decide to do!
For those interested in joining the start of the new Win Fund, the six races for tomorrow's Scoop Six are:
Leg 1 - 2.05 pm York.
Leg 2 - 2.20 pm Newmarket.
Leg 3 - 2.35 pm York.
Leg 4 - 2.50 pm Newmarket.
Leg 5 - 3.25 pm Newmarket.
Leg 6 - 3.45 pm York.
Murtagh hoping he has chosen a dazzling pair.
Johnnie Murtagh has chosen to ride Golden Sword in the Betfair sponsered King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and he is hopeful the progressive three year old will help him to complete a hat-trick of victories in the Group 1 - following on from his successes on Dylan Thomas in 2007, and Duke of Marmalade in 2008. Speaking about his decision, the Ballydoyle number one said,
"I rode Golden Sword in some work last week, and he is definitely going in the right direction. He will get the trip, and he likes good to firm ground, so the only inponderable is whether he is good enough to beat the older horses on the day."
Murtagh also has a potential winning mount in the Abu Dhabi International Handicap in the form of current favourite Captain Brilliance. Speaking about his chances Murtagh commented,
"He put in a fantastic run to finish second in the Bunbury Cup after a two year absence from the track, and if we had got a break at a crucial part of the race, I think we might well have won at Newmarket."
"Of course we will need luck in running again tomorrow, but if he has progressed from his Newmarket run, he will take all the beating."
Butler eyeing another Irish prize.
Bob Butler is no stranger to landing Irish raids, most noteably, Niche Market's Easter victory in the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse, and the trainer and stable jockey Harry Skelton ar once more on the trail of an Irish handicap prize. Butler has entered I hear thunder in the Cara Diamonds Handicap next Tuesday at Galway, but the trainer has indicated that is a speculative entry, and it is likely to be the 0 to 123 handicap steeplechase at Galway a week tomorrow where Butler is hoping to secure another successful Irish raid.
Yorkshire racecourses holding themed August meetings.
As part of their on-going policy to attract the next generation into the pleasures of horseracing, Ripon racecourse are holding their annual Childrens Day on Monday 03 August. In addition to the opportunity to obtain a close-up view of horseracing, the course is offering a myriad of attractions to keep youngsters occupied before and in between the races.
Having lost their Family Day to a waterlogged course, Redcar have decided to make their meeting on Sunday 09 August a combined offering. The Save our Steel Family Day will combine the racecourses support for the local Redcar steelworks, currently threatened with closure, with a replacement for their lost Family Day.
In addition to a host of on-course attractions for the whole family, the course is halving its normal Grandstand entrance price from £15 to £7.50.
Gosden hopeful of second Tazeez Group victory.
John Gosden believes Tazeez has improved dramatically since his Group 3 victory earlier in the season, and the Newmarket based trainer is more than hopeful his 2008 Cambridgeshire winner will prove to have too much for his rivals in tomorrow's Skybet York Stakes at the Knavesmire.
Gosden is no stranger to winning this Group 2 prize, having landed last year's renewal with Pipe Dreamer, and certainly, Tazeez seems to have the right profile to be a progressive type who might take tomorrow's ten furlong contest on route to an even bigger prize later in the season.
Charlton bullish over Genki chances.
Although having put in most of his racecourse performances over six furlongs, trainer Roger Charlton is unusually bullish about Genki's chances in tomorrow's one mile Abu Dhabi International Heritage Handicap at Ascot.
"Providing the ground stays good or better, we will have no worries over the trip, and if we pace it correctly, his sprinting experience should come into play in the closing stages of the race."
Stickles confident of no course cvariation.
Ascot Clerk of the Course Chris Stickles seems confident there will be no draw advantage in races run on Ascot's straight course during the three day King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes Meeting.
"The ground conditions are uniform across the full width of the straight course, and I suspect the only advantage will be gained by horses drawn on the side where there is initial speed."
Racecourses advise Levy Board to stand by decision.
Representatives of the British racecourses have advised the Levy Board to stick to their decision to cut prize funds by five per cent in 2010, and they have also suggested the Levy Board should not dip into its reserves to increase funding for next year.
Apart from imparting sound financial advice, it may be the racecourses believe they can cover the short-fall in central funding of prize money by other means, and if this did prove to be true, it would be a good thing all round.
Ffoslas hoping for Channel 4 coverage.
With new South Wales based racing venue Ffoslas determined to revive the fortunes of the Welsh Champion Hurdle, a race last held at Chepstow before its demise from the racing calendar, it now seems the race's revival may be of interest to Channel 4. It is understood the television station are in discussions with Ffoslas executives over the possible coverage of the £50,000 race, which is due to be run as part of the Ffoslas card on Saturday 09 January 2010. If the deal is concluded, it will represent Ffoslas's first exposure to a terrestrial television audience.
Weld keen on Vital Plot.
Considering Dermot Weld has been champion trainer at the Galway Festival on no less than twenty three occasions, whenever he says he fancies the chances of one of his horses at Galway, punters ignore the advice at their peril. So for those of you who have a little black book, Weld told At The Races he believes his Vital Plot has an excellent chance of landing the Guinness Galway Hurdle next Thursday.
Economic down-turn is having a major effect on Irish horseracing.
