Horse racing is set to return to Towcester racecourse next year following a £2m revamp – nearly a decade after it hosted its final meeting.

Bookmaker Betway announced a new partnership with Towcester racecourse owners Orchestrate to bring the return of National Hunt racing to the Northamptonshire track in time for the 2027/28 jumps season.

As part of the deal, the venue will be renamed Betway Towcester Racecourse. Betway will be principal strategic partner of the racecourse and exclusive betting partner across all fixtures.

Towcester racecourse, where AP McCoy rode his 4,000th winner in 2013, hosted its last horse racing fixture in May 2018; administrators were called in on 29 August that year and it officially closed as a horse racing venue in 2019. Greyhound racing has continued at Towcester over recent years.

Orchestrate chairman Mike Davis said the company is “thrilled to welcome Betway as principal strategic partner of the refurbished racecourse”.

“It has always been our ambition to bring horse racing back to Towcester for the local community and fans of the sport. This partnership turns that vision into a reality,” he said.

“We are now working with the BHA [British Horseracing Authority] to secure the necessary racecourse licences, to enable us to race in the autumn of 2027. Positive conversations are also underway to finalise fixtures for that period, and it is amazing to see the racing community all working together to promote the sport.”

Extensive course and facility refurbishment, worth more than £2m, is already underway. Top jockey Paul Townend will also be involved, focusing on jockey welfare, course layout and weighing room facilities. The racecourse’s revival will be documented in a fly-on-the-wall series, which is scheduled for release in 2027.

Betway PR manager Lewis Knowles said: “Towcester has such a rich history within British racing, and we’re delighted to be partnering with the team there to bring horse racing back to what is such an iconic racecourse.

“As principal strategic partners, we plan to offer a truly unique experience for racegoers, owners, trainers, and jockeys at Betway Towcester Racecourse. The hard work is already well underway as the team prepares the track and facilities for racing’s return.

“We’re also looking forward to documenting this journey through a fly-on-the-wall series to be released in 2027.

“Our thanks go to the team at Orchestrate for all their hard work in making this partnership possible, and we can’t wait to play our part in this exciting new chapter for the racecourse.”

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Over 130 jobs lost as Towcester racecourse shuts down

Towcester Racecourse Company Limited, which owns Towcester racecourse, has gone into administration, resulting in the loss of 134 jobs

End of the road for racecourse where AP McCoy made history

Towcester racecourse has officially closed its doors for good just over a year after it went into administration.

Watch The July Festival live this week and witness the finest horses and jockeys take centre stage in a celebration of speed, style and atmosphere at Newmarket.

At a glance

• The July Festival date: 9–11 July 2026
• Watch July Festival on TV: ITV (FREE), Racing TV
• Watch July Festival from anywhere: Use this NordVPN deal – 75% Off

How to watch The July Festival on TV

ITV will screen some of the action from The Debenhams July Festival live and for free on ITV and ITVX across the three days, while Racing TV (Sky channel 424/Virgin Media 536) will broadcast via its subscription-based service.

ITV Racing will broadcast the first four races on Thursday and Friday, as well as the first six on Saturday, while Racing TV will cover every race.

You don’t need an ITVX subscription to watch live racing – just an email address and a valid TV license. You can register for a free account or download the app to your mobile device.

If you’re away from home, you can use NordVPN to secure your stream of the action from anywhere in the world.

What time is the July Cup?

The Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai July Cup will run at 4.35pm and will be the sixth of eight races at Newmarket on Saturday 11 July.

How to watch The July Festival from anywhere

If you’re away from home and your normal coverage is geo-blocked, a VPN will get you your usual coverage from anywhere in the world.

There are many VPN providers out there, with some more reliable and safe than others. We’d suggest using a paid-for service such as NordVPN, where you can get an exclusive 75% off, which offers a 100% risk-free money back guarantee. If you’re not happy with the service any time within the first 30-days, then you can cancel with no penalties at all.

The July Festival race times

Races in bold will be shown on ITV.

Thursday 9 July: Ladies’ Day

Friday 10 July: Festival Friday

Saturday 11 July: July Cup Day

What is The July Festival?

Newmarket is the home of British horseracing and The July Meeting dates back to 1765. The July Course itself is known for its intimate, relaxed, and picturesque summer garden-party feel, in contrast to the more formal spring Rowley Mile events.

The pinnacle of the three days is the July Cup, which is recognised as one of the most prestigious sprint races in the world and a highlight of the British racing calendar. The Group 1 Flat race is open to horses aged three years or older and run over 6f.

Many future classic and Group 1 winners first make their mark in juvenile races during the festival.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news at major events throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

A bluffer’s guide to reading a racecard

Major UK horseracing events for your calendar in 2026

A beginner’s guide to betting

If you fancy having a flutter on a horse race but don’t know where to start, we’re here to help.

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We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing. 

Flat racing fans who want to watch the live action from Coral-Eclipse day at Sandown Park (5 July) will need to tune into ITV or a free livestream. With two-and-a-half hours’ live footage on the main ITV channel, ITV Racing will be covering four races on the day of this Group One meeting, plus there are livestream options to choose from too.

The Coral-Eclipse is a Group One Flat race, run over a distance of 1m1f and 209 yards and is named after Eclipse, who was a top racehorse in the 18th Century.

Ombudsman, who was impressive when winning the Prince Of Wales’ Stakes at Royal Ascot last month is currently evens-priced favourite to take the 2025 Coral-Eclipse under William Buick for trainers John and Thady Gosden and owner, Godolphin.

Here’s our full TV guide so you don’t miss a moment of the action…

ITV and the ITVX streaming service will be showing four of the Coral-Eclipse day races races for free in the UK. If you’re abroad, and trying to watch ITVX like you normally would back in the UK, then you can use a VPN. Check out NordVPN, where you can get 76% off, four extra months free (which does not appear until you go to the check out) plus a £50 Amazon gift card and a 30-day money back guarantee, and follow the instructions below.

The Coral-Eclipse on TV: how to watch

ITV is the place for UK audiences to watch the Coral-Eclipse, with four of the races from this meeting being streamed for free on ITVX. There is also an ITVX app that works on almost all smart devices. Just search for the app on any device, phone or console you have.

Ed Chamberlin and Francesca Cumani will host the live TV coverage which runs from 1.30pm to 4pm on Saturday 5 July.

They will be joined by former jockey and expert Jason Weaver with Adele Mulrennan, plus other top racing names.

The Opening Show will be presented by Oli Bell on the morning of the Coral-Eclipse, previewing the day’s big races.

You can also watch the action live via the pay-for channel, Racing TV.

What time does the Coral-Eclipse start?

The ITV Racing Coral-Eclipse coverage will show racing between 1.30pm and 4pm on the main ITV channel.

ITV’s Opening Show will be shown between 9.30am and 10.30am on the morning of the meeting.

The full 2025 Coral-Eclipse day racecard is as follows.

Saturday 5 July

1.50pm: Coral Charge (Group Three)

2.25pm: Coral Challenge

3pm: Coral Distaff

3.35pm: Coral-Eclipse (Group One)

4.12pm: Coral Celebrating 50 Year Eclipse Sponsorship Handicap

4.45pm: Coral “Pipped-At-The-Post” And Win Handicap

5.15pm: Coral Golden Rewards Shaker Handicap

How to watch the Coral-Eclipse from anywhere

Not in the UK right now? You don’t have to miss out on any of the action from Coral-Eclipse day. ITVX is geo-restricted, meaning it doesn’t usually work outside of the UK, but a VPN is a simple and safe way around this.

A Virtual Private Network will alter your device’s IP address to make it appear to be in a different country, allowing you to access your usual streaming services from anywhere in the world. It’s great for watching racing on the move, and it’s also handy even if you’re watching at home. VPNs are designed with internet security in mind, creating encrypted connections that keep your data safe from third parties and improve streaming speeds by preventing bandwidth ‘throttling’ from your internet service provider.

There are many VPN providers out there, with some more reliable and safe than others. We’d suggest using a paid-for service such as NordVPN, which is the best VPN in the world according to our colleagues at TechRadar.

How do I bet in the Coral-Eclipse?

Online betting companies will be clamouring for your custom during Coral-Eclipse day so look out for some of their promotional deals for new customers which include everything from a free bet to giving your money back if your horse loses. You’ll need to deposit some money into your betting account, choose a race, select your horse (you could study the form, or you could simply pick your lucky number of favourite colour from the jockeys’ silks) and the type of bet — then get ready to cheer!

We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:

• Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service)
• Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad

We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Download and install the VPN of your choice. NordVPN is the one we recommend.

2. Open up the VPN app and choose the location of the service you wish to access – UK for ITV.

3. Then head over to your streaming service on your device and enjoy the live stream.

If you fancy having a flutter on a horse race but don’t know where to start, we’re here to help.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2025, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Watch the Coral-Eclipse live this weekend and enjoy the action from Britain’s first Group 1 “generation clash” of the season at Sandown Park.

At a glance

• Coral-Eclipse date: 4 July 2026
• Watch Coral-Eclipse on TV: ITV (FREE), Racing TV
• Watch Coral-Eclipse from anywhere: Use this NordVPN deal – 75% Off

How to watch the Coral-Eclipse on TV

ITV will screen some of the action on Coral-Eclipse Day live and for free on ITV4 and ITVX from 1.30pm to 4.05pm on Saturday 4 July, while Racing TV (Sky channel 424/Virgin Media 536) will broadcast via its subscription-based service.

ITV Racing will broadcast the first four races from Sandown Park (1.50pm, 2.25pm, 3pm and 3.35pm), which will include the Coral-Eclipse Stakes, while Racing TV will cover every race.

You don’t need an ITVX subscription to watch live racing – just an email address and a valid TV license. You can register for a free account or download the app to your mobile device.

If you’re away from home, you can use NordVPN to secure your stream of the action from anywhere in the world.

What time is the Coral-Eclipse?

The Coral-Eclipse Stakes will run at 3.35pm and will be the fourth of seven races at Sandown Park on Saturday 4 July.

How to watch the Coral-Eclipse from anywhere

If you’re away from home and your normal coverage is geo-blocked, a VPN will get you your usual coverage from anywhere in the world.

There are many VPN providers out there, with some more reliable and safe than others. We’d suggest using a paid-for service such as NordVPN, where you can get an exclusive 75% off, which offers a 100% risk-free money back guarantee. If you’re not happy with the service any time within the first 30-days, then you can cancel with no penalties at all.

Coral-Eclipse race times

What is the Coral-Eclipse?

The Eclipse Stakes was first run in 1886 and is named after Eclipse, the legendary 18th-century racehorse who won all 18 of his starts and appears in the pedigrees of an estimated 95% of all male thoroughbreds alive today. It is raced over 1m 1f 209y, which is equivalent to 2.002km.

The race has been sponsored by Coral since 1976, making it the longest-running Group race sponsorship in the world. It is also one of the most valuable summer races of the British racing calendar and attracts the world’s finest middle-distance champions.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news at major events throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

A bluffer’s guide to reading a racecard

Why do horses wear sunglasses?

A beginner’s guide to betting

If you fancy having a flutter on a horse race but don’t know where to start, we’re here to help.

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:

• Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service)
• Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad

We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing. 

The family of Graham Bradley has paid tribute to a man who will be remembered for his kindness, humour and love.

The former Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning jockey died aged 65 after, his family said, a “courageous five-year battle” with neurodegenerative disorder semantic dementia.

“One of British racing’s most talented and respected jockeys, Graham will be remembered not only for his remarkable achievements on the racecourse but also for his kindness, humour, and love for his family and friends,” the Injured Jockeys Fund (IJF) said in a statement on behalf of Graham’s family.

“Graham passed away peacefully with his beloved wife, Bob, and cherished daughter, Georgia May Bradley, by his side. The last words he heard were: ‘We love you, and it’s OK to go now’.

“He fought his illness with courage and dignity, surrounded by the unwavering love and support of his family.”

Graham rode 686 winners in Britain, including the 1983 Cheltenham Gold Cup with Bregawn for trainer Michael Dickinson, who that year saddled the first five horses in the race.

He also won the 1996 Champion Hurdle (Collier Bay), the 1985 King George V Chase (Wayward Lad), the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup, in 1982 also with Bregawn and in 1997 with Suny Bay, and the Irish Grand National in 1985 with Rhyme ‘N’ Reason, who won the Grand National three years later with Brendan Powell. He had seven other Cheltenham Festival wins, came second in the 1998 Grand National with Suny Bay and was champion conditional jockey in the 1981-1982 season.

There will be a private cremation on Friday, 10 July, in Poitiers, France, and a memorial service celebrating Graham’s life will be held in his home town of Wetherby; details to be announced.

“Bob and Georgia May would like to thank everyone for the kindness, love and support shown throughout Graham’s illness and ask that their privacy be respected during this difficult time,” the statement said.

“‘Live for today, tomorrow is promised to no one’.”

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“Racing must lead with the sport, not the betting” and has a possible untapped fan base of up to 200 million people if it can crack the puzzle – and reaching these people could benefit all horse sport.

The Horse Racing Audience Opportunity report is by Spotlight Sports Group – owners of the Racing Post and a B2B partner to the global racing and sports betting industry. It analysed racing’s current global fan base and shared recommendations to grow it, drawing on consumer research, senior figures in racing and learnings from Formula 1.

Its key findings included that racing needs to be easier to understand for more people, that tradition is not a bad thing – but must not hold racing back – and that racing must have a closer relationship with its customers and give them reasons to become, and stay, interested.

It also found that betting is “vital to the health of racing in most jurisdictions”, but that when attempting to sell itself, it is more successful to lead with the sport, not the betting; and that racing jurisdictions are not in competition with each other, but rather other sports and forms of entertainment.

“As an industry, racing is a major employer. People’s livelihoods depend on it. They need it to continue and, in the long term, they require it to flourish. However, for racing to work as an industry, it must first work as a sport – and any sport requires an audience. Central to this report is how racing can ensure it keeps and grows that audience,” said Spotlight Sports Group CEO Mark Renshaw in the report’s foreword.

“At a time of serious economic challenges and enormous societal change, and with the retention of racing’s social licence no longer guaranteed, there is an absolute need to better understand, appreciate and entertain those who enjoy racing now and those we want to enjoy it in the future. More than most sports, racing has existed with a fan base that is far from youthful.”

The report highlighted that racing’s “key opportunity” is to make a connection with non-racing sports fans aged between 25-44, and also with those aged 16-24 who fall into the 60-80 million people who can be classified as “big event fans”.

Sam Houlding, managing director of B2B at Spotlight Sports Group, told H&H that for him “the headline isn’t decline, it’s the scale of the opportunity”.

“We’re no longer competing only with football, Formula 1 or cricket. We’re competing with everything else on a phone screen, and more than half of 18-44 sports fans now follow 11 sports or more. Attention has to be earned, and racing has a genuine chance to earn a far bigger share of it,” he said.

“Betting will always be central to our model, but it’s the outcome of fandom, not the entry point to it.”

He said this means three things: telling a connected, year-round story rather than presenting a series of one-off events, making racing easy to understand for someone meeting it for the first time and reaching younger audiences where they are, which is mobile and social.

“Formula 1 has shown what season-long narrative can do, and cricket’s The Hundred showed the power of simply making a sport easier to follow. Racing is one of the richest sports in the world for data and heritage, and the task is to simplify the way in without losing the depth existing fans love,” he said.

H&H asked if any areas highlighted in the report potentially cross over with the broader equestrian world, and if there are take-aways that could apply and so strengthen the future of the whole industry.

“It’s a fair question, and much of what the report identifies isn’t unique to racing, it’s common to the whole horse world,” said Mr Houlding.

“The wider equestrian industry shares many of the same dynamics – a deeply passionate core, flagship moments that draw in casual interest and a language and set of conventions that can feel hard to penetrate for newcomers.

“The same principles apply across the board – lead with the sport and the storytelling, lower the barriers to understanding, and build mobile-first entry points for new fans. If racing and the broader equine world saw themselves as part of one connected story rather than separate silos, there’s a real opportunity to introduce audiences to each other and grow the whole ecosystem.

“A new fan who comes in through one part of the horse world is a potential fan of all of it.”

Ascot racecourse CEO Felicity Barnard said Ascot sees “huge opportunity globally, and every major raceday is a chance for us to convert people into lifelong fans”.

“As the report highlights, racing’s digital offering needs to develop and evolve so that it can reach new fans and the insights from this work will help the whole industry do that more deliberately and at greater scale,” she said.

• Read the Horse Racing Audience Opportunity report in full

To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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‘We’re delighted to bring loyal readers this benefit’: H&H magazine subscribers get free website access

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Discover the top UK equestrian events on the 2026 calendar

How to watch Royal Ascot 2026 live from anywhere in the world

Watch Royal Ascot live this week and witness some of the world’s finest flat racing.

With 35 races spread across five days, Royal Ascot is one of the biggest and most prestigious events in the UK’s racing calendar.

At a glance

• Royal Ascot dates: 16–20 June 2026
• Watch Royal Ascot on TV: ITV (FREE), Racing TV
• Watch Royal Ascot from anywhere: Use this NordVPN deal – 75% Off

How to watch Royal Ascot on TV

ITV will screen all the action from Royal Ascot live and for free across ITV1, ITV4 and ITVX, while Racing TV (Sky channel 424/Virgin Media 536) will broadcast via its subscription-based service.

ITV Racing will broadcast all seven races on each day of the meeting (race times and channel information below), along with The Opening Show, which will air at 9.30am on ITV1 each day of the meeting.

Ed Chamberlin and Francesca Cumani will host the ITV coverage, accompanied by analysis from Jason Weaver and Adele Mulrennan, and reporting by Matt Chapman, Rishi Persad, Oli Bell and Luke Harvey.

Commentary will be by Richard Hoiles and Mark Johnson, and Oli Bell will present The Opening Show each morning.

You don’t need an ITVX subscription to watch live racing – just an email address and a valid TV license. You can register for a free account or download the app to your mobile device.

If you’re away from home, you can use NordVPN to secure your stream of the action from anywhere in the world.

How to watch Royal Ascot from anywhere

If you’re away from home and your normal coverage is geo-blocked, a VPN will get you your usual coverage from anywhere in the world.

There are many VPN providers out there, with some more reliable and safe than others. We’d suggest using a paid-for service such as NordVPN, where you can get an exclusive 75% off, which offers a 100% risk-free money back guarantee. If you’re not happy with the service any time within the first 30-days, then you can cancel with no penalties at all.

Royal Ascot race times

Tuesday 16 June | 13:30–18:00 ITV1, 17:50–18:30 ITV4

Wednesday 17 June | 13:30–18:00 ITV1, 17:50–18:30 ITV4

Thursday 18 June | 13:30–18:00 ITV1, 17:50–18:30 ITV4

Friday 19 June | 13:30–18:00 ITV1, 17:50–18:30 ITV4

Saturday 20 June | 13:25–18:40 ITV1

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news at major events throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

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We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing. 

The Skelton brothers will team up for a masterclass on the opening day of Defender Burghley Horse Trials (3 to 6 September).

Reigning National Hunt champion trainer Dan Skelton and his brother, Harry, who won the respective champion jockey title in 2021, will give a demonstration in the main arena during Thursday’s lunch break.

It will be hosted by racing broadcasters Nick Luck and Alice Fox-Pitt and will end with a Q&A session.

“Harry and I are really looking forward to delivering a masterclass at Burghley Horse Trials this year,” said Dan.

“It will be a great opportunity to take people behind the scenes and demonstrate how we use techniques from other disciplines to help develop our racehorses in training. We’re excited to share our approach and highlight the benefits it brings to our horses.”

Horses for the Dan and Harry Skelton masterclass will be provided by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Programme, an initiative set up by David Howden in 2024 designed to support riders taking on former racehorses.

After the first day of dressage, Australian eventing medallist and course-designer Clayton Fredericks will lead a masterclass on cross-country course design. He will also be joined by fellow designer and Olympic rider Andrew Heffernan – the pair are assistants to course-designer Derek di Grazia at Burghley this year.

Dressage legend Carl Hester’s popular masterclass is scheduled for Friday’s lunchbreak this year. He will work with a grand prix dressage rider on their freestyle performance, and with a leading event rider on the CCI5* dressage test.

A demonstration from the Howden Way Young Horse Academy, led by BHS Fellow and CCI5* event rider Kylie Roddy, will round off Burghley’s masterclasses on Friday afternoon. It will showcase promising young horses and provide training tips on producing horses through the levels.

Defender Burghley Horse Trials director Martyn Johnson said: “We are thrilled to welcome Dan and Harry Skelton to Burghley for the first time. The Skelton family is almost unparalleled in the range of its equestrian achievements, and we think our visitors will be fascinated to watch Harry and Dan work together.

“We are determined to keep raising the standards of what we offer visitors, and this year’s masterclass line-up reflects that ambition. From the dressage precision of Carl Hester to the groundbreaking cross-discipline insights of the Skeltons, there is something to inspire every equestrian enthusiast.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Calling all future Rachael Blackmores and William Buicks! If you love nothing more than shortening your stirrups for an exhilarating gallop, why not give pony racing a try?

This fast-growing, adrenaline-fuelled sport for riders aged nine to 16 is a great way to experience the thrill of riding on some of Britain’s premier racetracks.

But it’s also proving an essential foundation for future jockeys and point-to-point riders. Champion jump jockey Sean Bowen, young Flat racing star Billy Loughnane and Grand National hero Rachael Blackmore all learned their craft in pony ranks.

Group One-winning Flat jockey Hollie Doyle started out as an “uncompetitive” youngster on her Pony Club pony.

“As soon as I rode in a pony race, I knew I wanted to be a jockey,” she says.

The sport’s governing body, the Pony Racing Authority (PRA) is there to guide you every step of the way, from teaching you the basics through to your first official race and beyond, ensuring you and your pony progress at your own pace.

Pony racing: three steps to the racetrack

Step one: join a taster day

If you’re tempted by pony racing but unsure how to begin, your first port of call is to attend a PRA taster day. They are normally unmounted and tend to take place on the morning of a Pony Club race day, offering a great opportunity to watch the action as well as getting involved in all sorts of activities, such as refining your racing position on a mechanical horse and learning what tack and equipment is needed.

Step two: practice makes perfect on a training day

The next step is to take your pony to a PRA or Pony Club training day, where you’ll learn all the ingredients that go into race riding, from how to line up at the start to the balance, control and fitness required for riding in a forward seat.

These events also act as qualification for the upcoming season and are a great opportunity to meet fellow rookie jockeys. PRA advanced training days focus on the finer details, while the British Racing School, Scottish Racing Academy and National Horseracing College offer further courses.

Step three: under starters orders!

There are essentially three types of racing to take part in:

• Stand-alone Pony Club race days
• The point-to-point pony racing series 
• The PRA racecourse series, which is the premier league of pony racing and held at professional racecourses between May and October (suspended in May 2026 due to a flu outbreak)

Vine branch member William King-Harris, 11, competes in Pony Club race days and was hooked from day one.

“He came last in his first race, but he didn’t care, he just loved being a part of it. There’s great camaraderie and he loves the thrill of it all,” says his mother Charlotte King-Harris, who teams up with other families to hire out local gallops and makes use of the regular racing rallies hosted by their Pony Club.

William, who rides 148cm Bowhaylands Midnight, says: “I love it because you get to race with your friends and riding at proper racecourses makes you feel like a real jockey.”

Up to 10 races take place on Pony Club racedays, split into height sections, with categories from beginners to open riders. Two or three races are held at the point-to-point fixtures, catering for both novice and more experienced riders, with various championships to aim for.

When you’re ready to graduate to the showcase racecourse series, you’ll be competing either before or after professional racing, with each contest (138cm or 148cm and under) mirroring that of a real race, right down to a best turned out award.

Lucas Murphy, 16, who won his first race against the professionals in April, progressed through all three levels alongside his younger brother Finn.

“There’s no gender issue in pony racing – or racing itself – everyone’s on a level playing field,” says their mother Verity Green, who organises the popular Area 9 Pony Club race day at Cheltenham Racecourse.

“With the changing landscape of the UK, riding at speed across open fields is difficult for a lot of people, so pony racing gives you that opportunity.

“But it’s not just about lining up and going as fast as you can! Pony racing is a great skill for any rider to learn – it helps with balance, fitness and judgement of pace, which then applies across the disciplines.”

What you need to take up pony racing

Do I need a flashy pony, fancy silks and expensive racing saddle?

You absolutely don’t need a specialist pony – you don’t need a pony at all!

Head of the PRA Lucinda Campbell-Dutton says, “You can race any type of pony under 148cm”, with the only stipulation being that it is aged between four and 20. The only specialist equipment you need is the requisite safety gear.

Riders aged 11-16 who don’t have a pony but have regularly attended a riding school can apply to the PRA academy scheme, funded by The Racing Foundation and the Horserace Betting Levy Board.

Sally-Ann Dale, whose 12-year-old daughter Lucie competes in Pony Club race days on her home-produced ponies, hosts the PRA academy at her Ghyll Park Equestrian in East Sussex.

“What I think we lack at schools nowadays is team spirit and that’s what Ghyll Park is all about,” says Sally Ann. “I tell the kids that racing is not a team sport, but when you go to the start, you’re a team. Talk to each other and jump off together. I’m more than happy to help anyone.”

As Verity Green sums up, “The way that racing opens its doors and looks after the progression of its young riders is phenomenal. My children have had an absolute ball.”

So what are you waiting for? Head to ponyracingauthority.co.uk for further information and above all enjoy yourselves – let us know how you get on!

Meet the 2025 pony racing champion

Last season, Chloe Fox-Pitt notched up 15 straight wins with Avalon Dancer in the 138cm PRA racecourse series, including the Aintree final. The now 13-year-old is back with the mare in 2026, having also secured the ride on the prolific 148cm She’s A Corker. Chloe, daughter of racing presenter Alice Plunkett and retired five-star event rider William Fox-Pitt, also enjoys eventing, Pony Club and hunting.

How I began racing: “I got a racing Shetland for a Christmas present and did two seasons on him before I got former show pony Maesteg Ruth to do pony racing on. She was very experienced and taught lots of people to race ride.”

Top tips for starting out: “Get as much experience as you can. I went to various places to get training on the mechanical horse. I did three race training days with my pony just to get to grips with it all and to learn what to do.”

The secret of success: “A big part is having a fast pony, but learning when to go, when to pull and how to start a race are equally important. It took me a while to get to grips with Avalon Dancer because she was much hotter than my first pony, but having a pony as good as her last season was so much fun.”

The best aspect of pony racing: “I’ve made so many friends, got to ride at the big racecourses and speak to some amazing people about racing.”

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Christmas came early for Irish training maestro Aidan O’Brien when he celebrated winning his 50th British Classic with 7/1 shot Christmas Day in the Betfred Derby at Epsom Downs racecourse on Saturday (6 June).

Ridden by Ronan Whelan, the son of Camelot cruised to a commanding two-and-three-quarter-length victory over the William Haggas-trained Maltese Cross (Tom Marquand) to land the 247th running of the Epsom contest, worth £1m to the winner.

This historic Derby success came the day after Aidan’s son Joseph O’Brien saddled filly Thundering On to win the Betfred Oaks.

A 12th Epsom Derby success

“Christmas Day has done nothing but improve,” said Aidan O’Brien of his 12th Epsom Derby victor. “He’s so genuine, he stays and he handles the soft ground. Ronan gave him a beautiful ride. He’s a tough, hardy horse. This is unbelievable. But this is not just me – I’m just a small part of a very big team.”

Winning jockey Ronan Whelan, 33, in only his second season riding for the mighty Ballydoyle operation, described his first Derby success as “just so easy!”

“Aidan told me to keep it simple and the horse has done it easily – he loves the ground and it just felt effortless,” said Whelan, carrying the silks of Magnier, Tabor, Smith, Westerberg and Brant. “Running down the hill, Christmas Day had loads left – I wish I was as cool a customer as the horse because he took it all in his stride. He’s a credit to everyone who has had anything to do with him.”

Derby favourite declared a non-runner: “He was standing on three legs”

But this year’s Betfred Derby was action-packed from the start. Race favourite Benvenuto Cellini appeared to stumble out of the starting stalls, going on to complete the course but trailing home in ninth. It was then revealed that the Aidan O’Brien chestnut colt had ended up with a hind leg resting on the running board when the gates opened and a stewards’ enquiry involving Benvenuto Cellini’s jockey Ryan Moore was called. It was deemed that Benvenuto Cellini’s race had “been negatively affected” and on that basis he was declared a non-runner.

“Soon after the horse left the starting gate, we were notified that the favourite had his left hind leg on the running board just before the start, which resulted in him not being able to jump out on terms with the rest of the field,” said Shaun Parker, head of stewarding at the BHA.

“He was standing on three legs when the stalls opened.”

Further success for the O’Briens in Betfred Oaks

Aidan O’Brien’s son Joseph saddled the third horse home in the Derby, James J Braddock, just 24 hours after watching Frankel daughter Thundering On (Dylan Browne McMonagle) come home in front in the fillies’ Classic, the Betfred Oaks.

“Winning a big race like this is a dream and it’s special to share it with everyone,” said the winning trainer Joseph O’Brien, who also rode Derby winner Christmas Day’s sire Camelot to win the Epsom Classic for his father in 2012.

“Thundering On was a very impressive winner. To come to any Classic with a horse that has a legitimate chance is incredible.”

You can read the full report with exclusive insight from the Betfred Festival at Epsom in next week’s Horse & Hound magazine, in the shops Thursday 11 June.

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The Epsom Classic, the Betfred Derby, is one of the biggest events in the sporting calendar. If you’re thinking of having a bet on one of the 14 runners lining up for the one-mile four-furlong contest, we’ve sought out some Epsom Derby tips from the racing experts.

Irish training maestro Aidan O’Brien has saddled a record 11 Derby winners and he sends four runners for this year’s £2,000,000 race, including ante-post favourite Benvenuto Cellini, who will be ridden by Ryan Moore.

The Andrew Balding-trained colt Item, who will be ridden by Colin Keane, is the shortest priced English runner and one of five sons of the legendary Frankel running in the world famous Epsom horse race.

To help you decide which of the 14 horses and jockeys might come home first in this year’s Betfred Derby at Epsom, which takes place on Saturday 6 June at 4pm, here are some Epsom Derby tips picked out by the racing experts.

Good luck!

Epsom Derby tips

James J Braddock

Trainer: Joseph O’Brien | Jockey: Dylan Browne McMonagle

My pick as H&H racing editor is relative underdog James J Braddock. It’s hard to look past the Aidan O’Brien runners in the Derby, but I’ve gone instead for a colt trained by his son Joseph O’Brien, who has twice ridden but not yet trained a Derby winner. James J Braddock is co-owned by ITV Racing pundit Kevin Blake and named after the American heavyweight boxing champion. This son of Zarak won a competitive Derby trial at Leopardstown – beating fancied Ballydoyle runner Pierre Bonnard in the process. He also won on heavy ground as a two-year-old, so won’t be inconvenienced by the projected softer ground at Epsom on Saturday. Could James J Braddock deliver a knockout blow and win the iconic race? He could well punch his way into the placings at least.

Ancient Egypt

Trainer: Charlie Johnston | Jockey: David Egan

ITV Racing commentator Richard Hoiles will be calling home the Betfred Derby winner during its coverage starting at 1pm on Saturday, but he’ll be keeping his eye on one runner in particular.

“Ancient Egypt may well be able to outrun his odds,” says Richard. “Connections took this big imposing horse to Epsom on the gallops morning to get him accustomed to the track and despite his size he looks a well balanced horse as he showed when galloping on strongly at Newmarket last time. A son of the great Frankel, he cost over £1m as a yearling but it still could be money well spent.”

Benvenuto Cellini

Trainer: Aidan O’Brien | Jockey: Ryan Moore

Racing journalist Frank Keogh says: “I think we saw something special when Benvenuto Cellini powered to victory in the Chester Vase. Even the taciturn jockey Ryan Moore was laughing afterwards. I expect big “Ben” to give Aidan O’Brien a 12th Derby win. James J Braddock can go well for Aidan’s astute son Joseph and take an each-way chance (particularly if you find a bookmaker offering four places) on 150/1 shot Balzac. He was placed in two Derby trials.”

ITV Racing presenter Ed Chamberlin agrees: “Basically, I think Aidan O’Brien will win the Derby with his best three-year-old and you can gauge which one they think is the best as to the one Ryan Moore picks – Benvenuto Cellini – so let that be your guide. As an outsider, I like Ancient Egypt!”

Maltese Cross

Trainer: William Haggas | Jockey: Tom Marquand

H&H racing reporter Lucy Elder says: “The Coolmore behemoth is rightly dazzling, but blink through the glare and other sparks emerge among this year’s field. Maltese Cross, owned by film producer George Waud (of Snakes On A Plane fame), sailed through Lingfield’s Derby trial last month (9 May) and showed real guts in that close-fought finish with Bay Of Brilliance. The Sea Of Stars son is a beautiful mover and I love the way he’s been so game in the closing stages of his races. Being drawn in stall one isn’t ideal, but proved no obstacle to Adayar (2021) nor City Of Troy (2024) – the most recent of the four horses to win from that draw since stalls were introduced in 1967. Jockey Tom Marquand has been on board for his last three stars, all victorious. This year marks the 30th anniversary of trainer William Haggas’s sole Derby winner, Shaamit (1996) and Maltese Cross could well be the horse to flip the script on the Coolmore narrative that has dominated the Derby in recent years.”

Epsom Derby coverage

So there are your Epsom Derby tips all wrapped up! The Betfred Derby Festival takes place at Epsom Downs from 5-6 June and you can watch it live on ITV Racing. Horse & Hound will be bringing you all the latest news during the two-day meeting, as well as online coverage with a special report featuring in the magazine dated 11 June. Enjoy!

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2026, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Watch the Epsom Derby live this weekend and enjoy the action from what’s known as “the greatest flat race in the world”.

Horses only have one chance to shine in the Epsom Derby as it’s only open to three year olds, so the stakes are higher than ever.

At a glance

• Epsom Derby date: 6 June 2026
• Watch Epsom Derby on TV: ITV (FREE), Racing TV
• Watch Epsom Derby from anywhere: Use this NordVPN deal – 75% Off

How to watch the Epsom Derby on TV

ITV will screen much of the action from the Epsom Derby Festival live and for free on ITV1 and ITVX from 1pm to 5pm on Friday and Saturday, while Racing TV (Sky channel 424/Virgin Media 536) will broadcast via its subscription-based service.

ITV Racing will broadcast six races on each day of the festival, including The Derby and The Oaks, while Racing TV will cover every race.

You don’t need an ITVX subscription to watch live racing – just an email address and a valid TV license. You can register for a free account or download the app to your mobile device.

If you’re away from home, you can use NordVPN to secure your stream of the action from anywhere in the world.

What time is the Epsom Derby?

The Derby will run at 4pm and will be the fifth of eight races at Epsom Downs on Saturday 6 June.

What time is the Epsom Oaks?

The Oaks starts at 4pm and will be the fifth of eight races at Epsom Downs on Friday 5 June.

How to watch the Epsom Derby from anywhere

If you’re away from home and your normal coverage is geo-blocked, a VPN will get you your usual coverage from anywhere in the world.

There are many VPN providers out there, with some more reliable and safe than others. We’d suggest using a paid-for service such as NordVPN, where you can get an exclusive 75% off, which offers a 100% risk-free money back guarantee. If you’re not happy with the service any time within the first 30-days, then you can cancel with no penalties at all.

Epsom Derby Day race times

How long is the Epsom Derby?

The Derby is 1m4f, which is approximately 1.5 miles or 2.414km.

What is the Epsom Derby?

The Epsom Derby is one of Britain’s richest and most prestigious Classic Flat races. It is open exclusively to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies, and is the second leg of the triple crown – preceded by the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket and followed by the St Leger at Doncaster.

The course at Epsom Downs is known for its extreme undulations and camber. Horses face a tough, steep climb in the first half-mile before navigating a sweeping descent and a long straight to finish. The Derby serves as the ultimate test of a racehorse’s speed, stamina and balance.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news at major events throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:

• Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service)
• Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad

We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing. 

Grand National-winning jockey Rachael Blackmore and her husband Brian Hayes have welcomed their first child.

Rachael shared a photo of their son yesterday (3 June), captioned with his name, Bowie Martin Hayes, and a blue heart.

Rachael retired from race-riding in May 2025 following a trailblazing career. Her wins included the 2021 Grand National and 33 Grade Ones – including the Cheltenham Gold Cup (2022), two Champion Hurdles (2021 and 2022), and the Queen Mother Champion Chase (2024).

Although Rachael is no longer a professional jockey, she remains involved in the sport.

In November, she was appointed “head of ladies’ day” for the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, as part of a drive to encourage more women to come racing. Rachael spent time with racegoers at Cheltenham’s November meeting and travelled to cities across the UK to promote the campaign.

The 36-year-old was inducted as a Grand National legend on the opening day of the Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree (9 April), when she also opened a new alcohol-free bar named in her honour at the racecourse.

Rachael also joined ITV Racing’s presenting team as a pundit on Grand National day this year (11 April).

Brian and Rachael married in January in Rosscarbery, County Cork.

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The final field of Derby entries has been decided after the last deadline for declarations passed on the morning of Wednesday 3 June. The finishing touches are now being made for 14 runners and riders announced for the 2026 Epsom Classic. The Betfred Derby takes place at 4pm on Saturday 6 June on Epsom Downs racecourse and an A-list crop of three-year-old colts are set to line up for this year’s race.

So who will be bidding for glory and a slice of history in the £2,000,000 contest?

Here is your full run down of this year’s Epsom Derby entries.

Derby entries: who is trying to win the £1m first prize?

After the final scratching deadline of 3 June, a total of 14 Derby horses remain for the 247th running of the world-famous 1m 4f race. Irish training maestro Aidan O’Brien saddles four of the contenders, including the race favourite Benvenuto Cellini, and a further runner is trained by his son Joseph O’Brien.

But there’s also an intriguing English contingent lining up to contest this country’s richest and most prestigious horse race.

So who will follow in the hallowed footsteps of the likes of City Of Troy, Sea The Stars, Galileo and Mill Reef to take the Epsom crown? Which jockeys are riding which horses in this year’s race?

Here is the complete list of 2026 Epsom Derby runners and riders.

Epsom Derby runners

• Action (Trainer: Aidan O’Brien)
• Alderman (Richard Hannon / jockey: Pat Dobbs)
• Ancient Egypt (Charlie Johnston / David Egan)
• A Taste Of Glory (Andrew Balding / Jamie Spencer)
• Balzac (Jane Chapple-Hyam / Silvestre de Sousa)
• Bay Of Brilliance (Ralph Beckett / Hector Couch)
• Benvenuto Cellini (Aidan O’Brien)
• Christmas Day (Aidan O’Brien)
• Item (Aidan O’Brien / Colin Keane)
• James J Braddock (Joseph O’Brien / Dylan Browne McMonagle)
• Maltese Cross (William Haggas / Tom Marquand)
• Pierre Bonnard (Aidan O’Brien)
• Poker (Kieran Burke / Rowan Scott)
• Rebel Rocker (Faye Bramley / Rob Hornby)

The following horses were scratched from the race on Wednesday 3 June and will not take part: Amadeus Mozart (Aidan O’Brien), Causeway (Aidan O’Brien), Endorsement (Aidan O’Brien), Hawk Mountain (Aidan O’Brien), Constitution River (Aidan O’Brien), Proposition (Aidan O’Brien), Saxon Street (John and Thady Gosden), Shosholoza (Joseph O’Brien).

The Betfred Derby Festival takes place at Epsom Downs from 5-6 June. Horse & Hound will be bringing you all the latest news and tips in the run-up to the meeting, as well as online coverage with a special report featuring in the magazine on sale 11 June.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major events throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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The King and Queen will attend the Betfred Derby at Epsom Downs next weekend (6 June) to watch the 247th running of the British Classic.

Epsom’s general manager Jim Allen said the racecourse is “honoured and thrilled” that the King and Queen will be there on Derby day.

“Their Majesties show great enthusiasm, interest and support for horseracing in the UK and their attendance next week will be a proud moment for all of the team here and everyone connected with the racecourse,” he said.

“Derby day provides joy and entertainment to millions of people around the world as one of Britain’s most famous and iconic events, and royal attendance has been synonymous with the meeting for generations. We are delighted that Their Majesties will be continuing this tradition next week.”

The King and Queen are both honorary members of The Jockey Club, which owns Epsom Downs racecourse, and became the organisation’s joint patrons in May 2024.

Their visit continues a tradition of royal attendance. The late Queen only missed two editions of the famous race from the start of her reign until the Covid pandemic, in 1956 when on a state visit to Sweden, and in 1984 when attending the 40th anniversary of the D-Day landings. Her late Majesty was also patron of The Jockey Club for 68 years, from 1954 until her death in September 2022.

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If you’re still on the search for a dress for Royal Ascot or haven’t yet sorted your outfit and need a bit of inspiration, then you’ve come to the right place.

For those heading to Royal Ascot this year (16–20 June, 2026), we’ve rounded up a selection of dresses for Royal Ascot that adhere to the dress code – are the correct length, and have suitable necklines and straps.

What’s the dress code at Royal Ascot?

Of course, depending on which enclosure you’re in, the dress code is slightly different – but as this race meeting is a chance to get your glad rags on we think it’s nice to really make an effort and go all-out smart with one of the best hats suitable for Royal Ascot and dress like you’ve been invited to spend a day with royalty.

In the most strict of the enclosures at Royal Ascot, dresses and skirts should:

• fall just above the knee or longer
• have straps that are at least one inch thick
• not be strapless, off-the-shoulder, bardot or halter-neck style
• not have sheer straps or sleeves

In most enclosures an open-back style is permitted as long as the straps meet the dress code. Trouser suits and jumpsuits are also allowed, too, providing they meet the dress code regulations. If you’re at all unsure, here’s our guide to navigating the full Royal Ascot dress code.

Dresses suitable for Royal Ascot

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Staff education, role models and trustworthy research were the three key themes in a cross-industry discussion on how to ensure thoroughbreds’ wellbeing is the best it can be throughout their lives.

Researchers, trainers, educators and other leading industry figures debated ideas and discussed existing practices around horse wellbeing in the thoroughbred industry, from birth through their racing careers and life after racing.

“The mentoring, formal and informal, and then the environment that you’re in influences a lot of what you learn and what you come to think of as normal,” said Andrew Braithwaite, chief executive of the British Racing School (BRS), during the event at Newmarket’s Rowley Mile racecourse on 15 May.

He gave the example of the way wellbeing was a focus for last year’s refurbishment of the main BRS yard, which included “friendship grilles”, which allow horses contact with each other, and dual-aspect windows in stables, and also spoke about the school’s kindness ethos.

“When we speak to the trainees, we make absolutely clear that we’re not just talking about kindness to each other and to the humans at school. But that it’s absolutely paramount when they’re with us – and throughout the whole of their careers in racing – that you have to be kind to the horses,” he said.

Trainer Richard Phillips said “the best leaders are the best examples”, adding that thinking about how his own mentors would behave in situations has “never left” him.

“Those days, a long time ago, we had more time,” he said. “I’ve always used the analogy that I’m the headmaster of school. The people who ride the horses are the teachers. The owners are the parents and the horses are pupils. Being the teacher in the school is the most important role.”

He echoed others’ points about the important role being physically fit plays in good wellbeing for horses and said the industry “shouldn’t shy away” from that.

Mr Phillips also raised the question about how to support staff with continued learning from experts – in work time – through their careers.

“There are lots of courses out, but it’s often in their own time,” he said. “I think training staff within racing is within our compass, we can do it, we’ve got to think of a way of how we do it better.”

Anna Kerr, chief executive of The National Stud, shared how good foundations are “laid from day dot”.

“At the core it’s a partnership and we’re laying the foundation of trust; that [horses] can trust us,” she said.

She gave the example of how certain staff come in early during the season to make sure young horses get extra scratches on morning feed rounds and are used to being handled all the way through.

Many nodded to how lucky the industry is to have many great horse people “across the board” and the value of good staff, but noted that yards are under increasing time and financial pressures.

The point was also raised that changes – for example, to yard design – come at a time and financial cost, too, and that trainers want certainty, through solid research, that these will not lead to unintended negative consequences.

The panel also came up with many positive ideas. These include promoting how much British racing and the wider equestrian industry does know and is already doing well, plus a system whereby new owners are given “full disclosure” of a horse’s veterinary history and reason for retiring when he leaves racing.

“It would certainly give people that transparency of what they’re taking on,” said Therese Murphy, founder of education provider Equi-Ed.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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The best hats for Royal Ascot not only comply with the strict Royal Ascot dress code but make you stand out from the crowd and feel glamorous, too. Everyone loves to dress up for a day at the races, but the Royal Ascot meeting (16–20 June, 2026) is synonymous with fashion, elegance and style, which makes your outfit choice even more important. The best hat will complement your dress for Royal Ascot, putting the finishing touch to your outfit.

Raceday hats can be awkward to greet friends in, there’s a high chance of ending up with a glaring, sweaty forehead, and at some point during the day your heart will skip a beat as you make a dash back to the loo where you left it. So if you’re going to put yourself through the trial of choosing and wearing a hat to go racing this summer, we say make it a goody – and read our tips on how to choose.

Best hats for Royal Ascot 2026: all budgets and styles

How to choose the best hat for Royal Ascot

For most equestrians, Royal Ascot is an opportunity to ditch the horsey attire and don a posh frock (or a top hat for the men). For the ladies, a hat can add personality to an outfit, but what are the secrets to getting it right?

The meeting famously has strict dress codes to adhere to – particularly in the Royal Enclosure where hats or headpieces should have a base of at least four inches (10cm) or more in diameter. You might think this rules out a lot of options, but there are plenty of fascinators that are designed with these dimensions in mind.

Unless you are fortunate to have access to a personal stylist, choosing an exquisite hat can be a tricky decision, so here are some tips for choosing the right hat for you…

• If you’re petite, a delicate feather fascinator or smaller headpiece (not wider than your shoulders) tilted to one side will work well.
• Tall ladies will carry off a larger brimmed hat more easily.
• If you have a round face, opt for a headpiece that sits at a slant (such as a beret) with a design, such as long feather quills or flowers, to add height and elongate your face.
• Ladies with a heart or oval-shaped face are lucky enough to be able to wear almost any shaped hat.
• If you are choosing a hat that is made on a hairband, opt for one that can easily be disguised in your hair — this is often achieved by having silk that matches your hair colour wrapped around the band.
• If you have a side parting, wear your hat on the side that your hair parts so that you have the fullest side of your hair on show.
• If you want to be the centre of attention, bright against blocks of darker tones will definitely turn heads. No one shies away from bright at Royal Ascot, but there are plenty of softer pastel options available, too.
• Botanical leaf and floral designs are always popular and are well-suited to this outdoor occasion.
• Avoid going overboard with accessories — a statement necklace with a detailed headpiece will look fussy so opt for one or the other.

• For unlimited access to the latest product news, buying guides and reviews, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

There are four enclosures at Royal Ascot, with three of those open to the public. Each enclosure has an atmosphere of its own, offering a unique raceday experience.

Royal Ascot itself is one of the most prestigious and exciting Flat race meetings in the horse racing calendar and this year it will take place between Tuesday 16 and Saturday 20 June.

Royal Ascot enclosures: your complete guide

Royal Enclosure

The Royal Enclosure works on an invitation-only membership, as it was at its inception in 1807, when the area was exclusively reserved for guests of The King.

Royal Enclosure members have access to a private trackside viewing lawn, a dedicated fourth floor vantage point in the grandstand, an exclusive area around the parade ring, several fine dining restaurants and a dedicated car park.

There is a strict dress code for the Royal Enclosure – find out more about the Royal Ascot dress codes.

To become a Royal Enclosure member, a new applicant will need to be sponsored by two eligible members (of different addresses) and must be 18 years or older at the time of the event. Currently, a £150 joining fee also applies, and an annual membership fee of £25 will be introduced ahead of the 2027 meeting.

Members are invited to bring up to two guests on each day excluding Tuesday. There are only a limited number of guest badges available and these will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Juniors aged 10-17 may attend the Royal Enclosure with their parents on Thursday, Friday and Saturday only. Babies and under 10s are not permitted.

Queen Anne Enclosure

Tickets for the Queen Anne Enclosure start at £99. The enclosure itself is located around the Ascot Grandstand and grants guests access to the parade ring steppings, bandstand, trackside lawns and ground floor of the grandstand.

While not as strict as in the Royal Enclosure, the dress code in the Queen Anne Enclosure is formal and must be followed.

This enclosure offers a wide range of food and drink options and there are a number of bars and Champagne lounges located within it.

Queen Anne Enclosure ticket holders also have the option to upgrade their ticket in various ways, such as booking a trackside table or private gazebo for up to 50 guests.

Tickets start at £99 – find out more about Royal Ascot tickets.

Village Enclosure

The Village Enclosure is located in the centre of the track, looking back towards the grandstand from the other side of the rails. The Village Enclosure is open Thursday to Saturday, gives views of the racing down the home straight and is a festival-inspired experience.

There is an after-party headlined by Disco Inferno, bringing glittering disco anthems and energy to the main stage until 9pm for all Village Enclosure ticket holders.

Village Enclosure tickets start at £85.

Windsor Enclosure

The Windsor Enclosure has a laid back atmosphere. Those in this enclosure will get the first view of the Royal Procession, features live music, is ideal for large groups of people and there is no formal dress code.

It’s the only enclosure that allows guests to bring a picnic and bottle of sparkling wine or champagne. Guests can enhance their experience by reserving a picnic bench or securing access to a VIP area.

Windsor Enclosure tickets start at £37.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

An instructor at the National Horseracing College (NHC) has raised over £1,000 in memory of a former student – and to help other young people realise “there is always someone there to listen”.

Natalie Dunning completed the Yorkshire three peaks challenge on 10 May in aid of men’s mental health charity Andy’s Man Club. She was inspired by the memory of former student and stable lad Billy Moffatt, who died aged 20 a year ago.

“Billy was a valued member of staff within the racing industry,” said Natalie. “He was a likeable character and his loss has been felt deeply by members of the racing community and instructors here at the college.”

“By raising funds for Andy’s Man Club, I hope to honour Billy’s memory and make sure other young people in racing know there is always someone there to listen.”

Natalie completed the challenge in five hours and 45 minutes.

“It was incredibly hard,” she said “I wasn’t naive to the fact it would be, but it was nothing in comparison to what Billy and his family went through and that kept me going when I really started to struggle.

“Working with learners every day, you remember them long after they have graduated from the NHC. I still think about Billy a lot and it’s a reminder how important my job is and the impact we can make at the college, to care and support young people in racing.

“I hope it’s a reminder to students that we are always here to listen and support them, and that doesn’t stop when they graduate.”

The JustGiving donation page will be open until Sunday 31 May.

The NHC also reminded those in the industry of charity Racing Welfare, which offers support and guidance in all areas, including finance, housing and mental health.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Hunter chases have been abandoned, special measures enlisted for the royal procession at Ascot and retired racehorse parades cancelled owing to the continued rise in equine flu cases.

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has announced that only horses from licensed training yards will be allowed to enter racecourses on racedays from Wednesday (20 May).

“With a continued rise in reported equine influenza cases in the non-thoroughbred population, this is a precautionary measure to prevent any mixing between the thoroughbred racing herd and horses and ponies from yards that are not licensed,” said a statement from the BHA.

This means all scheduled hunter chases from 20 May, including the popular hunter chase evening at Stratford on 29 May, have been called off. Other equine events due to take place on British racecourses, including Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) parades, are also cancelled.

The BHA statement also said the authority is “working with Ascot racecourse to replicate the biosecurity measures of a licensed premises to enable the royal procession to go ahead without any increased risk”. Traditionally, members of the royal family and invited guests arrive in a horse-drawn procession before racing each day at Royal Ascot.

Biosecurity measures will also be required for police horses attending the racecourse. Conversations are already in progress around this and the BHA will meet with Ascot, the police and others to work through the practicalities.

James Given, BHA director of equine regulation, safety and welfare, said: “The news today will understandably be disappointing for many people, but levels of equine flu are higher than at any time in recent history and it’s essential that we take all necessary steps to protect the thoroughbred herd.

“These measures follow extensive engagement with independent infectious disease experts about how we further reduce the risk of exposure and ensure the continuity of racing.

“In addition to vaccination, this can be best achieved by preventing the mixing of racehorses with horses and ponies from premises that are not licensed by the BHA, where we have more limited information about their health and vaccination status.”

The racecourse restrictions will remain in place until the BHA is “confident that the levels of equine influenza in the British horse population have fallen and there is no heightened risk to the thoroughbred racing herd”.

“I’m encouraged by the response we have already seen from the racing community about the vital importance of maintaining the biosecurity of the thoroughbred racing herd. We continue to urge constant vigilance, especially around the movement and mixing of horses,” said Mr Given.

“Information about vaccination, infection control measures and spotting the signs of flu are available on the BHA website.”

The BHA is working with the racecourses that were due to hold hunter chases to discuss options for potentially replacing lost races.

Racecourses will also be required to increase the period of time between hosting an equine event involving horses from unlicensed premises and a licensed raceday taking place to six clear days (from three).

The measures follow consultation with experts at Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance (EIDS) and the Racecourse Association’s representative on the BHA veterinary group. The BHA has also engaged with affected racecourses, the ROR, the Point-to-Point Authority and the Pony Racing Authority.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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A minute’s silence has been held at Bangor-on-Dee following the death of Beryl McCain, the wife of the late Red Rum trainer Ginger – on the same day their son Donald recorded his 250th course winner.

On Saturday morning (16 May) the McCain family announced with great sadness that Beryl had died peacefully in her sleep during the early hours, aged 88.

“It leaves a huge hole in our family but we take great peace in knowing that her and dad are now reunited. Rest in peace, Mum,” said a family tribute.

Beryl, a respected figure in the racing community, was married to Ginger for 50 years, supporting him throughout his phenomenal career which included three Grand National wins with the legendary Red Rum. When Ginger retired after the 2006 Grand National he handed the training business to Donald, and Beryl remained a big supporter.

A minute’s silence was observed on Saturday for Beryl at Bangor-on-Dee, where Donald had six runners. That afternoon, Harry Cobden rode Grain d’Oudairies to victory by one length in the Grand Wynnstay Handicap Chase, to give Donald his 250th win at his local track.

Donald told the Racing Post the jockeys wore black armbands in honour of his mother and described it as a “really special”.

“None of us expected that and it was a lovely gesture. It had only happened that morning, so it had hit us quite quickly,” he said.

Patrick Chesters, racing director at Chester Race Company, said the 250th course winner was a “phenomenal milestone for Donald”.

“We’re extremely proud of the relationship between his team and ours at Chester and Bangor-on-Dee,” he said.

“Evidently, Donald is one of the best in the business and we always see a top calibre of racing from his runners and riders. Huge congratulations are in order.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2026, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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If you’re lucky enough to be heading to Royal Ascot this year (16–20 June 2026), we’re here to help with the ultimate guide to the Royal Ascot dress code for each enclosure.

It would be awful to arrive at Royal Ascot in an outfit that does not meet the dress code and be turned away as a result, so we’ll cover everything from the length of dresses suitable for Royal Ascot, to the accepted width of straps, dos and don’ts for the gents and what young racegoers should be wearing, too.

Do you need to wear a big hat? Can you wear a fascinator instead? How about a jumpsuit? Does he need a tie? We’ve got all your questions answered and if you need some inspiration, we’ve got some tips for dressing at Royal Ascot, too.

Royal Ascot dress codes

Each of the Royal Ascot enclosures has slightly different rules about what you can and can’t wear, so if you have your Royal Ascot tickets and know which enclosure you need to be dressing for, jump straight down to your dress code using the links below. If not, this dress code explainer might help you narrow down where you’d like to spend your day.

• Royal Enclosure
• Queen Anne Enclosure
• Village Enclosure
• Windsor Enclosure

The Royal Enclosure dress code

The Royal Enclosure has the strictest dress code and is by invitation only, so congratulations if you’ve got yourself a ticket. Guests in this enclosure are encouraged to embrace the elegance and fashion with their own individual style, providing it is in keeping with the dress code.

Ladies

• Headwear must be worn. Hats are preferred, but a headpiece that has a solid base of four inches (10cm) or more in diameter is allowed as an alternative. This selection of hats for Royal Ascot are all compliant.
• Dresses and skirts should fall just above the knee or longer, and midriffs should not be on show. Straps should be at least one inch thick – strapless, off-the-shoulder and halter-neck styles are not permitted. Lace and chiffon materials are accepted.
• Jackets and pashminas are allowed, however, the dress underneath still needs to comply with the Royal Enclosure dress code.
• Trouser suits are welcome but should be full length and both the material and colour should match.
• Jumpsuits are allowed, but should fall below the knee and match the same strap regulations as dresses.

Gentlemen

• Morning dress must be worn and must be either black, grey or navy. This includes a waistcoat and tie (bow ties and cravats are not permitted).
• Top hats should be worn (black or grey) but customisation, such as coloured ribbon, is not allowed.
• Novelty waistcoats and ties are not permitted, but discreet patterns and those of a patriotic nature (for example, a national flag) are acceptable.
• Shoes must be black and socks must cover the ankle.

Children

• Girls (aged 10–17) should dress in accordance with the ladies’ dress code, however, there is no size restriction on headwear.
• Boys (aged 10–17) should dress in accordance with the gentlemen’s dress code or wear a dark-coloured lounge suit with a shirt and tie.

Queen Anne Enclosure dress code

While not as strict as in the Royal Enclosure, the dress code in the Queen Anne Enclosure is formal and should be followed with confidence.

Ladies

• Ladies are encouraged to dress in a manner appropriate for a formal occasion.
• Hats, headpieces or fascinators should be worn at all times.
• Dresses or tops must have shoulder or halter neck straps. Garments with an open-back style are permitted as long as they aren’t strapless, off-the-shoulder or have a Bardot neckline. Midriffs must be covered and sheer fabrics are not permitted, but there is no minimum dress or skirt length.
• Trouser suits and jumpsuits must fall below the knee and must adhere with the dress neckline and strap regulations. Trouser suits must also be of matching colour and material. Shorts of any kind are not permitted.

Gentlemen

• Suits (two or three-piece) must be full length and worn with a collared shirt. Jackets and trousers should be of matching colour and pattern. Jeans and chinos are not permitted, but morning dress is an option.
• Ties should be worn at all times – bow ties, cravats and neckerchiefs are not permitted.
• Socks must be worn and cover the ankle.
• Shoes should be smart and trainers of any style are not permitted.

Children

• Girls (under 17) should be dressed for a formal occasion (smart summer dresses, for example). Hats, headpieces or a fascinator may be worn but are not compulsory.
• Boys (aged 10–17) should wear a suit or jacket with a shirt and a tie.
• Boys (aged nine and under) should be dressed smartly but are not required to wear a jacket or tie.

Village Enclosure dress code

Although less formal than the Royal and Queen Anne Enclosures, the Village Enclosure still requires that you dress in a manner than befits a formal occasion.

Ladies

• Ladies are encouraged to dress in a manner appropriate for a formal occasion.
• Hats, headpieces or fascinators should be worn at all times. Smaller hats or fascinators are recommended in this enclosure.
• Dresses or tops should not be strapless, off-the-shoulder, one-shoulder or have a Bardot neckline. Midriffs must be covered and sheer straps are not permitted. There is no minimum length.
• Trouser suits must be full length, of matching colour and material, and must adhere with the dress neckline and strap regulations. Jumpsuits should fall below the knee. Shorts of any kind are not permitted.
• Wedges and block heels are recommended over stilettos as this enclosure is a grassed area.

Gentlemen

• Jackets are required and can be of a different material to the trousers.
• Trousers must be full length and worn with a collared shirt. Jeans are not permitted.
• Ties must be worn at all times – bow ties and cravats are accepted.
• Socks must be worn and cover the ankle.
• Shoes should be smart and trainers of any style are not permitted.

Children

• Juniors (aged 10-17) should dress in accordance with either of the above adult dress codes although hats, headpieces and fascinators are not compulsory.

Windsor Enclosure dress code

There is no formal dress code in this enclosure, but smart daywear is encouraged. Hats and fascinators are recommended for ladies, while it’s recommended that gentlemen wear a jacket, collared shirt and full-length trousers.

What not to wear at Royal Ascot

There are some things that are not permitted on site at all at Royal Ascot, even in areas that do not follow a formal dress code. Racegoers should not wear fancy dress, novelty patterns or fabrics – this include clothing with slogans, phrases, promotional messaging, brand logos or cartoon imagery.

Likewise, trainers, denim, leggings and shorts are not permitted within any dress code.

Other things to bring to Royal Ascot

It would be remiss not to mention also packing the following:

• a pair of the best binoculars for racing
• suncream (SPF 50)
• blister plasters, hair grips and safety pins

To stay up to date with all the breaking news from Royal Ascot and other major events throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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I’ve been to Royal Ascot at least a dozen times and these are my eight golden rules

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Thinking about attending Royal Ascot but not got your tickets yet? Here’s a full guide to your options for Royal Ascot week (16–20 June), including each of the public enclosures. Some options are sold out already, while others are showing as limited availability, so we recommend purchasing as soon as you can to avoid disappointment.

The Royal Enclosure is exclusively for members only, but all other tickets can be easily purchased online at eticketing.co.uk, with further hospitality options via seatunique.com.

Royal Ascot tickets

Not sure what area is best for your party? See our full guide to the Royal Ascot enclosures.

Windsor enclosure tickets

This vibrant enclosure has no formal dress code and you can bring your own picnic.

Individual ticket prices in this enclosure:

• Tuesday – £37
• Wednesday – £37
• Thursday – £47
• Friday – £42
• Saturday – £47 (sold out)

Queen Anne Enclosure

This is the premier public enclosure, which gives you access to the grandstand and parade ring viewing.

Individual ticket prices in this enclosure:

• Tuesday – £99
• Wednesday – £99
• Thursday – £110
• Friday – £110
• Saturday – £115 (sold out)

Village Enclosure

This enclosure in the centre of the track has a festival atmosphere and hosts a post-racing concert.

Individual ticket prices in this enclosure:

• Thursday – £85
• Friday – £85
• Saturday – £89 (sold out)

Royal Ascot ticket discounts

Ticket savings are available on groups of 7+ and 30+ tickets until midnight on Sunday, 17 May.

You can book a “party package”, which includes your ticket, a racecard voucher and two drinks vouchers at a reduced bundle price.

Royal Ascot also offer early-bird booking, but this window has now ended for the 2026 meeting.

Royal Ascot hospitality tickets

Restaurant options

There are restaurant hospitality options available in all three public enclosures. There is are options ranging from lively to formal dining experiences, so all types of racegoer will be able to tailor their day to their taste, priorities and budget.

View options at ascot.com (starting at £600) or seatunique.com (starting at £549)

Private boxes

Private boxes offer privacy, exclusivity, and impeccable service at the heart of the action. Boxes are available in the Royal and Queen Anne Enclosures, with options from 10–72 people. Each box has a private barm dining area, large flat screen TV and private balcony.

To enquire, visit ascot.com or seatunique.com

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major events throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also enjoy:

Your complete guide to the Royal Ascot enclosures and what to expect in each

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Our pick of dresses for Royal Ascot that meet the dress code and ooze style – all still in stock

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Top mare Lady Of Camelot has been withdrawn from Royal Ascot (16-20 June) and all other fixtures as she has been stung by a stingray.

The home-bred Australian Group One winner was involved in a “freak incident” on the beach yesterday (12 May) and was taken to a specialist veterinary hospital.

The four-year-old mare, trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, “remained under close observation” yesterday, a spokesperson for the mare’s owners Go Bloodstock said.

“While the immediate focus is on her recovery and wellbeing, the decision has been made to end her Brisbane Winter Carnival and international campaigns effective immediately,” the spokesperson added. “This is a deeply disappointing turn of events for the entire team.

“Lady Of Camelot is a horse of immense talent and heart. Our primary concern is her health and ensuring she receives the best possible care during this period.”

A decision about Lady Of Camelot’s future will be made “in due course”, the spokesperson added.

“Given her elite pedigree and Group 1 success, she remains a highly valuable prospect,” he said

It is understood that the wound is not of significant size but its location near a joint is a concern.

Lady Of Camelot, by Written Tycoon, has won nearly $6m (£3.2m) in six wins from 14 starts, including the Group One Golden Slipper Stakes two years ago.

The star sprinter was due to make her debut on a British racecourse next month as she was entered to run in one of of Royal Ascot’s Group One races; Tuesday’s 5f King Charles III Stakes or Saturday’s 6f Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.

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The 2013 Grand National winner Auroras Encore has died aged 24, having been “part of the family to the end”.

Joel Parkinson and Sue Smith Racing have paid tribute to the horse who made dreams come true, promising he would never be forgotten.

“Auroras Encore achieved what every owner, trainer and jockey dreams of when he won the 2013 Grand National – the world’s most famous and toughest steeplechase,” they said.

“To conquer the Aintree fences and win the hardest jumps race of them all takes an incredibly brave and special horse, and Auroras Encore did it in unforgettable style. His victory gave everyone connected to him memories that will last a lifetime and secured his place in racing history.”

Auroras Encore won the 166th Grand National with Ryan Mania by nine lengths, for Sue Smith and owners Douglas Pryde, Jim Beaumont and David van der Hoeven. The 66-1 shot had been sold to Frank Barry for €7,000 as a yearling, then to Sue’s husband Harvey for €9,500 as a three-year-old. The son of Second Empire, bred by Mountarmstrong Stud in Ireland, went on to win £725,737 in total.

He was trained by Sue Smith for his whole career, which also included finishing second in the Scottish Grand National in 2012 and winning a listed hurdle at Aintree in 2008, at 50-1.

Auroras Encore raced three more times after his National win, retiring in January 2014.

“After his racing days were over, he spent his retirement here with us on the farm, enjoying the peaceful life he deserved,” Joel and Sue said. “He was a much-loved horse with a kind nature and a big personality, and he remained part of the family right until the very end.

“We feel incredibly lucky to have cared for him throughout his retirement and to have shared so many years with such a remarkable horse.

“Rest easy, champion. You will always be remembered and never forgotten.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2026, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Five-time Grade One winner Bob Olinger has settled quickly into a happy retirement after bowing out on a high at Punchestown last week.

The 11-year-old gelding, who scored three of his top-level victories at the Cheltenham Festival with jockey Rachael Blackmore, retired after winning his fifth Grade One, the Ladbrookes Champion Stayers’ Hurdle at Punchestown on Thursday (30 April), piloted by Darragh O’Keeffe.

“Bob clearly read the script for that one,” said trainer Henry de Bromhead. “The most perfect ending for a truly incredible horse, who we’ve been lucky enough to have been associated with for the last six years.”

Mr de Bromhead thanked owners the Acheson family for trusting the yard “with their third child” and congratulated the horse’s connections.

“Thank you Bob and happy retirement,” he said.

He later shared a video of the new retiree lying down and relaxing in the sunshine with the caption: “Bob taking his first day of retirement very seriously”.

Bob Olinger won his first Grade One hurdle at Naas in January 2021, making it a brace two months later with the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle title at Cheltenham. The following year, he and Rachael won the Turners Novices Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, and also went on to win the 2025 Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle. In all, he won 11 of his 22 starts under Rules and bagged more than £825,000 in prize money.

Brian Acheson had indicated beforehand that Thursday’s race would be Bob Olinger’s final start.

Following his victory, he told Racing TV the horse “has been a rock star”.

“We made up our minds over the weekend; he was 11 years old, he’d done everything, it would be greedy of me to ask him to do more next year, even though he would probably have wanted to,” he said.

“He’s always been the third child and every parent wants their children at home! I just wanted him at home.”

The horse’s first Cheltenham Festival victory, during the Covid-restricted 2021 festival, was among Mr Acheson’s favourite memories. But the one that meant the most was the Relkeel Hurdle on New Year’s Day in 2024.

“Going to Cheltenham and hearing the roar on that New Year’s Day with 35,000 people there. When he went past Strong Leader, it gave me goose bumps and we thought, ‘Right, we have our horse back’,” said Mr Acheson.

“He loves Cheltenham, he and Rachael came alive in the place. He’s something special, he really is. When he’s at home on the farm, I go down and sit in the field with him. He’ll ignore me! But he’s just a cool dude. He’s a Hollywood superstar – he read the script and he performed.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Proposed changes to healthcare requirements at events could lead to the loss of a “significant number” of doctors willing to provide cover.

A new event healthcare standard, which would standardise healthcare provision for everyone at events, and the extension of the regulatory remit of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) into sporting and cultural events are two proposals being taken forward by the Government’s Department of Health and Social Care. This follows recommendations from the Manchester Arena inquiry, following the terrorist attack in 2017.

The CQC registers “service providers”. For most doctors, the CQC registration at their normal place of work would not extend to event coverage, so doctors providing this service would have to register as individuals or be employed for this by a CQC-registered provider.

A survey by the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine found that this could mean 29% of doctors would stop providing medical support at equestrian events, and 36% for racing. An impact assessment by the CQC and the Department of Health and Social Care estimated that the registration fee per provider would be £1,200 annually, plus an additional £1,900 in the first year for admin costs.

Those H&H has spoken to stressed that they support the standard, but are concerned about the CQC aspect.

Consultant surgeon Stephen Andrews, chairman of the Medical Equestrian Association (MEA), told H&H the MEA is “very concerned about the potential impact of CQC regulation and how it might affect our members”.

“We fully support the aims behind the event healthcare standard to ensure a standard of care at all events. Our professional members are already fully regulated health care professionals,” he said.

“We have not been convinced that adding another layer of regulation, with the significant costs involved, would be of measured benefit. If individual doctors were required to be individually registered with the CQC to be able to support medical care at equestrian events, we have no doubt that a significant number of doctors would withdraw from participation as the costs to individuals would make it unworkable.

“If those costs were passed to the event organisers, many events would become completely unviable financially.”

He added: “Many of our members have full-time jobs, mostly in the NHS, and cover local events a few times a year in their spare time. Individual CQC registration would be a significant step too far for many of these highly experienced doctors.

“Our paramedic members are less affected as they are employed through ambulance providers who are already CQC-registered. We are unsure as to how our nurse members will be affected if they are not employed via a CQC-registered company.”

‘Could have negative consequences’

British Equestrian chief executive Jim Eyre told H&H the event healthcare standard is “a positive move”.

“However, the additional cost and administration of a CQC requirement is a concern for our industry. The direct impact on the dedicated medical staff is worrying but the knock-on effect on the quality of provision, running costs and ultimately event and organisational viability may be unsustainable,” he said.

“We will continue to work with our member bodies and the experienced and dedicated medical practitioners who support our sports and activities, alongside the Sport and Recreational Alliance and British Horseracing Authority to ensure the voice of our industry is heard in this important debate.”

British Eventing chief executive Rosie Williams said that there is “growing concern that these pressures may push our sport toward becoming unviable”.

“Our medical teams – both human and equine – are highly trained, deeply committed professionals who place the welfare of riders and horses at the centre of everything they do. Their expertise and dedication are not in question,” she told H&H.

“The challenge arises in how the cost of delivering this exceptional level of care is distributed. Increasingly, these expenses are being passed on to event organisers and, ultimately, to participants. It is here that the balance becomes difficult, as the financial burden risks outweighing the sustainability of the sport itself.”

British Horseracing Authority outgoing chief medical adviser Jerry Hill said the standard is a “proportionate response” to findings from the inquiry and that “when completed, trialled and refined will ensure a minimum standard of care at all events”.

Dr Hill added that racing anticipates only minor changes will be needed to be compliant with that, but said: “Adding another layer of regulation with associated costs to staff and venues by requiring CQC registration could however have negative consequences with the potential loss of experienced medical staff, reduced quality of care and event cancellation.”

‘I believe it is the right body’

The draft legislation was also debated in both the House of Commons and House of Lords on 15 April.

Zubir Ahmed, parliamentary under-secretary of state for health and social care, said there will be a 15-month period for registrations before regulation becomes enforceable, and that the CQC will consult.

“I do not want small events and village fêtes to be overregulated; that is not the intention of this legislation. Nor do I want individual doctors, clinicians and other volunteers to be over-burdened with financial registration fees, and we will look into this with the CQC,” said Dr Ahmed in the Commons.

“Given the changes that have been made to the CQC governance architecture, I believe that it is absolutely the right body to do this work.”

Speaking during the Lords debate, senior steward at The Jockey Club Baroness Dido Harding said: “The CQC’s initial impact assessment claimed that only 36 healthcare providers would need to register.

“Horseracing alone thinks that we have 350 individual clinicians who would need to register, even allowing for the fact that each clinician tends to work in three different sports.

“Potentially, the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine UK’s estimate of 23,000 is an overestimate. Even if it is one third of that, it is still massively more than the CQC expected.”

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Watch the Guineas this weekend and enjoy the action from the first two Classics of the British Flat racing season.

The big story for this year’s 2,000 Guineas is Billy Loughnane bidding for his first Classics win on Bow Echo, while the 1,000 Guineas belongs to the fillies and the Aidan O’Brien-trained Precise is looking to be an early favourite.

At a glance

• 2,000 Guineas date: 2 May 2026
• 1,000 Guineas date: 3 May 2026
• Watch the Guineas on TV: ITV (FREE), Racing TV
• Watch the Guineas from anywhere: Use this NordVPN deal – 75% Off

How to watch the Guineas on TV

ITV will screen much of the action from the Betfred Guineas Festival (including the two feature races) live and for free on ITV1 and ITVX, while Racing TV (Sky channel 424/Virgin Media 536) will broadcast via its subscription-based service.

You don’t need an ITVX subscription to watch live racing – just an email address and a valid TV license. You can register for a free account or download the app to your mobile device.

If you’re away from home, you can use NordVPN to secure your stream of the action from anywhere in the world.

What time is the 2,000 Guineas?

The 2,000 Guineas post time is 3.35pm and is the fifth of nine races at Newmarket on Saturday 2 May.

What time is the 1,000 Guineas?

The 1,000 Guineas starts at 3.35pm and is the fourth of seven races at Newmarket on Sunday 3 May.

How to watch the Guineas from anywhere

If you’re away from home and your normal coverage is geo-blocked, a VPN will get you your usual coverage from anywhere in the world.

There are many VPN providers out there, with some more reliable and safe than others. We’d suggest using a paid-for service such as NordVPN, where you can get an exclusive 75% off, which offers a 100% risk-free money back guarantee. If you’re not happy with the service any time within the first 30-days, then you can cancel with no penalties at all.

What are the Guineas?

As the first two Classics of the British Flat racing season, the 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas are among the most famous horse races in the world.

Run over a mile at Newmarket’s Rowley Mile racecourse, the 2,000 Guineas is contested by colts and fillies and the 1,000 Guineas solely by fillies. The two races are limited to three-year-old Thoroughbreds only.

The 2,000 Guineas was first run in 1809, while the inaugural 1,000 Guineas was staged five years later. At the time the races were named after the prize money given to the winner of each – with one guinea amounting to 21 shillings or £1.05.

By the 1860s the Guineas were considered to be two of the most significant races in the UK for three-year-olds and today attract the very best horses of their age in Europe. Often the races highlight potential contenders and winners of the third and fourth Classics of each year, the Derby and Oaks staged at Epsom Downs.

The total prize money for each race is more than £500,000, with the winner of the 2,000 Guineas taking home £297,728, while the winner of the 1,000 Guineas takes home £311,025. The 2,000 Guineas is also the first leg of the Triple Crown, followed by Epsom Derby and St Leger.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news at major events throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Already a record-breaker, is Billy Loughnane the future champion Flat jockey?

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Six-time Grade One winner Energumene has retired aged 12, after finishing third behind his victorious stablemate Il Etait Temps in the Punchestown Champion Chase on Tuesday (28 April).

Energumene started his career in a British point-to-point under the guidance of the Laceys before joining top Irish trainer Willie Mullins. He went on to win the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and the Punchestown Champion Chase in both 2022 and 2023.

In all, the Denham Red gelding, owned by Tony Bloom, won 14 of his 23 races under Rules and more than £1.2m prize money.

His final win was the Underwriting Exchange Fairyhouse Fairyhouse Chase on 6 April.

“He gave us a great day out at Fairyhouse the last day, he rolled back the years,” Mr Mullins told Racing TV, following Energumene’s final start in the William Hill-sponsored Champion Chase at Punchestown.

He said the ground was too dry for him, but that he “still ran a great race”.

Mr Mullins named Energumene’s first Champion Chase win at Cheltenham as his favourite memory with the horse and added: “He’s a huge big horse, a strong horse, probably not one you’d think would be a Champion Chaser looking at the size of him – you’d think he might be more a three-mile chaser. The fact that he had that speed and ability to jump marked him out.”

Jockey Paul Townend, who was in the saddle for the majority of Energumene’s races, also paid tribute to the horse on Racing TV.

“He was a star of a horse,” he said. “He was a joy and will be hard to replace.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Watch the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, 2 May and keep up to speed with action in one of the most prestigious horse races stateside.

This year is the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby and current favourite, Renegade, is aiming to become the first horse to win from the No. 1 post position since 1986.

At a glance

• Kentucky Derby date: 2 May 2026
• Watch Kentucky Derby on TV: Sky Sports Racing, Racing TV, NBC and Peacock
• Watch Kentucky Derby from anywhere: Use this NordVPN deal – 75% Off

How to watch the Kentucky Derby on TV

The UK’s free racing broadcaster ITV and the ITVX streaming service will not be showing the Kentucky Derby live, but you will be able to watch via the Sky Sports Racing Channel (Sky channel 415/ Virgin Media 535). Alternatively, Racing TV’s subscription-based service will also show the race (Sky channel 424/Virgin Media 536) .

In the US, you can watch on NBC and Peacock, with coverage from 2.30pm ET. The final race will be shown on FanDuel TV.

If you’re away from home, you can use NordVPN to secure your stream of the action from anywhere in the world.

What time is the Kentucky Derby?

The Kentucky Derby post time is 6.57pm local time (ET), which is 11.57pm BST. It will be the twelfth race of the day.

How to watch the Kentucky Derby from anywhere

If you’re away from home and your normal coverage is geo-blocked, a VPN will get you your usual coverage from anywhere in the world.

There are many VPN providers out there, with some more reliable and safe than others. We’d suggest using a paid-for service such as NordVPN, where you can get an exclusive 75% off, which offers a 100% risk-free money back guarantee. If you’re not happy with the service any time within the first 30-days, then you can cancel with no penalties at all.

What is the Kentucky Derby?

The Kentucky Derby is one of the most prestigious horse races in the USA. It is an American Grade One stakes race, run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky and is open to three-year-old Thoroughbred colts and fillies.

Held annually on the first Saturday in May, the Derby is the first leg of the Triple Crown and is known by many as “the greatest two minutes in sport”.

The Kentucky Derby is run over a distance of 2,012 metres (about 1​¼ miles) with a prize of $3.1m (about £2.3m) going to the winner.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news at major events throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

How to watch the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas live from anywhere in the world

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A beginner’s guide to betting

If you fancy having a flutter on a horse race but don’t know where to start, we’re here to help.

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Alan Yuill Walker, the knowledgeable and respected bloodstock author and journalist died peacefully surrounded by his family on 18 March, following a long illness, aged 87.

Alan was born in Bournemouth on 26 June 1938. He came from a non-equestrian family, but his father Dr John Yuill had farmed in Oxfordshire.

Alan went to school at Lancing College in West Sussex, then studied land management at the then Royal Agricultural College. He developed an interest in horses and writing from an early age.

He went to work for Sir David Wills at Hadrian Stud in Newmarket, after the stud manager Douglas Gray offered him a job, sparking his interest in thoroughbred breeding. Following this he worked for the British Bloodstock Agency and London Bloodstock Agency compiling pedigrees and started a 40-year writing career for publications including British Racehorse, or Stud & Stable, Pacemaker, Bloodstock Breeders, and Horse & Hound.

Alan’s great knowledge and passion led to him writing six books, including Thoroughbred Studs of Great Britain, trainer Bill Wightman’s biography Months of Misery, Moments of Bliss and his final book Prophet’s Thumb Mark.

Alan married Valerie Taylor in 1969 and the couple had two daughters, Georgina and Lavinia. Alan retired aged 80 and he and Valerie moved from Lambourn to Kintbury, spending Alan’s final three years in Hungerford.

“My father’s world revolved around the breeding of racehorses; the studs and the people and horses. His greatest joy was spending a day walking around a stud and gathering information,” said Georgina.

“Since his passing we have heard so many wonderful things said about him; one person said ‘No need for AI when Alan was around, he was a fountain of knowledge on the turf’. He just knew everything from the last 50 years on the breeding of racehorses.”

To be mentioned in the same breath as legendary 20-time champion Sir Anthony “AP” McCoy is a huge honour for any jockey. But justifying every comparison bestowed upon him is the current king of the weighing room, Sean Bowen.

On Saturday (25 April) the 28-year-old jump jockey is officially crowned champion for the second season running. Not since AP McCoy’s incredible record-breaking reign have we seen the kind of stats that the young Welshman is racking up.

Immediately after earning his first jockeys’ championship in 2025, he set off in hot pursuit of the next title and enjoyed his quickest ever start to a season, eventually racking up nearly 250 winners at a superb 24% strike rate. To put that into perspective, he’s ridden nearly twice as many winners as any of his weighing room colleagues.

“It’s only AP to beat now numbers-wise and that will take some doing, but the numbers have been incredible. I’m very lucky,” says Sean.

“It’s taken an immense amount of work – I surpassed 1,000 rides for the season at Perth [on Thursday, 23 April] – so the miles on the road are a lot. But now I’ve reached my targets for this season, I really can’t wait till next season to start it all over again.”

Not only does this unassuming Welshman have the same relentless McCoy-esque work ethic, his mindset is strikingly similar, with an all-consuming drive to succeed and a hawk-like focus on the ambitious goals he sets himself.

“Winning my first championship was amazing,” he says. “But to be champion jockey, chasing numbers is what you’ve got to do. You have to set your own targets and hopefully they come.

“It’s not just about the big Saturdays either – every day is important because the day-to-day meetings are where you rack up the winners. I know AP used to chase numbers and he got to a record 289 winners one season, which is a crazy amount really, but hopefully that’s something I can achieve.

“All I dreamt of as a kid was to be champion jockey and I suppose now I’m in this position, I don’t want to give it up too easily!”

Sean Bowen: a class apart

So what sets Sean Bowen apart from his current crop of weighing room colleagues – a hugely talented bunch in their own right that includes previous champions Brian Hughes, Harry Skelton and Harry Cobden?

Sean struggles to pinpoint an answer himself but evidently his skills in the saddle are more refined than ever and he’s excelled since joining forces with talented trainer Olly Murphy four years ago. He has become a skilled tactician, also displaying enviable balance and strength with his ultra-short riding style. But most impressive of all is his ability to infiltrate the mind of every horse he sits on, instilling in each the confidence to shine.

“Something seems to be going right anyway!” says Sean. “Every season for the past three or four years, I’ve felt my riding has got better and better. Obviously riding for very good people helps and Olly’s yard is going from strength to strength.

“So many variables go into each race though, so you have to be constantly aware of what’s going on around you, are they going too fast, too slow, is your horse too keen or a bit lazy.”

Sean would receive an A* for his homework, too, and it’s clear why Olly feels no need to issue his number one rider with any riding instructions.

“For all the horses I’ll be riding the following day, I’ll sit down the evening before or in the car on the way home and watch back all their races on the iPad to get a gist of what they’re like,” he reveals, adding that the flipside of his daily quest for winners is, “I don’t have time to ride out in the mornings anymore, so I have to get to know the horses pretty quickly as soon as I get on them. Trainers have to make allowances for that and I need to be adaptable – that’s something I’ve got used to. I’m in a very fortunate position to be riding every day though.

“But I love that side of racing; the tactics and looking at all the different data is so interesting.”

In the genes: why Sean was a late-starter in the saddle

Sean was born into a family steeped in racing history. His father is former Pembrokeshire trainer Peter Bowen and mother Karen was a champion point-to-point jockey. Their oldest son Mickey was a successful point-to-point trainer and has now taken over the training license, while the youngest of their three sons, James, has made an equally big impact since following his brother Sean into the weighing room, finishing this season with just over 100 winners.

Despite his early surroundings and genetic make-up, Sean initially showed little interest in the sport.

“I actually wasn’t a massive fan of horses or ponies to start with,” he smiles. “Every time I came home from school the racing channel would be on TV – it used to drive me mad!”

But the spark ignited around the age of nine.

“Nobody ever taught me, we just got legged up on the ponies and off we went – my cousins would come down with their ponies and we would all race them up the gallops as fast as we could and I learnt that way. It was a survival instinct!”

Racing ponies followed and all three Bowen brothers learnt the ropes in that sphere, with great success.

“Once you’ve had one ride in pony racing, it gets you hooked and I absolutely loved it,” says Sean. “I don’t suppose there was ever a plan B after that, I was always going to be a professional jockey. I actually only did one season of point-to-point riding, at the age of 16, but I’d have needed to do a lot longer if it hadn’t been for pony racing all those years. You learn so much about race riding and the whole experience of being a jockey.”

When “school got in the way of riding out racehorses” at the age of 14, he completed his education from home every afternoon.

“It worked well for all of us and Dad was happy because he had a free member of staff!” he recalls.

Despite only a brief stint as a point-to-point jockey, Sean was crowned leading novice in 2014, riding a large crop of winners for David Brace, who Sean says “supported me massively” and his brother Mickey, who was enjoying a purple patch in his training career.

“It was brilliant – you think pony racing is great and then you race over jumps and it’s unbelievable,” says Sean, who’d actually had his first winner under Rules as an amateur for trainer Bernard Llewellyn in 2013 before the point-to-point winners started flooding in.

All the while of course, Sean has also had the support of his parents.

“I suppose the minute I started race riding, Dad wanted me,” reveals Sean, who was inspired by Peter’s regular jockeys Tom O’Brien and Jamie Moore growing up, as well as the likes of Barry Geraghty, AP McCoy and Ruby Walsh.

Like many future champions, he enjoyed a stint with the 13-time champion trainer Paul Nicholls while riding as a conditional, where he made a huge impact, partnering, amongst others, a novice Cyrname and earning his first ride in the Grand National aged just 17, en route to being crowned champion conditional at the end of his first full season racing under rules.

Sean’s milestone first Grade One winner came on Harry Fry’s If The Cap Fits at Aintree on Grand National Day, in 2019.

“That was a huge day – it was a photo finish, too, so I didn’t know if I’d won or not for what felt like an age!” says Sean. “But in some ways it was a bit of a relief, too, because I’d ridden a few favourites in Grade Ones that, for one reason or another, hadn’t won, so it meant a lot and I realised it could happen.”

When asked for his proudest moment on the track, those close family ties are once again to the fore.

“Winning the Topham at Aintree on Mac Tottie for my Dad,” he says, relishing the memories of that emotional day in 2022. “My brother Mickey rode him out every day, James had won the Sefton on him that season and everyone saw James running up the track to congratulate us that day. It was the best day of my life so far – you can’t beat riding a winner for your family.

“We’re very lucky that all three of us brothers have been very successful at a young age and it’s brilliant to share the weighing room with your brother,” says Sean. “Good or bad, we talk to each other most days about racing – James is someone that understands what’s going on – but we all have a great relationship.”

James was sitting second to Sean in the jockeys’ standings for much of this season.

“Luckily I’m far enough ahead of my brother that he can’t take the mick too much! But it’s brilliant to have him there,” says Sean.

One advantage Sean has over his younger brother is on the weighing scales.

“James gets very annoyed because I can eat what I like and still do 10 stone, whereas he’d probably be a stone heavier if he ate meals like I do, I’m definitely one of the lucky ones!” he says.

“But for us all to be doing so well is fantastic really. Mickey is young and keen and the yard has really grown. I’ve ridden plenty of winners for him already and hopefully it continues.”

The highs and lows of horseracing

As all-conquering jumps trainer Willie Mullins said to underling Dan Skelton after edging him out of another trainers’ championship last season, “You have to lose one to win one” and, like Dan, Sean endured a character-building journey to being crowned champion jockey, a decade after he triumphed as the leading conditional.

“I finished second to Brian Hughes in 2023, then I was a long way clear when I injured my knee two seasons back,” says Sean of the heavy fall at Aintree on Boxing Day that scuppered his chances of closing in on his best friend Harry Cobden in that year’s title race. “Missing out on the championship by seven winners was unbelievably frustrating.

“But every young child riding their pony dreams of becoming champion jockey and AP McCoy and Ruby Walsh were the ones I looked up to. So finally to be able to fulfil that dream was amazing.”

Sean has built a resilience to the inevitable highs and lows of this rough-and-tumble sport.

“I’m pretty level-headed and I’m able to sleep in the car well, which helps!” he says, brushing off any concerns I suggest about burnout, stress and other potential side-effects of such a relentless existence. “I’ve wanted to be in this position since I was a kid so while it’s happening you can’t stop it.”

2025 was a huge year for Sean away from the racecourse, as he married Harriet in the summer – making use of the sport’s annual two-week break in August, so he didn’t miss out on riding any potential winners.

“It was an amazing day. Harriet did all the planning because I was never home, but she did a very good job of it,” says Sean. “So it was a good fun summer: plenty of winners and a wedding to top it off.

“Racing is a busy life and I’m not home very often but these are the sacrifices you make.”

Sean Bowen, dual Grand National winner

One surprising omission from Sean’s tally of winners is a Grade One success and, while brother James scored a brace of winners at this year’s Cheltenham Festival, that too remains a gap on Sean’s CV.

However, the Rebecca Curtis-trained Haiti Couleurs gave Sean two career-defining moments in the saddle, starting at Fairyhouse last April.

“Haiti’s win in the Irish Grand National was amazing,” comments Sean of the all-Welsh conquest of Ireland’s flagship race, before following up in the Welsh Grand National in December.

Before celebrating his second jockeys’ title, Sean assures me there is one milestone belonging to 20-time champion AP McCoy’s that he won’t be chasing.

“There are so many records of his I’d love to beat but I’m too old to be thinking of winning 21 jockeys’ championships now!” stresses Sean.

This talented young rider’s career is still unfolding, but regardless of how many records he smashes, how closely he can emulate the greatest jump jockey of all time or how long he can assert his dominance in the weighing room, this is undoubtedly an exciting era for the sport.

Sean has built a lofty platform from which to operate, but there’s no time to enjoy the view. His sights are set on one thing only – riding that next winner.

• For more exclusive interviews with top riders and trainers, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Gemma Owen said the training has been “humbling, to say the least”, as she prepares to take part in the 2026 Markel Magnolia Cup.

The dressage rider, former Love Island contestant and daughter of England footballer Michael Owen has been confirmed in the line-up for the annual charity race on ladies’ day at the Qatar Goodwood Festival presented by Visit Qatar (30 July).

Gemma is continuing to compete in dressage with 16-year-old King Ron P as she also works with trainer Hugo Palmer and jockey Franny Norton at her father’s Manor House Stables.

Gemma Owen said: “I’m really looking forward to taking part in the Markel Magnolia Cup this year.

“Believe it or not, I had never sat on a racehorse until a couple of months ago and the training so far has been humbling to say the least. Spending more time at Manor House Stables, seeing how a racing yard runs like clockwork and getting out onto the gallops, has been an incredible experience.”

The Markel Magnolia Cup, which first ran in 2011, has raised over £3.5m for charities supporting women and children. This year’s race is in aid of Education Above All Foundation.

All the jockeys who take part have to undergo fitness tests and riding assessments at the British Racing School and complete months of training.

“It is an even bigger challenge than I initially expected but I’m excited to take part in such a prestigious fundraising event, which raises so much money for charities supporting women and children,” Gemma said.

Gemma will be racing against Markel International bloodstock assistant underwriter Alice Hawker, motor sport content creator Araminta Reed, racehorse trainer Charlotte Littlefield, vet tech Ilona Wells, who has had a hip replacement and double mastectomy, Imaan Rasul-Healer who works in racing, loss adjustor Jasmine Watts, Heartificial Intelligence founder Jessica Chapplow, microsurgeon Joanna Bovis, racing reporter Molly Hunter, reality TV star Nermina Pieters-Mekic, Riding a Dream graduate Ruth Inman and bloodstock agent Victoria Wang. The reserve is Dan Skelton’s part-time rider Bryony Harris.

A Goodwood spokesperson said: “Representing a wide range of backgrounds, these women have taken on the immense challenge of preparing for a competitive horse race. Their journey has demanded early mornings riding out, rigorous jockey fitness tests, assessments at the British Racing School and months of dedicated training to ensure they are ready for race day.

“This year’s field includes an exceptional group of riders whose resilience extends well beyond the saddle. Among them are a breast cancer survivor, a microsurgeon specialising in reconstruction for women following cancer treatment, businesswomen, media personalities, a Riding A Dream Academy graduate and several international competitors.

“Ladies’ day on Thursday, 30 July will be the culmination of this remarkable journey.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2026, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Successful National Hunt trainer Kim Bailey on an “extraordinary” Aintree and crowning a new champion trainer

The 2026 Randox Grand National was full of fairy tales, as it so often is, and this year’s race felt like a proper, old-fashioned renewal.

Thirty-four went to post, and only 16 completed. The rest fell or unseated, and watching it, you almost felt the track had shrunk as there was so much happening, you barely knew where to look.

It was relentless.

The result itself was extraordinary. Willie Mullins brought up his fourth win in the race and his third in as many years. Those four Grand National winners place him in the record books alongside trainers Fred Rimell and Ginger McCain as the very best.

I Am Maximus wrote his own chapter by winning it for the second time, having finished second in between his two wins – now that takes some doing. What a horse! I am sure he will be back next year to try to equal the great Red Rum’s record of three wins.

Chaos and drama

I can’t remember seeing so many fallers and unseated riders in the Grand National. It added to that sense of chaos, but also to the drama that makes the race what it is.

The Irish dominance was striking, too – of the first 12 horses home, 10 were trained in Ireland. The only British-trained horses in the top 12 were the runner-up Iroko, for the Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero yard, and the fourth-placed Johnnywho for father-and-son trainers Jonjo and AJ O’Neill.

JP McManus remarkably owned the first, second and fourth-placed horses. JP is now the most successful winning owner in the race’s history, overtaking Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud, Trevor Hemmings, Noel Le Mare, James Octavius Mitchell and Sir Charles Assheton-Smith who have all won the race three times. That tells its own story.

Turning for home, it looked for all the world as though Ben Jones might have stolen it on Joseph O’Brien’s Jordans, when he kicked early, perhaps too early. Stamina told in the end. Meanwhile, Paul Townend was creeping into it, and he produced his challenge to perfection, getting there halfway up the run-in.

A tough 24 hours

Victory in the Grand National capped a difficult 24 hours for Townend, coming so soon after that awful incident on Gold Dancer, who was euthanised after winning the Grade One Mildmay Novices’ Chase.

Moments like that remind you how fragile the sport can be, and however decisions are explained, they never sit easily with everyone. Racing has those moments where we all hold our breath.

But back to the race itself. It was a proper National. Breathless, chaotic, compelling. The sort you watch through slightly parted fingers. Still the most exciting race in the world and perhaps because of that, the one that makes the whole sport watch on the edge of our seats.

A deserved champion

Aintree racecourse held three days of fantastic racing, with huge crowds and a wonderful atmosphere. We all know the Liverpudlians love a good day out and they make us enjoy it with them, but we also took away from the meeting the fact that Dan Skelton deserves to be crowned this season’s champion trainer at Sandown on Saturday, having had six winners over the three days at Aintree.

The way Dan, Harry and father Nick are building the Skelton racing empire, will Dan be champion trainer for at least the next 10 years?

So, we roll on for another year, and the Mullins bandwagon will be back. It is more than possible he will break his own record next year by winning the great race for a record fifth time. The King of Aintree – if not in the next 12 months, who would even think of it not happening within the next 24 months!

● What was your standout moment from the Grand National? Let us know at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your thoughts published in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine

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Fresh from Cheltenham Festival, the jump jockey tells Martha Terry about his racing childhood, the invincibility of youth and keeping a level head, in this exclusive article for H&H subscribers

James Bowen had waited years for a Cheltenham Festival winner. This time round, he left with two. For those who knew his roots, it felt almost inevitable.

Childhoods don’t come much more idyllic than the Bowen boys’. The three brothers spent much of their schooldays playing with ponies in the Pembrokeshire countryside: racing ponies, racing each other, racing their cousins, racing themselves.

When James was 13, he left school – ostensibly to be home-schooled while pursuing his racing commitments. In reality, the yard, not the classroom, was the real crucible for his education.

“I didn’t spend any time on schoolwork,” says James as we chat while he drives from a morning gallop at Newbury to racing at Kempton. “If I couldn’t be a jockey, there wasn’t much chance of another career to fall back on.”

He didn’t need one. Aged 16, James was crowned the youngest-ever winner of the Welsh National, followed by becoming champion conditional jockey with 58 winners. Nine years later, last month at Cheltenham, he franked that prodigious talent, bagging not just his first Festival trophy but a double. On day one, he steered Holloway Queen to win the National Hunt Challenge Cup before Jingko Blue galloped to victory in the BetMGM Cup Handicap Hurdle the following day.

“A win there is incredible, and I wasn’t expecting much – especially from Holloway Queen as I thought she’d hate the ground,” James says. “Nicky Henderson actually asked me before the race if I’d run her. I said, ‘It’s up to you,’ but I’m glad she did run.

“The atmosphere is amazing, but you don’t hear as much when you’re on the horse. It’s when you watch it back that you realise just what a big deal winning there is.

“I’ve watched it back multiple times,” he grins. “I’m still watching it back now.”

James is the youngest son of trainer Peter Bowen, brother of champion jump jockey Sean and trainer Mickey. Although riding was on offer as soon as he could sit up, James wasn’t interested early on.

“I didn’t enjoy riding much until I was eight,” he says. “I rode a couple of times, but my mum didn’t let me off the lead rope and I didn’t want to do it unless I was let off. But once I was on my own, I got into it.”

At the heart of this utopian childhood was a 12hh roan called Striker.

“Striker was incredible, bombproof,” says James, chuckling at the memory. “He was older than Sean and I put together, and we were always galloping around on him. He didn’t love jumping, so instead of hurdles, we’d put poles on the ground and race over those.

“We’d take it in turns racing around the gallop. Sean always won because he went first – and I was smaller and weaker than him. I even tried stopping the clock later, but I still lost.”

Mickey, who is more than six years his senior, lit the touchpaper when he started pony racing.

“I just wanted to do what he did,” remembers James, with a sense of youngest brother syndrome. “And once Sean was champion conditional, being a jockey is all I wanted to do.”

The brothers’ domestic races ramped up a level in sophistication when their two cousins came to stay.

“They’d bring their ponies and we’d set up a four-horse race,” James says. “We’d do four races – probably six furlongs to a mile – so each of us rode races on all the ponies, and we had a points system.”

Striker – “not fast enough” – had by this time been superseded by increasingly racy models. The first serious ponies came when James was 10.

“The first two we’d just hunt round at the back, and then Dad got fed up of us always being beaten, so he got Sean a 14.2hh, Cudlic Verona, and me a 13.2hh called Push The Button,” James relates. “They were both great ponies, but on Push The Button it was almost impossible to get beat. If I did, Dad would let me know about it! We ended up having so many wins.”

This included 10 in one season, including the 138cm finals at York – with Sean also taking the 148cm trophy – in 2013.

The moment James turned 16, he moved straight into point-to-pointing.

“I had five rides on my 16th birthday, had two winners and fell off two, so I learnt a lot about the ups and downs on the first day,” he says.

Surfing on the wave of the invincible Push The Button and some dead-cert rides, James admits his mindset at the start of his career was that “every horse I rode would win”.

“I thought it was so easy!” he says. “I had 50 rides point-to-pointing and 30 winners, but they were all steering jobs trained by my brother. They were unbeatable, long odds-on shots.

“And when I first turned conditional, Dad’s horses were running well and I won the Welsh National. I knew that was a big deal, but as I felt everything would win every race, it wasn’t unexpected. I probably didn’t appreciate it enough at the time.”

Aged 17, he was champion conditional, with a plum job based with champion trainer Nicky Henderson. While his peers were still sitting exams, James had been plying his trade for seven years, and was heralded as the brightest young talent in the weighing room.

“It was going so swimmingly, but when I lost my claim I was struggling,” he admits.

James went from riding 70-odd winners a year to 20, hamstrung by breaking his wrist and his arm in successive seasons.

Perhaps it’s an innate understanding of the precarious nature of the sport in which he’d been raised, or that first yo-yo day as a professional, but James seems to take the rough with the smooth with equanimity. He may have switched from assuming every mount would win to a more measured approach, but the winners are rolling in all the same.

“I suppose it took a while for me to get my first Grade One win [on Jango Baie at Aintree on Boxing Day 2023], but I never worried about it – I knew it would come,” he says lightly. “I’ve been injured a couple of times, I’ve rebuilt and now I’m on my best season.”

Nor has Cheltenham been the happiest of hunting grounds, with him missing several due to illness or suspension.

“I’ve not enjoyed the meeting that much over the years because you come away thinking, ‘God, I’m just a spare part,’” he admitted after this year’s Festival. “But when you do have a winner, it’s as good a feeling as you’re going to get.”

There have been other levellers. In January 2024, James would have expected to log another Grade One win when stepping in for the ride on the indomitable Jonbon, at long odds-on in the Clarence House. He’d won earlier in the day on Sir Gino and thought, “I couldn’t do anything wrong.”

But Jonbon made a bad mistake four out, nearly unshipping James, who clung on to rally the horse for an embarrassing neck defeat.

In the same race this year, James made amends, again coming off the subs’ bench to pilot Jonbon to the horse’s 12th Grade One success.

“Last time I’d ridden him, I got beaten and felt like an idiot,” he says. “There was less pressure this time, and it was good to put the record straight. It’s a pretty good feeling riding such a crowd favourite.”

James uses the word pressure, but he’d prefer to describe the feeling “less as pressure, more excitement”, giving an insight into the make-up of a top jockey.

“You have to keep a level head,” he says. “You can’t get too up or too down. Of course you get excited, but it’s not like you feel nervous. If you’re on a good horse in a good race, it’s normal to get butterflies in the belly but you can’t let it get to you. You need to ride every race the same, just try to win every one. That’s what drives me: riding winners, any winners.”

His other driver is Sean. Three-and-a-half years older, Sean has already virtually secured his second champion jockey title. But James emphasises that their rivalry is mutually beneficial.

“Sean and I push each other,” he says. “Sean is older and if I can eventually start to achieve what he’s achieving, that’s the goal. He’s a massive help in terms of tactics. We help each other out. I talk about every race with him, we go into depth, probably more than a lot of other jockeys can.”

Those outside the Bowen family like to tickle the fraternal rivalry, with Nicky Henderson saying after James’s first Cheltenham Festival winner, “He beat his brother to it. They’re the best boys you’ll ever meet. What a family. We have a great bunch of jockeys but it’s terrific for James.”

The man himself brushes it off.

“Sean is doing well enough for himself; there was never a race between us to get there first. When he gets one, I’ll be just as delighted as I would for myself,” he says.

The only area that provokes a little jealousy is weight management.

“That’s the hardest thing for me about being a jockey,” James says. “Sean is extremely lucky – he wakes up a stone lighter than me. I’d be so happy if weights were a stone or two heavier! It can get you down a bit but you find your own way.”

And find his way he certainly has. But with the Festival box finally ticked and Sean still setting the benchmark, I sense he’s only just getting started.

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Teenage jockey Lucas Murphy has certainly earned classroom bragging rights by winning his first race against professional jockeys during his Easter holidays.

At the age of 16, Lucas is a rising star of the horseracing world. But on Friday (17 April), just days before he returned to school, the Marlborough College student lined up against the likes of champion jockeys Sean Bowen and Harry Cobden for Ayr Racecourse’s Slater Menswear Handicap Hurdle and came home a mighty 11 lengths clear of his rivals.

Riding 18/1 shot Tuppence for trainers Lucinda Russell and Michael Scudamore, Lucas’s milestone success came on the eve of the Scottish Grand National. This was a race that Lucas’s father Timmy Murphy won twice on Merigo for owner Raymond Green, Lucas’s grandfather, who owns and bred the lovely six-year-old Tuppence with his late wife.

“I really enjoyed that, she gave me a nice spin round and it’s nice to get my first winner under rules in Granddad’s colours here,” said the young jockey, who was a star on the Shetland Pony Grand National circuit before honing his skills in pony racing.

Lucas Murphy: combining A levels and point-to-pointing

Lucas rode his first point-to-point winner in January, but any aspirations to become a professional jump jockey have to be put on hold until he completes his A levels at school next year.

“I’m very happy that it’s all happened, but it’s back to reality now,” Lucas told H&H when we caught up with him in the aftermath.

Lucas’s license only came through the week before Ayr and as well as winning on Tuppence on his professional debut, he finished fourth on the Paul Nicholls-trained Paso Double in the conditional/amateur jockeys’ hurdle later in the day.

“It was all very coincidental – Grandad had entered Tuppence before we even considered riding as a professional, so it was just a good draw of events,” he said.

“I’d never ridden her before but luckily she was very easy. [Lucinda Russell’s partner] Peter Scudamore said to jump off in the middle to near the back and just have a nice spin round. I tried not to complicate things and the further we went, the better it was getting, so I’m delighted.

“I was slightly concerned about the task of settling her because in her past races she has been a bit buzzy, but whether it was the ground or the speed she went, she was easy enough. It was very enjoyable.”

“I was just waiting for something to come by me”

Lucas and Tuppence took the lead three fences from home in the two-mile race, opening up a clear advantage by the time they cleared the final hurdle in tremendous style.

“I popped the last and I was just waiting for something to come by me to be honest! Everything went a bit quiet so I looked at the screen and thought ‘Oh, I should probably take a pull!’” said Lucas. “But she’s very professional in the way she kicked clear and won nicely.”

Lucas was welcomed to the winner’s enclosure by his extended family including proud mother Verity, his grandfather and his aunts.

“It was a great day out,” said Lucas. “The other jockeys were very kind – obviously a few knew Dad from back in the day and they were all very supportive.

“Dad’s very good at giving me advice on things to change, things to improve on. When I’m racing, Granddad is very good at supporting me. I’ve had a dream start and hopefully it keeps going.”

More success in his grandfather’s colours

While Lucas returns to school for his final term of the lower sixth year, he’s hoping to continue his pointing career alongside his studies.

“I’m very fortunate to have big trainers like Nicky Henderson very locally to me, so I ride out there in the mornings then we’ve got one pointer at home, which is a retired horse of Granddad’s called Castletown, who won a race at Lockinge the other week, which was very cool,” he said.

“I’m just going to try to keep getting as many rides as I can pointing at the weekends and get as much experience as possible, and hopefully ride a few winners.”

Tuppence’s half-brother Traprain Law, another of Raymond’s home-breds, finished third behind Moudan in the following day’s Scotty Brand Handicap Chase.

“This is beyond special,” he said.

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Noble Yeats, who won the 2022 Randox Grand National with top amateur Sam Waley-Cohen on the jockey’s final ride, has died in retirement aged 11.

The son of Yeats showed signs of colic on Wednesday (15 April) night and despite vets’ best efforts, he could not be saved.

“He gave us one of the great days of our lives and fulfilled our dreams,” said Sam, in a BBC report on the horse’s passing. “He was brilliant for us and was one of those special horses.”

In a recent feature with Racing TV, Noble Yeats could be seen enjoying his retirement in a big field with fellow legends Long Run, who Sam rode to 2011 Cheltenham Gold Cup glory, and 2011 Grand National runner-up Oscar Time.

“It was overwhelming, I put my head down on his withers just for a moment and said, ‘Thank you’,” Sam told Racing TV, reflecting on that day at Aintree four years ago.

“It was an amazing day. You go with such low expectations… and to come out on such an amazing high was unbelievable.”

Noble Yeats, who was owned by Sam’s father Robert and was trained by Emmett Mullins, finished fourth in the race the following year with Sean Bowen in the saddle.

His other major wins included victory in the Grade Two Many Clouds Chase the same year he won the Grand National, and the Grade Two Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2024. He also finished fourth in the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Noble Yeats retired from racing in 2024 after winning seven of his 24 starts under Rules and more than £760,000 prize money.

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‘It’s a fairytale’: Sam Waley-Cohen wins the Grand National on his last ever ride

I Am Maximus has won the 2026 Randox Grand National – becoming the first horse to regain the title since the great Red Rum.

The Willie Mullins-trained 10-year-old carried top weight of 11st 12lb and led home a dominant hand for owner JP McManus, who owned three of the first four over the finish line.

I Am Maxiumus closed in on leader Jordans at the elbow, leaving him in his slipstream as he powered up the run-in to win in emphatic style.

“He will gallop to the end of the world for you,” said winning jockey Paul Townend, who was also in the saddle for the horse’s first Grand National win in 2024 and when he finished runner-up in last year’s race.

“He’s so good; he has such an engine. It’s a privilege to have anything to do with him, what a horse.”

Mullins had nine potential contenders runners in the race – down to eight by the time they lined up following the withdrawal of defending champion Nick Rockett – but Townend only ever had eyes for I Am Maxiumus.

“Obviously Grangeclare West’s preparation was really good in the Bobbyjo, which I won on Nick Rockett in 2025 and who then came here last year and beat me, but this lad wasn’t telling me not to ride him, so I couldn’t not ride him,” he said.

Mullins, who today equalled Ginger McCain and Fred Rimell’s record of saddling four Grand National winners, hinted that we may see him in next year’s race.

“Hopefully I’ll be here, and hopefully I Am Maximus will be here. I think JP is very keen on I Am Maximus for the National, he says he loves the place, he jumps the fences well, we’ve got a great team with Paul, so hopefully we are all here next year,” he said.

“I imagine JP won’t hear of anything else, so there’ll be this little game going on – I’ll stick him in the Gold Cup, JP will take him out and I’ll stick him back in and he’ll take him out, so that’s what was happening this year. And he said, ‘No, we’re going to skip the Gold Cup’, and it proved so right.”

“Anyone would be emotional. Wow. It was a good call from JP – I wanted to go for the Gold Cup and he said, ‘We’re going to stay for Aintree’, as he felt he was well handicapped. Paul just executed it so well, didn’t he?

“It’s very hard [to win off top weight], but maybe the modern day National is changing and we have to look at it differently.

“It’s the first race we all grew up watching and the race we aspire to win when we go into racing. It’s a race you grow up watching and want to be a part of, just to have a runner is a tremendous sensation and for our owners – just to be involved and here at Aintree is great.”

It’s 49 years since Red Rum regained the title he won in 1973 and 1974, a feat that until now, only two others had achieved – both in the Victorian era. The Lamb, who won in 1868 and 1871, and Manifesto, the winner of the 1897 and 1899 editions.

I Am Maximus’s greatness is clear cut. It’s also on his own terms. His quirks are a part of his strength; the team around him work with that mercurial streak and so he is able to shine on the biggest stage of all. There will be ice-cream for fans at his home-coming celebrations, just don’t ask him for a selfie.

“He will eat you without salt. He is a character – don’t stand in his way!” said Mullins, with a smile.

“When he won the Irish National I said to Paul, whatever you do don’t come off the inside, and the horse refused to race on the inside. After two miles Paul said, sod this and went to the outside. The minute the horse went to the outside he had his ears pricked and he liked it. But he’s by Authorized, and horses by Authorized have that little bit of a quirk in them. You could call it immaturity, whatever, but they’re very good – but they have that quirk. You just don’t want to annoy him – you want to get on his right side.”

‘He ran a blinder’

Fellow McManus horse Iroko, ridden by Jonjo O’Neill Jr, finished second for local trainers Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriro, who are also eyeing a return for next year’s race with their star.

“The build-up to this has been so intense, I think being local… I burst into tears when he got to the line, I felt like a pressure cooker being released,” said Greenall.

Guerriro added: “I’m very proud of him, he’s run a blinder. He finished fourth last year when I Am Maximus was second and he’s probably been beaten a similar distance today.

“We’ll come back and win it next year. He’s got even more experience now and probably his Cheltenham prep wasn’t the best. I Am Maximus will be another year older and we are only eight. It wasn’t to be today, but we’ll win it one day.”

Joseph O’Brien-trained Jordans was third, piloted by Ben Jones. Mr McManus also scooped fourth place with Johnnywho, ridden by Richie McLernon and trained by Jonjo O’Neill Sr.

Randox Grand National 2026 result: full finishing order

Position, horse, jockey, trainer

1 I Am Maximus, Paul Townend, Willie Mullins

2 Iroko, Jonjo O’Neill Jr, Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero

3 Jordans, Ben Jones, Joseph O’Brien

4 Johnnywho, Richie McLernon, Jonjo and A.J. O’Neill

5 High Class Hero, James Bowen, Willie Mullins

6 Favori De Champdou, Danny Gilligan, Gordon Elliott

7 Final Orders, Conor Stone-Walsh, Gavin Cromwell

8 Champ Kiely, Danny Mullins, Willie Mullins

9 Three Card Brag, Jordan Gainford, Gordon Elliott

10 Monty’s Star, Darragh O’Keeffe, Henry de Bromhead

11 Answer To Kayf, John Shinnick, Terence O’Brien

12 Gorgeous Tom, Sean Flanagan, Henry de Bromhead

14 Haiti Couleurs, Sean Bowen, Rebecca Curtis

15 Twig, Beau Morgan, Ben Pauling

16 Firefox, Keith Donoghue, Gordon Elliott

Non-finishers

Lecky Watson (pulled up 29th fence), Spanish Harlem (pulled up before 27th fence), The Real Whacker (pulled up before 13th fence), Amirite (pulled up before 29th fence), Banbridge (unseated rider 15th fence), Beauport (unseated rider 19th fence), Captain Cody (unseated rider 27th fence), Grangeclare West (unseated rider first fence), Jagwar (unseated rider 19th fence), Oscars Brother (unseated rider 15th fence), Perceval Legallois (unseated rider 27th fence), Gerri Colombe (fell seventh fence), Marble Sands (fell 18th fence), Mr Vango (fell sixth fence), Panic Attack (fell third fence), Quai De Bourbon (fell second fence), Stellar Story (fell 19th fence), Top Of The Bill (fell 30th fence).

Winning time: 9 minutes 9.68 seconds

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‘You really connect with a horse like this’: galloping grey finds his groove to shine for Skeltons at Grand National Festival

‘He would beat Artemis II to the Moon’: Barton Snow rockets to Foxhunters’ glory on opening day of Grand National Festival

Grey Dawning found his groove in the Melling Chase following a high-octane pas de deux with Solness on day two of the Randox Grand National Festival.

Solness led until the second last, when Grey Dawning kicked away from the field and loomed up his inside. The two titans rose together over the final two fences, locked in battle to the line. Grey Dawning held on, passing the winning post first by a neck in front of Aintree’s sell-out Ladies’ Day crowd.

The nine-year-old gelding ran gallantly to finish fourth in last month’s Cheltenham Gold Cup, so the drop back in trip and first-time cheekpieces in the Grade One feature race was an intriguing move.

“We said we had him in the best shape we could for a Gold Cup and that’s the truth,” said winning trainer Dan Skelton. “We had him in Gold Cup form but unfortunately he’s not good enough to win a Gold Cup. You then have to start batting clever.”

And so they did.

“I was always going to come to this, do something slightly different. What we were doing, we were doing well at, but we weren’t quite winning, so you have to change things,” said Skelton.

“We put the cheekpieces on just to help him a little bit – we didn’t think he needed them for any sort of quirkiness reason, but when you’re dropping back in trip it’s better to have them and not need them than not have them and need them. But he was brave at the back of the last, brave when he perhaps hasn’t sometimes been in the past, I must say, but it can take time sometimes, and what a place for it to happen.”

He added: “He’s been a great horse and he knows how to dance the big dances now. He’s not quite good enough to win a Gold Cup, but we can dance some other dances.”

Winning jockey Harry Skelton dedicated the win to owner Robert Kirkland’s late wife, Lesley, remembering her as a “tremendous lady” and nodding to the support the Kirklands have given him and his brother since they first started out.

“Solness is a tough horse to ride against because you don’t want to take him on too soon. He’s a little terrier, but full credit to our horse as he had the guts and put his head down where it mattered,” said the jockey.

“Solness keeps finding and you don’t want to put your cards on the table too soon, so I was just trying to hold on until we got down to the last. I got a good jump at the last thankfully and then my hands were open. He had to dig deep and he did.

“You really connect with a horse like this and I have a real love for him. Because he’s grey a lot of people have taken to him as well and he’s a multiple Grade One winner now.”

“The same bit of luck would be ideal”

Teenager Conor Stone-Walsh would dream he was sailing over the Grand National fences when he was riding his pony as a child.

The 19-year-old rising star lived that dream with a foot-perfect spin over the iconic fences to win the Randox Topham Chase aboard flashy chestnut Will The Wise for trainer Gavin Cromwell.

“I remember, when we were kids, making Grand National jumps for our ponies, and it’s massive to get a win over these fences,” said Conor, who also scored his first Cheltenham Festival winner this year.

“I grew up hunting with the Killinick Harriers, Pony Clubbing and point-to-pointing, and I’ve always wanted to ride at these big meetings. I ride Final Orders in the Grand National tomorrow – the same bit of luck would be ideal!”

“I rode on the Flat for Joseph O’Brien, but I only ever wanted to be a jump jockey and have worked for Gavin since I started over jumps. Gavin’s been very good to me, and his owners have been very good as well, so big thanks to them.”

Birthday gift keeps on giving

Wellington Arch showed how he has strengthened up over the past 12 months with a repeat of his 2025 success in the William Hill Handicap Hurdle.

The Blue Bresil seven-year-old, bought by Mary Gaskell for her husband Mike as a birthday gift, held on well to win by just over a length in the hands of Jonjo O’Neill Jr.

“His jumping was a little bit sketchy at one stage but ‘Jonje’ has done a great job getting him back into a rhythm to go and win again off a considerably higher mark than last year,” said AJ O’Neill, who trains the winner alongside his father Jonjo.

“It was a very brave performance and ‘Jonje’ gave him an awesome ride and had him in a great spot all the way. He went to Punchestown afterwards last year and we might consider it, but we’ll enjoy today first.”

Neil King celebrates storming first Grade One win

Storming George surged past his rivals in the closing stages of the Thatprizeguy Top Novices’ Hurdle to give trainer Neil King a first Grade One win.

“He’s a horse we made ourselves after buying him as a store (unbroken three-year-old) from Goffs. It’s been a fabulous journey with the most wonderful owner behind him in Mr [Peter] Beadles,” said King, also crediting jockey Jack Quinlan.

“I’ve always thought he’s a lovely horse and he’ll jump a fence as well. He’s always been a great jumper.”

He added: “How can I sum up 30 years of really hard work in one sentence? We do this day in and day out, all of us. We do it for the love of the horse and we love the sport. To get that kind of a result is just fantastic.”

Sad epitaph for Gold Dancer

In a sad note to the day, Gold Dancer was put down after winning the second race – the William Hill Mildmay Novices’ Chase.

The seven-year-old gelding momentarily lost his back end when jumping the final fence and continued to win. He was pulled up after the line and jockey Paul Townend quickly dismounted.

A spokesperson for Aintree Racecourse said that the horse “was immediately attended to by our expert veterinary team but sadly he could not be saved” and added that the racecourses’s “heartfelt condolences are with his connections”.

A British Horseracing Authority (BHA) stewards’ enquiry stated: “An enquiry was held into the riding of the winner […] from jumping the final fence up until rounding the bend towards the pull up area after which the gelding was immediately assessed by veterinary surgeons and subsequently euthanised on welfare grounds. Townend and the [BHA] director of equine regulation, safety, and welfare were both interviewed and shown recordings of the incident.

“Townend explained that Gold Dancer had made a bad mistake at the last fence after which it had taken a stride or two for the gelding to gather himself before, in his opinion, running on in a straight line to the winning line where Gold Dancer felt sound.

“Townend added that it was only until rounding the bend towards the pull up area that the gelding’s action changed when Gold Dancer went from a canter to a trot after which he immediately dismounted from the gelding.

“After reviewing the footage, the director of equine, safety, and welfare explained that Gold Dancer’s action was typical of a three-mile chaser in the final stages of a race and supported the evidence of Townend. After hearing all of their evidence, the stewards noted Townend’s explanation.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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How to watch the Grand National 2026 live from anywhere in the world

Grand National 2026 sweepstake kit to download and print for free

‘We’re delighted to bring loyal readers this benefit’: H&H magazine subscribers get free website access

The world famous Randox Grand National at Aintree racecourse is one of the biggest betting events in the sporting calendar so if you’re looking for some Grand National tips, you’ve come to the right place.

The Aintree showpiece draws out plenty of once-a-year gamblers as well as armchair spectators and racing fans. But with a mammoth field of 34 horses and jockeys to choose from in the Grand National this year, where do you start?

To help you decide who might be returning to the winner’s enclosure after the 4pm race on Saturday 11 April, we’ve asked some racing experts to share their Grand National tips.

Read on for all their insight. Good luck!

Grand National tips

Jagwar

Trainers: Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero | Jockey: Mark Walsh

Jagwar is my pick as H&H racing editor. One of seven potential runners in the Grand National for prolific owner JP McManus, whose horses run in the famous green and gold silks, and Jagwar is seemingly the pick of Gold Cup-winning jockey Mark Walsh. The pair finished an eye-catching second in the Ultima at the Cheltenham Festival over 3m 1f, an excellent prep run for the 4m 2½f Grand National, and the big-striding seven-year-old should be better suited by the Aintree track.

For longer-priced each-way bets, I’m picking Oscars Brother (trainer Connor King, jockey Daniel King), who I’m hoping could be a bit of a dark horse, and Spanish Harlem, who will be ridden by Brian Hayes for the all-conquering Willie Mullins stable. His jumping can be very hit and miss – not ideal for the Grand National admittedly – but he ran a cracker in the Thyestes before unseating at the last.

ITV Racing presenter Oli Bell agrees with Jagwar as his Grand National selection, adding: “He’s got a great weight, ran a super race at Cheltenham and could really thrive over the National trip. He’s got a cracking chance for owner JP McManus.”

Panic Attack

Trainer: Dan Skelton | Jockey: Harry Skelton

Grand National-winning trainer and H&H columnist Kim Bailey says: “I was taught by the great Aintree specialist Fred Rimell, who won this great race four times. He always said the best profile for a Grand National horse was one that had the speed of a two-and-a-half-miler and the stamina of a three-miler. Panic Attack has that profile. What a way for Dan Skelton to round off his season.”

Nick Skelton, father of Panic Attack’s trainer Dan and jockey Harry, agrees with Kim and he will be cheering them on in this year’s Grand National: “A mare hasn’t won the Grand National since Nickel Coin in 1951 but Panic Attack has a low weight, she travels well, she jumps well and she’s quick enough in the beginning to lie up with them, I’d think. Let’s hope she’s there at the end if she’s good enough.”

Grangeclare West

Trainer: Willie Mullins | Jockey: Patrick Mullins

ITV Racing presenter Ed Chamberlin looks to last year’s winning trainer and jockey combination for his Aintree pick: “Grangeclare West was third in the Grand National last year but was unlucky not to finish closer after a mistake at the last. He had the perfect prep when winning the Bobbyjo Chase in February in impressive fashion.”

Iroko

Trainers: Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero | Jockey: Jonjo O’Neill Jr

Racing journalist and H&H’s form guide expert Carl Evans picks out the fourth-placed horse from last year’s race as one of his Grand National tips: “He was finishing well from off the pace, suggesting he should be better equipped for the challenge this time. Two fine runs before Christmas showed his wellbeing, and while well beaten at Cheltenham recently he subsequently produced a mucky tracheal wash (in short he was below par). If that is cleared up he heads to Aintree with a fine chance.

“For each-way bits I’m picking Stellar Story (trained by Gordon Elliott and ridden by Robbie Dunne) and Lecky Watson (Willie Mullins and Sean O’Keeffe).”

Professional golfer Lee Westwood, co-captain at Majesticks Golf Club, loves watching and betting on races and owns racehorses himself. He famously won a £48,000 jackpot payout at the Cheltenham Festival after successfully predicting six of the day’s seven winners. As well as Iroko, the golf star picks out Panic Attack, Haiti Couleurs, Captain Cody and Banbridge. “Those are my five Grand National tips,” he says.

I Am Maximus

Trainer: Willie Mullins| Jockey: Paul Townend

If you’re watching the Aintree racing on TV, you’ll be enjoying Richard Hoiles’ expert commentary on ITV Racing. Here is his tip for the 2026 Grand National: “I Am Maximus was the winner two years ago and runner up last year, he has form in Grade One company and is the class act.”

Monty’s Star

Trainer: Henry de Bromhead | Jockey: Darragh O’Keeffe

Racing journalist Tom Peacock says: “Monty’s Star was fourth in last year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup and stays very well, heading here a fresh horse. Has the touch of class from Grade One races that is needed nowadays and seems a little under the radar.”

Johnnywho

Trainers: Jonjo & AJ O’Neill | Jockey: Richie McLernon

H&H’s Grand National reporter Lucy Elder says: “I like the way Johnnywho won the Ultima on his last start at Cheltenham – the same race that Corach Rambler landed in 2022 and on his way to Grand National victory in 2023. He had a nice spin over the Grand National fences in the Grand Sefton back in November, is carrying a favourable weight (10st 4lb) and would be my choice for an each way bet.”

So that’s your Grand National tips in a nutshell. Enjoy the race wherever you may be watching it! You can relive all the action from the three-day Randox Grand National Festival and enjoy added insight, interviews and exclusive comment in H&H’s bumper magazine report, in the shops Thursday 16 April.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2026, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

How to watch the Grand National 2026 live from anywhere in the world

Grand National runners, riders and complete form guide for 2026, including a former winner ruled out on Thursday morning

A bluffer’s guide to reading a racecard

How to get to Aintree Racecourse – all travel options considered

Get your tickets for the 2026 Grand National Festival

‘Nick Rockett has always been a legend to me, now he’s proven it to the world’: meet Aintree’s Grand National hero

Watch the Grand National this Saturday (11 April 2026) and join the massive global audience to enjoy this major event in the racing calendar.

The Grand National has been running officially since 1839 and this year there are 34 Grand National runners and riders gearing up for their chance to write their names in the history books. You can download our Grand National sweepstake kit to add another element of excitement to your day.

At a glance

• Grand National date: Saturday 11 April 2026
• Watch Grand National on TV: ITV (UK, FREE) and Racing TV
• Watch Grand National from anywhere: Use this NordVPN deal – 75% Off

How to watch the Grand National on TV

ITV will screen most of the action live and for free on ITV1 and ITVX, while Racing TV (Sky channel 424/Virgin Media 536) will broadcast via its subscription-based service.

You don’t need an ITVX subscription to watch live racing – just an email address and a valid TV license. You can register for a free account or download the app to your mobile device.

If you’re away from home, you can use NordVPN to unlock your ITVX stream of the Grand National action from anywhere in the world.

Free ITV coverage

ITV Racing will broadcast live from Aintree racecourse on 11 April from 12:45–5pm. You can watch on TV or online via ITVX.

Five of the seven races, including the Grand National, will be broadcast live on ITV1 (and can be streamed on ITVX). The first (12:45pm) and final race (5pm) of the day will not be available on ITV.

Whos presenting ITV Racing Grand National coverage?

The ITV racing coverage will, once again, be hosted by Ed Chamberlin, who has been the ITV Racing presenter since 2017. Richard Hoiles will be the lead commentator and will be supported by Mark Johnson and Stewart Machin.

Analysis will be provided by Sir AP McCoy, Mick Fitzgerald and Rachael Blackmore. Alice Plunkett will be reporting from the course, Brian Gleeson on betting, Matt Chapman in the paddock and Luke Harvey at the start. Sam Quek will also be on your screens as part of the team.

Oli Bell will be presenting The Opening Show.

What time is the Grand National?

The Grand National will start at 4pm on Saturday 11 April 2026. The first race of the day is 12:45pm.

Full Grand National day race schedule

• 12:45pm | The Hallgarten and Novum Wines Maghull Novices’ Steeple Chase
• 1.20pm | The William Hill Handicap Hurdle Race
• 1.55pm | The Turners Mersey Novices’ Hurdle Race
• 2.30pm | The William Hill Handicap Steeple Chase
• 3.05pm | The Jet2 Liverpool Hurdle Race
• 4pm | The Randox Grand National Handicap Steeple Chase
• 5pm | The Weatherbys nhstallions.co.uk Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race

How to watch first and last race of the day

ITV will not broadcast the first or final races on Grand National Day, so you’ll need to switch over to Racing TV for this coverage.

How to watch the Grand National from anywhere

If you’re away from home and your normal ITVX coverage is geo-blocked, a VPN will get you your usual coverage from anywhere in the world.

There are many VPN providers out there, with some more reliable and safe than others. We’d suggest using a paid-for service such as NordVPN, where you can get an exclusive 75% off, which offers a 100% risk-free money back guarantee. If you’re not happy with the service any time within the first 30-days, then you can cancel with no penalties at all.

What distance is the Grand National?

The Grand National is 4m 2½ furlongs, which equates to 6.94km.

How long does the Grand National last?

This is really dependent on the raceday conditions, but you can expect it to be complete in around 10–12 minutes. The average winning time is 9min 10sec, but there have been variations of the course and fence heights over the years.

The fastest time ever was 8min 47.8sec recorded by Mr Frisk in 1990, while the slowest time was the first ever running of the race in 1839, when Lottery took 14min 53sec to be the first across the line.

How many fences are in the Grand National?

The Grand National requires horses to jump a total of 30 fences over two laps of the Aintree course. There are 16 individual fences, but only only 14 are jumped on the second circuit – The Chair (15) and The Water Jump (16) are omitted.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news at major events throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

Grand National tips from racing gurus, including a mare who ticks all the boxes and a 50/1 fancy

Grand National runners, riders and complete form guide for 2026, including a former winner ruled out on Thursday morning

Rachael Blackmore named Aintree legend as she takes on new Grand National challenge

Grand National 2026 sweepstake kit to download and print for free

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

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As Barton Snow swept across Merseyside, all trainer Joe O’Shea could see was the sun.

The former rag and bone man, who traces his love of Aintree to sneaking into the racecourse as a child to watch Rag Trade win in 1976, had to take the media’s word for how impressive his horse was, how cooly jockey Henry Crow rode, how easily he won the Randox Foxhunters’ Open Hunter Chase (9 April). The glare reflecting from the big screen meant he instead had to turn to his minds’ eye to picture Barton Snow rocketing to the Aintree-Cheltenham hunter chase double. But he knows how good this horse is.

“He’s so fast, he would beat Artemis II to the Moon!” said O’Shea, for whom this was a third Aintree Foxhunters’ success at the Grand National meeting. “If NASA had phoned me I could have got them to the moon and back in nine days, and it’s taking them 10.”

The nine-year-old, who won last month’s Princess Royal Hunters’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and who is now unbeaten in his last eight starts in hunter chases and point-to-points, looked well within his comfort zone as he cruised home seven lengths ahead of runner-up Lets Go Champ. Jockey Henry Crow took a peek over each shoulder after in the run-in – his only perceptible move in the saddle – and Barton Snow lengthened comfortably away to win with ease.

“We don’t know how good he is. He does this at home every day,” said O’Shea, who is recovering from a quadruple heart bypass.

“He’s an amazing horse, and again Henry says he’s done it in third gear. We first realised how good he was at Stratford last year, and he doesn’t just do 37 miles an hour for 100yards – he keeps it up.”

It’s 50 years since O’Shea crept into Aintree to put 10 shillings on Rag Trade. His first Foxhunters with Cousin Pascal came 45 years later (2021), followed by Gracchus De Balme in 2025. It’s the horses, he says, and the love of the game that gets him out of bed in the morning.

“It’s the thought of the opposition getting up before me and working their horses overtaking me. Getting to the top was easy; it’s staying there that’s hard,” he told H&H. “That’s what gets me out of bed. And having horses like him, Gracchus De Balme, and an unbelievable novice in Boley Bob, who is by the same stallion, Snow Sky, and who hasn’t been beaten yet.”

Crow, a 25-year-old Shropshire farmer, who has been in the saddle for all three of Barton Snow’s hunter chase triumphs this season, gave all the credit to the horse and to O’Shea.

“I’m the first Crow to be on this roll of honour, but all the praise should go to Joe – I feel very grateful he put me on. It’s all down to him. He gave me my very first ride and my very first winner and without him, I wouldn’t be here today,” he said.

Gold Cup runner-up shines at Aintree

Gold Cup runner-up Jango Baie, trained by Nicky Henderson, bounced out of Cheltenham to win the Grade One Racing Welfare Bowl.

“I think he’s put to bed that stat that they go to the Gold Cup and then don’t come here,” said jockey Nico de Boinville, who himself bounced back after parting company from favourite Lulamba in the William Hill Manifesto Novices’ Chase half-an-hour earlier.

“It’s a funny old game and it certainly keeps you meek and humble. It will certainly put manners on you,” said de Boinville, reflecting on his swing in fortunes in the space of two races. “You just have to look at yourself in the mirror and say, ‘Come on, lad. Chin up, let’s go again.”

He added: “My stomach was on the floor going into the race after Lulamba. [Luhlamba] was travelling really well and I thought he jumped the fence cleanly but suddenly he pecked on landing. His back-end must have overtaken the front and he’s gone down on his knees and then come back up and pushed me out of the way. It happens a lot. It’s gravity, and I wished I was on the moon! It was the right trip, and he’ll be a year older next year.”

Henderson added that the King George and the Gold Cup will be the likely targets for Jango Baie again next season.

“Coming here was the only option after the Gold Cup. We had the extra week this year; it’s always hard,” he said. “Both horses – him and Lulamba – came here great. What happened with Lulamba – he was fresh as paint and in great shape, well done everyone at home – but it was tough for Nico for that to happen and to come to another Grade One and have to pick yourself up, that’s testament to a proper Grade One jockey.”

‘I’d imagine she’s going to go chasing’

Brighterdaysahead sealed a double of Grade Ones on day one for trainer Gordon Elliott and jockey Jack Kennedy in a gripping William Hill Aintree Hurdle, which featured the horses who finished second to fifth in the 2026 Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham last month.

“This is probably her trip and she was awesome. I was nervous but it was kind of easy to watch and Jack was brilliant on her. It’s great for everyone at Gigginstown who have been massive supporters of mine, through thick and thin,” said Elliott.

“She’s a good mare and that’s why she wins over two miles, but I think two and a half is probably her trip. I’d imagine she’s going to go chasing. She was supposed to go this year but she pulled a muscle and that’s why she didn’t.

“She hasn’t won at Cheltenham but she ran a great race there this year.”

The pair also teamed up to win the opener with Mange Tout.

H&H is bringing you news from the 2026 Randox Grand National Festival. Don’t miss the bumper magazine report, in the shops Thursday, 16 April.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

‘We’re delighted to bring loyal readers this benefit’: H&H magazine subscribers get free website access

Grand National 2026 sweepstake kit to download and print for free

Grand National runners, riders and complete form guide for 2026, including a former winner ruled out on Thursday morning

Rachael Blackmore named Aintree legend as she takes on new Grand National challenge

Rachael Blackmore will join the ITV Racing presenting team at Aintree for its coverage of the Randox Grand National on Saturday (11 April).

Rachael, who won the 2021 race aboard Minella Times, will join fellow Grand National-winning jockeys Sir AP McCoy, Ruby Walsh and Mick Fitzgerald on the presenting team this year.

She said she is looking forward to joining the line-up, adding: “It is one of the most iconic races and transcends our sport, capturing the attention of millions all around the world.

“This year will be a completely different experience for me, not going into the weighing room, but I’m excited for the challenge.”

ITV Racing editor Paul Cooper said Rachael is “an icon in racing, as both a top-class jockey and now an ambassador for the sport”.

“We are really looking forward to having her with us on Randox Grand National day,” he said.

The 36-year-old, who retired from race-riding in 2025, was also inducted as a Grand National legend on the opening day of the 2026 festival today (9 April).

Her plaque will be attached to the wall of Blackmore’s, a new alcohol-free bar at Aintree, which she also opened today.

“Aintree is such an incredibly special place,” she said. “I was so lucky to have an amazing day here in 2021, and I absolutely love coming back. I love Liverpool – I love the city, I love the people, and it’s just a fantastic place.

“When I see the list of names – including equine athletes – on the Grand National legends roll of honour, it’s so special to be part of that and a great honour. And to see this beautiful bar opened – I never thought there’d be a racecourse bar named after me! It’s a very special thing. It does hit home how lucky I am.

“I think it is a brilliant initiative to have an alcohol-free space; it’s a really cool place, there’s something else on offer. I don’t drink myself, so I’d better be able to get a free hot chocolate in a minute!”

Aintree racecourse chair Julian Taylor said it is “an enormous privilege” to induct Rachael as an Aintree legend and that her great moment in 2021 is “one that none of us will ever forget”.

“You are a sporting icon, not just here at Aintree but globally, and you are also a lovely human being. Many congratulations to you,” he said.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

‘You need to be 110% and he’s not’: 2025 Grand National winner ruled out of this year’s race

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Defending Randox Grand National champion Nick Rockett has been ruled out of this year’s race owing to coughing, his trainer has confirmed.

Patrick Mullins, son of top Irish trainer Willie, announced today that the nine-year-old had been ruled out of a crack at back-to-back wins.

He said: “It is 72-hour declarations for the Grand National, and we wanted to give him every chance, but he gave a few coughs this morning and that made up our mind with him.

“It is frustrating, but it was a case of everything needed to go right to get him here and, unfortunately, we just didn’t get everything go right. He could have run, but we didn’t want to do that if he wasn’t 110 per cent.”

Patrick rode Nick Rockett to top a one-two-three for his father in the 2025 Grand National. He decided yesterday (8 April) to ride Grangeclare West, who came third last year, on Saturday and Tom Bellamy had been due to take Nick Rockett’s reins until the call was made.

“You need to be 110 per cent to run in a race like the Grand National and, unfortunately, he is not at the moment,” Patrick said. “We will look at Punchestown now.”

Nick Rockett’s place in the Grand National will be taken by first reserve Pied Piper, for fellow Irish trainer Gordon Elliott and owners R Nolan and M Roden.

Last year’s runner-up and 2024 winner I Am Maximus leads the declarations for Saturday’s race, also for Willie Mullins.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2026, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

‘Nick Rockett has always been a legend to me, now he’s proven it to the world’: meet Aintree’s Grand National hero

Grand National runners, riders and complete form guide for 2026, including a former winner ruled out on Thursday morning

Tiny rider facing fifth open heart surgery named honorary Grand National runner: ‘He lives life to the full’

Grand National 2026 sweepstake kit to download and print for free

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

The Grand National runners and riders for 2026 are looking ahead to what is billed as the world’s greatest steeplechase. The £1m Randox Grand National takes place every April at Aintree Racecourse in Merseyside.

The historic race was first run in 1839, when the aptly named Lottery was crowned the first-ever Grand National winner and legendary horses, trainers and jockeys have been making sporting history in the 4m 2f contest ever since.

Sadly last year’s winner Nick Rockett will not be among the starters after he was withdrawn from the race early on Thursday morning, reportedly owing to a cough. Pied Piper and Spillane’s Tower will also not be taking part.

Once you’ve read the form guide, check out our Grand National tips provided by racing experts.

Grand National 2026 runners form guide

Below are all the Grand National runners and riders lining up for Aintree’s world-famous race, following the official declarations on Wednesday 8 April 2026. Download our Grand National sweepstake kit if you want to get involved ahead of the big race, and find out how to read a racecard to learn more about form.

1. I Am Maximus

10yo bay gelding by Authorized

Weight: 11st 12lb

Trainer: Willie Mullins

Owner: JP McManus

Jockey: Paul Townend

Form: 82-925

Trained in Co Carlow by Willie Mullins who 12 months ago saddled the first three in the National, with this horse splitting stablemates Nick Rockett and Grangeclare West. All three try again and are similarly weighted. I Am Maximus won the race in 2024 and his form has barely deteriorated, but now 10 he is not getting quicker. A likely top-six finisher who can add to the £1.1m he has won in prize money.

3. Banbridge

10yo chestnut gelding by Doyen

Weight: 11st 11lb

Trainer: Joseph O’Brien

Owner: Ronnie Bartlett

Jockey: JJ Slevin

Form: 7-4423

Presents those who fancy a flutter with a conundrum, because he is high class, but does he have the stamina for a Grand National? His dam’s half-brother tried and failed, but if Banbridge gets into a rhythm on his first attempt over these fences he should run well. Recent form includes being beaten by the length of a flared nostril in Boxing Day’s King George VI Chase before another good effort at the Cheltenham Festival.

4. Grangeclare West

10yo bay gelding by Presenting

Weight: 11st 10lb

Trainer: Willie Mullins

Owner: Cheveley Park Stud

Jockey: Patrick Mullins

Form: 5-8481

“A brilliant jumper” according to top jockey Paul Townend, and ran a scorcher when third in this race last year. Four further defeats followed, but in February he won Fairyhouse’s Bobbyjo Chase, a noted Grand National trial and in which he defeated no fewer than seven horses who are set to reoppose him at Aintree. Has 2lb more on his back than last year, but with luck in running he should be thereabouts again.

5. Gerri Colombe

10yo bay gelding by Saddler Maker

Weight: 11st 10lb

Trainer: Gordon Elliott

Owner: Robcour

Jockey: Jack Kennedy

Form: 3-P321

A class act, as proven by his second place in last year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup and then a Grade One victory at Aintree the following month. Finished a good second to Grangeclare West in February’s Bobbyjo Chase and then beat three rivals when winning at Down Royal (Nick Rockett third). Stamina for this race an unknown, but has won or been placed in 17 of his 18 races and has never fallen.

6. Haiti Couleurs

9yo bay gelding by Dragon Dancer

Weight: 11st 10lb

Trainer: Rebecca Curtis

Owner: Conyers, McDermott & Prowting

Jockey: Sean Bowen

Form: -1P11P

Trained on Pembrokeshire’s coast this horse will have broken some hearts when pulling up in last month’s Cheltenham Gold Cup. “As flat as a pancake” was jockey Sean Bowen’s verdict on that run, but with a CV that includes wins in the Welsh and Irish Grand Nationals he cannot be ignored. Soft ground would help and his trainer is pretty cute at targeting big races.

8. Firefox

8yo bay gelding by Walk In The Park

Weight: 11st 4lb

Trainer: Gordon Elliott

Owner: Bective Stud

Jockey: Keith Donoghue

Form: 2-1246

One of five likely runners in the race by stallion Walk In The Park, and while unlikely to find his Grand National attempt reflects his sire’s name he could give a good account. Outclassed in last month’s Cheltenham Gold Cup (just beaten for fifth by L’Homme Presse), but in 20 races has never fallen and often performs with credit against talented rivals. Stamina could be an issue and hard to envisage him out-foxing these rivals.

9. Monty’s Star

9yo bay gelding by Walk In The Park

Weight: 11st 3lb

Trainer: Henry de Bromhead

Owner: Barry Maloney

Jockey: Darragh O’Keeffe

Form: 4-3056

Likeable type who pays his way by reaching the frame in races, although he has not won for nearly two and a half years. Well beaten in Newbury’s Coral Gold Cup won by Panic Attack in November and outclassed in two Grade One races since, but should be competitive in this handicap, particularly if the ground turns soft. His astute trainer saddled the first and second in this race in 2021.

10. Spanish Harlem

8yo chestnut gelding by Spanish Moon

Weight: 11st 3lb

Trainer: Willie Mullins

Owner: Dr S Fitzgerald

Jockey: Brian Hayes

Form: -11PUP

An interesting contender from a yard chock-full of talent, although two of his three most recent runs have been disappointing. However, in the middle of two pulled-up efforts he looked set to land January’s Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park, only to unseat his young jockey at the final fence when in front. Rewind to September and he won the Kerry National (Three Card Brag second), just reward for some solid performances.

11. Lecky Watson

8yo chestnut gelding

by Valirann

Weight: 11st 2lb

Trainer: Willie Mullins

Owner: Slaneyville Syndicate

Jockey: Sean O’Keefe

Form: -F77P8

One of nine possible arrows for trainer Willie Mullins to fire at the National, but on recent form this one is unlikely to hit the bullseye. You would not have said that at the end of last season when he surfed a wave of success that included victory at the Cheltenham Festival, but since then results have been poor. Heavy winter ground may have been against him, and a drier surface could help.

12. Champ Kiely

10yo bay gelding by Ocovango

Weight: 11st 1lb

Trainer: Willie Mullins

Owner: Margaret Masterson

Jockey: Danny Mullins

Form: 12S57

It’s hard to envisage this one becoming champ on Saturday given doubts over his stamina plus heavy defeats in his two most recent races, albeit he was facing some of the cream of Ireland’s talent. Attempts at races over three miles have been inconclusive (slipped up in one race and then outgunned in Irish Gold Cup) and his best run this season was over two miles. The National is more than twice that distance.

13. Iroko

8yo bay gelding by Cokoriko

Weight: 11st 1lb

Trainers: Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero

Owner: JP McManus

Jockey: Jonjo O’Neill Jr

Form: 24-210

This AQPS-bred (not pure thoroughbred) gelding was fourth last year, finishing well from off the pace and suggesting he should be better equipped this time. Two fine runs before Christmas showed his wellbeing, and while well beaten at Cheltenham recently he subsequently produced a mucky tracheal wash (in short he was below par). If it’s cleared up he heads to Aintree with a fine chance.

14. Favori De Champdou

11yo bay gelding by Saddler Maker

Weight: 11st 1lb

Trainer: Gordon Elliott

Owner: Gigginstown House Stud

Jockey: Danny Gilligan

Form: 05F112

Taking the Tiger Roll route to the National, this horse has been running in cross-country races this season and has proved his talent. In-between three races around Cheltenham’s obstacle course (runner-up at the Festival) he beat 27 rivals in a handicap chase at Leopardstown over Christmas, so he jumps well and can cope with hurly-burly. On recent trends his age is against him (four 11-year-old winners this century), but he’s not dismissed.

15. Three Card Brag

9yo bay gelding by Jet Away

Weight: 11st

Trainer: Gordon Elliott

Owners: McNeill Family, Patrick & Scott Bryceland

Jockey: Jordan Gainford

Form: -82127

Ran close to the pace for a long way in last year’s National, although stamina began evaporating before the home turn and he finished 11th. Excellent efforts in shorter races since means he now carries another 9lb on his back. A win at Cheltenham in October was followed by second place in Newbury’s Coral Gold Cup behind Panic Attack but he needs a hand of aces on Saturday.

16. Oscars Brother

8yo bay gelding by Malinas

Weight: 10st 13lb

Trainer: Connor King

Owner: JP McManus

Jockey: Daniel King

Form: 221114

In terms of horsepower this runner represents a huge owner and a tiny trainer, for former apprentice jockey Connor King has just two racehorses in his Tipperary yard. This one was bought by JP McManus in November following a win at Punchestown and he soon added another victory at Navan. Recent fourth at Cheltenham Festival was a top effort when he might have preferred softer ground. Still a novice, but classy and progressive.

17. Mr Vango

10yo bay gelding by Ocovango

Weight: 10st 12lb

Trainer: Sara Bradstock

Owner: Cracker & Smodge Partnership

Jockey: Jack Tudor

Form: 11-2PP

A triple “National” winner, albeit the Devon, London and Midlands versions do not carry the kudos or prize money associated with the Aintree edition. But this big horse has lots of stamina and the ability to handle mud – if the ground dries out he may be withdrawn. Excellent second over Aintree’s National fences in December’s Becher Chase, but two curiously poor runs since temper enthusiasm.

18. High Class Hero

9yo chestnut gelding by Sulamani

Weight: 10st 11lb

Trainer: Willie Mullins

Owners: Sullivan Group, P Crowley & Neill Hughes

Jockey: James Bowen

Form: 23-2PP

Third in last season’s Gold Cup at Sandown, his debut in a handicap chase, implied this horse could run a big race in a Grand National. That looked no less likely when second at Punchestown in November, but two lacklustre performances since raise questions. Trained by a genius with a transformative touch, but this horse will need that to become an Aintree hero.

19. Stellar Story

9yo bay gelding by Shantou

Weight: 10st 11lb

Trainer: Gordon Elliott

Owner: Gigginstown House Stud

Jockey: Robert Dunne

Form: 2-3383

Created his own story when beating Harry Redknapp’s The Jukebox Man to land the Cheltenham Festival Albert Bartlett Hurdle two years ago, and has since become a consistent performer. Just one win but often in the money. Ran a fine National trial when third to Grangeclare West in February’s Bobbyjo Chase. Now weighted to reverse the placings with the winner and looks a sound each-way bet here.

20. Beauport

10yo bay gelding by Califet

Weight: 10st 11lb

Trainer: Willy & Nigel Twiston-Davies

Owners: Bryan & Philippa Burrough

Jockey: Sam Twiston-Davies

Form: 20-4P4

Ran well for a long way last year, albeit a little keen, before running out of puff in the home straight and finishing 12th, more than 60 lengths behind the winner. Had won a race of similar length at Uttoxeter a year earlier, so we know he has the stamina. Now carries 3lb less, and if more relaxed on his second National attempt he could be closer at the finish.

21. Captain Cody

8yo bay gelding by Arctic Cosmos

Weight: 10st 10lb

Trainer: Willie Mullins

Owners: Vincent Caldwell, Angela Shamoon & A Shamoon Ibgi

Jockey: Jonathan Burke

Form: 1-37F5

An interesting contender: the right age, a handy weight and from the number one stable. Won last season’s Scottish National and has thrown some good shapes this year. Well beaten when fifth in the Bobbyjo Chase behind four horses who he’ll face again on Saturday, but wasn’t given a hard race once his chance had gone and a final fence error made the defeat heavier.

22. Jagwar

7yo bay gelding by Karaktar

Weight: 10st 10lb

Trainers: Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero

Owner: JP McManus

Jockey: Mark Walsh

Form: 11-322

This big young horse might start favourite, for he has developed a Grand National profile with a series of good races. Yet to try a marathon, but stepped up to three miles at Cheltenham last month and ran a cracking race when second of 22 runners. Had won a shorter race at the meeting last year. Favourable weight on his back, locally trained, and if coping with the unique fences should give a good account.

23. Perceval Legallois

9yo bay gelding by Ballingarry

Weight: 10st 9lb

Trainer: Gavin Cromwell

Owner: JP McManus

Jockey: Harry Cobden

Form: 11F-P4

After two good victories this horse arrived at Aintree 12 months’ ago with a right chance… only to fall at the ninth. He has run below par twice since then, pulling up in Newbury’s Coral Gold Cup (which was won by Panic Attack) and was subsequently a well-beaten fourth at Tramore in January. His canny trainer could have him back on track, but he started 10/1 for last year’s race and will be a much bigger price this time.

24. Gorgeous Tom

8yo bay gelding by Champs Elysees

Weight: 10st 9lb

Trainer: Henry de Bromhead

Owner: Envirogreen Housing Services

Jockey: Sean Flanagan

Form: 4-4245

Should be a popular selection with Toms, and looks promising. This horse ran a very good, if not gorgeous, race when fourth to Panic Attack in Newbury’s Coral Gold Cup when conceding 15lb to the mare – he now has to carry just 4lb more. Warmed up for Saturday when finishing fifth of 16 at Leopardstown last month, and while his stamina is unknown his dam was a half-sister to National runner-up Cappa Bleu.

25. The Real Whacker

10yo bay gelding by Mahler

Weight: 10st 9lb

Trainer: Pat Neville

Owners: Neville, Mann, Duffus, Dennis-Price

Jockey: Gavin Sheehan

Form: 54-256

This former Cheltenham Festival winner (in a Grade One race) has been mixing it with the best for some time, and was fourth to subsequent Gold Cup winner Gaelic Warrior over Aintree’s Mildmay Course a year ago. This season has been geared around the National, so a mix of hurdle and chase starts. Nicely weighted on his best form, has a touch of class and could out-run what are likely to be big odds.

26. Quai De Bourbon

7yo bay gelding by Ivanhowe

Weight: 10st 9lb

Trainer: Willie Mullins

Owner: Gigginstown House Stud

Jockey: Donagh Meyler

Form: B3-PP3

Twelve months ago was out of luck at Cheltenham (unseated rider) and Aintree (brought down) in Grade One novice chases, but then ran a big race when third (beaten nearly 10 lengths) to Haiti Couleurs in the Irish National. Conceded 7lb to the winner on that occasion, but now receives 15lb so weighted to reverse the placings. The National defies the laws of racing and handicapping, but this horse is not ruled out completely.

27. Answer To Kayf

10yo bay gelding by Kayf Tara

Weight: 10st 8lb

Trainer: Terence O’Brien

Owner: Denis O’Connor

Jockey: John Shinnick

Form: 0-6144

Comes from a relatively small yard in Cork, but ran a big race when fourth to Grangeclare West in February’s Bobbyjo Chase, a classic trial for Aintree. Now receiving 16lb from the winner and weighted to get very close if not beat him, assuming he handles quicker ground and the National fences. Has completed all his 17 races to date, and for some he could be the answer to Aintree’s annual April puzzle.

28. Jordans

7yo black gelding by Coastal Path

Weight: 10st 8lb

Trainer: Joseph O’Brien

Owner: Cheeky Pups Syndicate

Jockey: Ben Jones

Form: 2-85P0

Is there nothing Kilkenny-based Joseph O’Brien can’t do? Dual Derby-winning and champion jockey before turning to training and saddling 1,000 winners in six seasons, he has landed big races worldwide, including two Melbourne Cups. Now the greatest test of his skills, the Grand National. His representative on Saturday not an obvious winner and stamina yet to be proved, but only seven and has bits of form which suggest he is not without hope.

29. Final Orders

10yo bay gelding by Camelot

Weight: 10st 5lb

Trainer: Gavin Cromwell

Owner: C M D Syndicate

Jockey: Conor Stone-Walsh

Form: P63151

This horse has become a talented obstacle-course performer this season, running a fine race when third over Punchestown’s banks course in November and then gaining two wins from three runs around Cheltenham’s cross-country course. Showed his current wellbeing when convincing winner at last month’s Festival, has fallen just once in 51 jumps races and not short of stamina. His backers will be staying for final orders at the bar if he wins on Saturday.

30. Marble Sands

10yo grey gelding by Martaline

Weight: 10st 5lb

Trainers: David Killahena & Graeme McPherson

Owners: D & J Adams & G McPherson

Jockey: Kielan Woods

Form: 250-12

Few horses have run on the Flat at Goodwood and tackled the Grand National in the same season. This horse is set to do that after finishing second in a novelty jump jockeys’ race at the Sussex course in October. He jumped round the National fences when unplaced in the Topham Chase, scored at Cheltenham in November and ran a fine race at Wetherby.

31. Panic Attack

10yo bay mare by Canford Cliffs

Weight: 10st 5lb

Trainer: Dan Skelton

Owner: Bryan Drew

Jockey: Harry Skelton

Form: 2-1113

This could be the horse to button up Dan Skelton’s bid to land the trainer’s championship for the first time. While many mares of her age are several babies down and being lined up for their next stallion, she is proving a very progressive chaser with convincing November wins at Cheltenham and Newbury in prestigious races. Good third at last month’s Festival, light weight on her back, might give the bookies a panic attack.

32. Top Of The Bill

10yo bay gelding by Fame And Glory

Weight: 10st 5lb

Trainers: Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies

Owner: Charles Walker

Jockey: Toby McCain-Mitchell

Form: P1-192

Won the West Wales National at Ffos Las just over a year ago, and has progressed again this season, topping the bill in a handicap chase at Haydock in November and running a particularly good race at that track three months later. Comes from a yard that has sent out two National winners and the jockey has a fine Aintree heritage – his grandfather, Ginger McCain, trained the legendary Red Rum.

33. Johnnywho

9yo brown gelding by Califet

Weight: 10st 4lb

Trainers: Jonjo & A J O’Neill

Owner: JP McManus

Jockey: Richie McLernon

Form: 5-5351

Won a chase at Carlisle in October 2024, then over 18 months he put together a string of placed efforts – often meeting talented rivals – without winning. All that changed in grand style when, after an operation to improve his wind (breathing), he beat Jagwar no less at last month’s Cheltenham Festival. We will all know who Johnny is if winning the National, and it would cap a long and dedicated career for his 39-year-old jockey.

34. Twig

11yo bay gelding by Sulamani

Weight: 10st 4lb

Trainer: Ben Pauling

Owner: Georgia Morgan

Jockey: Beau Morgan

Form: 70-117

This former point-to-pointer gave his young jockey – whose mother owns the horse – a memorable first Grand National ride last year when jumping round and finishing tenth. The experience did the partnership no harm, for they won a chase at Sandown in November and then landed Aintree’s Becher Chase over the National fences in December. The National is a notch above, and at the age of 11 it is hard to see Twig winning.

36. Imperial Saint

8yo bay gelding by Saint Des Saints

Weight: 10st 2lb

Trainers: Philip Hobbs & Johnson White

Owner: Richard Johnson Racing Imperial Saint

Jockey: Callum Pritchard

Form: 2-5618

If Imperial Saint runs he will carry the colours of a group of owners set up by former outstanding jump jockey and four-time champion Dicky Johnson. He bought the horse for £40,000 as a five-year-old and has been rewarded with six wins and five places. Smart victory at Haydock in January, has finished all his 19 races, but well behind Johnnywho at Cheltenham last month.

37. Amirite

10yo bay gelding by Sholokhov

Weight: 10st 2lb

Trainer: Henry de Bromhead

Owner: Patrick Hale

Jockey: TBC

Form: 4-P140P

A game win at Kilbeggan in July was followed by a sound effort when fourth in the famous Galway Plate, but Amirite was subsequently well behind in a cross-country race and then pulled up over hurdles last month. He was fourth in last year’s Topham Chase over the National fences and he performs well without winning, and I believe I’m right in concluding it might be the same if he gets a run on Saturday.

Grand National reserve runners

38. Ain’t That A Shame

12yo bay gelding by Jeremy

Weight: 10st 2lb

Trainer: Tom Ellis

Owner: Eventmasters Racing

Jockey: Jack Andrews

Form: 9P16/F

Provided his then owner/rider David Maxwell with a memorable Grand National experience with sixth in the 2024 race won by I Am Maximus. When Maxwell retired and dispersed his horses at auction last year this one was bought for £40,000 and joined Tom Ellis. Just one run since when falling at Kelso’s final fence in February. Given his age and light preparation he seems up against it if getting a run.

39. Deep Cave

8yo bright bay gelding by Court Cave

Weight: 9st 13lb

Trainer: Christian Williams

Owner: Sue Howell

Jockey: TBC

Form: 1-1150

40. Buddy One

9yo bay gelding by Sans Frontieres

Weight: 9st 12lb

Trainer: Paul John Gilligan

Owner: E Lynch & T C Quinn & John J McGrath

Jockey: TBC

Form: -66P40

Grand National withdrawals

2. Nick Rockett – withdrawn on Thursday 9 April due to a cough

9yo bay gelding by Walk In The Park

Weight: 11st 11lb

Trainer: Willie Mullins

Owners: Stewart & Sadie Andrew

Jockey: Tom Bellamy

Form: 4111-3

The winner last year when enjoying a trouble-free lead-up to the race before scoring in some style. Had a few niggly issues this season and has therefore run just once, but it was a pleasing effort when third at Down Royal behind Gerri Colombe, who is also in Saturday’s line-up. Still only nine and probably at or near his peak, but back-to-back winners of this race are rare, and he carries 3lb more this time.

35. Pied Piper

8yo chestnut gelding by New Approach

Weight: 10st 3lb

Trainer: Gordon Elliott

Owners: Mrs M Roden & Mrs R Nolan

Jockey: TBC

Form: 2569FF

Bred by The late Queen, this horse was a capable Flat racer who became a high-class novice hurdler and reached the places in three visits to the Cheltenham Festival. When, two years ago, his owners at that time had a clear-out sale he changed hands for €570,000 and soon won three novice chases, but it’s been lean pickings since, and falls in his two most recent races are worrying. Seems unlikely to call the tune.

7. Spillane’s Tower

8yo bay gelding by Walk In The Park

Weight: 11st 8lb

Trainer: Jimmy Mangan

Owner: JP McManus

Jockey: Simon Torrens

Form: 5-2931

Trained by the youthful Jimmy Mangan, 70, who is based in Co Cork and who 23 years ago saddled Monty’s Pass to win the National under Barry Geraghty. In this horse he has another grand candidate who is the right age, has never fallen and showed his wellbeing with a Cheltenham victory in January (L’Homme Presse second). Soft ground would help Spillane Tower’s cause – was withdrawn from the Gold Cup due to drying ground.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major events throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Get your friends, family or colleagues involved in the excitement weekend with our Grand National sweepstake kit.

The 2026 Randox Grand National will take place at Aintree Racecourse at 4pm this Saturday (11 April 2026), and running a sweepstake is a great way to get everyone involved in the build up.

Download Horse & Hound’s free Grand National Sweepstake kit (PDF)

How to use the Grand National sweepstake kit

1. Round up your participants. Ideally you want 34 people – so that you get one horse each – but it’s possible to make smaller numbers work if participants are willing to take more than one horse.

2. Decide how much it will cost to enter your sweepstake. If, for example, you charge each participants £2 per horse, your prize pot will be £68 in total, which you could then spilt as £40 to the winner, £15 to the person in second and £8 to the person in third, and £5 to the owner of the last horse to finish, which keeps more people involved right until the end. You can split it however you like, but make sure you agree how the winnings will be split before you invite people to take part to avoid any confusion later.

3. Print the PDF download. Cut out the runners and put numbers 1–34 into a hat for participants to randomly select from. Once they’ve picked, write their name at the top of the print out so that you can keep track of who has picked which horse.

4. If a horse withdraws after you’ve done your selections, you can swap them directly with their replacement from the reserves (numbers R35–40). You can check current runners and withdrawals on our list of Grand National runners, which also includes a form guide so your participants can learn more about their horse’s chances.

5. Make sure you’ve sold all your horses – if you have any left, see if anyone is keen to enter a second or third time. Do not offer them a discounted rate as this will affect your prize pot.

Enjoy and good luck – and make sure you’re watching the Grand National at 4pm on Saturday!

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major events throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Former showjumper Nicole Lockhead Anderson has transferred her high-octane riding skills from coloured poles to the racecourse over the past two seasons. On Saturday she landed the biggest race of her career – and her first winner under Rules – the Blackrock College AFC Ladies National Handicap Chase at the Fairyhouse Easter Festival in Ireland.

“It was great just to be offered a ride in the race, so to win was incredible,” she told H&H.

The 24-year-old Aberdeen-born rider won team gold at the pony European showjumping championships, then went on to jump at five-star level and win at the likes of Hickstead, Royal Windsor and the London leg of the Longines Global Champions Tour. But at the end of 2024 she switched codes to pursue her love of racing.

She began riding in point-to-points for Kent trainer David Phelan, then moved to leading Irish handler Sam Curling’s Tipperary yard where she’s been based since, riding her first Irish point-to-point winner in November, Longhouse Star.

Nicole Lockhead Anderson: “I just crept away and then picked up the pieces”

Now in her second season, she’s racked up eight winners between the flags, also riding in a bumper and an amateur hurdle under Rules, but Saturday’s ladies’ national for amateur riders was her first attempt over fences.

Turning for home in the 2m 5f 17-runner contest, Nicole and the Sean O’Brien-trained The Gradual Slope were making eye-catching progress. Despite veering right over the final three obstacles, the nine-year-old grey gelding produced a thrilling late surge and forged ahead of leaders Caragh Monaghan and Vaureal in the final stride to win by a head.

“It wasn’t until I was coming to the line that I thought I might win it,” she said. “They went very fast early on and he couldn’t really be competitive, so I was further back than I wanted to be, but I just crept away and then picked up the pieces. He dug deep.

“I didn’t know if I’d got up on the line so hearing I’d won was brilliant. The atmosphere coming back was just class.”

The Mark McDonagh-owned The Gradual Slope hadn’t won for nearly two years, although he finished fourth behind multiple Grade One-winning Gerri Colombe and Grand National-winner Nick Rockett on his previous outing at Down Royal, and the pair were sent off at odds of 16/1.

“He was coming back to form so we thought he’d run well, but he ran a lot better than we imagined!” said Nicole, who was riding the son of Shantou for the first time.

“I’ve had an amazing season – eight winners point-to-pointing and my first win on the track. This is everything I’ve dreamed of and more.”

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout 2026, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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The 20-time champion jockey Sir AP McCoy is taking on another sporting challenge in his retirement as he runs the TCS London Marathon this month (26 April).

AP will take on the 26.2 miles for the Matt Hampson Foundation, which provides advice, support, relief and treatment for people who have sustained (primarily sporting-related) serious injury or disability.

Matt launched the charity following his own life-changing spinal injury during an under-21 England rugby training session in 2005 and will also be taking part in the marathon. Matt was paralysed from the neck down in the accident and breathes using a ventilator, which his racing wheelchair has been adapted to carry.

AP said he had “no desire to do a marathon” before he understood the work of the Matt Hampson Foundation.

“My good friend Graham Lee had a very successful horseracing career before a spinal injury in 2023,” said AP.

“Alongside his wife Becky and their family, Graham had a lot to deal with after his accident but, as soon as he left hospital, he visited the Foundation’s Get Busy Living Centre in Leicestershire. Matt was there to meet him, ready to talk, ready to listen and ready to offer support.”

He added: “Matt and the team have been at Graham and Becky’s side ever since, offering physical and emotional support, showing how to ‘get busy living’ after serious injury.

“I have seen how Matt and the team help the charity’s beneficiaries and, when he announced that he was entering the 2026 London Marathon, I wanted to show my own appreciation and decided to participate too.

“Together, we are trying to raise awareness of the foundation and raise the funds required to help their work in changing lives.”

To support AP, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/apmccoylondonmarathon

• Are you a rider and running the London Marathon this year? Or someone running for an equestrian charity? Email lucy.elder@futurenet.com if you would like to be featured in an up-coming article

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Legends of the sport: 20-time champion jockey AP McCoy *H&H Plus*

As record-breaking careers go, few compare to that of 20-time champion jockey AP McCoy. From Grand National glory to knighthood,

Billy Loughnane tells Lucy Elder about his hopes for 2026 and the feeling that comes with riding a big winner, in this exclusive article for H&H subscribers

Billy Loughnane knows exactly what he wants. The young talent, speaking on the cusp of his 20th birthday, has a crystal clear goal in his sights.

“I want to be champion jockey,” he tells H&H. “That’s the main thing; I won’t be happy until I’ve achieved that.”

Billy’s success has been meteoric since riding his first winner in November 2022, Swiss Rowe, trained by his father Mark. It is, he says, all he has ever wanted to do.

“Being a jockey has been it since day dot,” says Billy, whose idol growing up was 20-time champion jump jockey AP McCoy – although he’s always been drawn to the Flat.

“My dad trains. I’ve been brought up with horses my whole life, racehorses. I was on ponies pretty much from the beginning – I did some showjumping when I was younger – and then progressed onto racehorses. I’ve been riding out since I was 11.

“The showjumping I did was low level, just through my school showjumping team. I rode at Hickstead a couple of times, but just relatively small. I had a cool little pony called Dancer who I enjoyed playing around with.

“I always knew I wanted to be a jockey. I was just showjumping with time to kill before I was able to start pony racing, and then I stepped across.

“Pony racing was a really good foundation and gave me great experience of riding at a lot of tracks.”

That grounding served as a launchpad. Within 12 months of his first winner, he was named champion all-weather apprentice, became the youngest jockey in more than 60 years to ride in a British Classic, partnered more than 100 winners, and was crowned 2023 champion apprentice at Ascot on QIPCO British Champions