Horse Racing Ireland released half year figures for 2009 today, which reveal further contractions in Irish racing’s key performance indicators. With fixtures declining by 4% and races by 5%, average attendances have fallen by 14%, while the total attendance is down 17% from the start of the year. There has been a similar fall in betting turnover, with the Tote down 17% and on-course bookmakers down 22%. Trainers are seeing a decline in horse numbers which are down 4%, with individual runners down by 6% and total runners down by 8%. Prize money fell by €3.9m (14%), while commercial sponsorship declined by 25%.
Whilst the average attendance has declined by 14% and total attendance by 17% to 498,308, there are still some positives to take out of a number of the key meetings. Attendances at several major festivals held up well, with Easter at Fairyhouse up 7.5% and at Cork up 14%. 95,000 racegoers attended the Punchestown Festival over the five days and, while corporate bookings were reduced by 15,000, the number of non-corporate attendees increased by 5,000. The later start times also resulted in an increased viewership on RTE for the first three days of the festival with a rise of 52% on the previous year.
On the racetrack, the on-going investment in the industry continues to pay dividends, with continued high profile international successes. In the National Hunt arena the highlight of the year was the nine Irish winners at the Cheltenham Festival. Along with the Irish trained winners, there were thirteen Irish bred winners (including 6 Grade One's). Ruby Walsh was crowned Leading Cheltenham Festival jockey yet again with a record seven festival winners, and the top five spots in the jockeys’ table were held by Irish riders, further emphasizing the international dominance of Irish athletes, both human and equine, in the national hunt arena.
On the Flat, Sea The Stars is currently the leading Flat horse in the world, having completed a remarkable treble by winning the Newmarket Guineas, Epsom Derby and Coral Eclipse Stakes for Michael Kinane and John Oxx. The redoubtable Yeats deservedly earned his place in the history books by winning his fourth consecutive Ascot Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, whilst HRI’s Flat Ambassador Johnny Murtagh was crowned leading jockey at the meeting.
Commenting on the figures, Brian Kavanagh, Chief Executive, Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) said:
“The first six months have not surprisingly proved to be very challenging, with Irish racing not immune from the effects of the economic slowdown. All our figures are down, but we must see them in context. Racing is coming from a very high bar, having achieved record figures in recent times, and 2008 saw a contraction in the Irish horse racing industry for the first time in more than fifteen years. With rising unemployment and continuing weak consumer confidence in so many markets, it is understandable that attendances at events, including race meetings, are going to be affected. Racing will have to rise to the challenge and offer better value for our customers, with competitive pricing, increased offers and more incentives to reward our loyal racegoers”.
Owen seeking Dascomb as racing strike partner?
If rumours are to be believed, Manchester United striker Michael Owen is seeking to persuade Tom Dascomb to take over from Nicky Vaughn as the trainer of Owen's racehorses at the state of the art Manor House stables at Malpas in Cheshire.
Although neither side are confirming any contact, it is certain thirty six year old Dascomb has had a good start to his training career, and Owen is urgently seeking a trainer who can breathe success back into his string of currently under-performing horses.
Potential Paco Boy absence could give three year olds a Sussex victory.
With Richard Hannon jnr indicating Paco Boy is more likely to race in France than take up his option in next Wednesday's BGC Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, it would seem the race could become a contest between Classic winning filly Ghanaati, and the ultra consistant Group 1 performer Rip Van Winkle.
Ghanaati has looked very impressive in her 1,000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes victories, but Rip Van Winkle is certainly progressive, and his second behind Sea The Stars in the Coral Eclipse Stakes was his best run so far this season, and a progressive O'Brien horse in a race he has won on three previous occasions must always be respected.
Stack filly will Walk On Bye British entries.
Trainer Tommy Stack sees no reason why this weekend's Camas Park and Ashtown House Studs Phoenix Stakes favourite Walk On Bye should have to travel to Britain this season.
"She can obtain plenty of top class competition at home in Ireland, and anyway, as a juvenile filly we want to minimise the number of distractions she has to face this season, and travelling to Britain represents a major distraction."
She's Our Mark a game winner.
Despite setting sail for home a furlong and a half out, as trainer Dermot Weld had predicted Casual Conquest needed his run in last evening's Group 3 Meld Stakes at Leopardstown, as he was soon collared by Pat Flynn's She's Our Mark, with the filly staying on gamely to hold off the late challenge of Michael Kinane on Lord Admiral. Speaking after the race connections said,
"We were delighted with her performance tonight. She seems very progressive at the moment, but as she must have soft ground, we will probably have to go to France for her next outing."
O'Brien has another useful Galileo colt.
It would appear Aidan O'Brien has yet another classy son of Galileo, for Cape Blanco turned last evening's Korean Racing Authority Tyrose Stakes into an exhibition heat as he galloped his rivals into submission. Leading from the start, the new Ballydoyle recruit soon saw off the attentions of Perfect Symmetry, and then stayed on strongly to score by three and a half lengths from Marfach.
This particular race has produced some useful horses over the years, and William Hill were impressed enough to give Cape Blanco an initial quote of 16/1 for the 2010 running of the Stan James 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket next May.
Celebrate your winnings, or commiserate with others with fine wines & champagne’s:
==================================
Archives:
2009.
2008.
News Stories prior to July 2008
Return to text based index page
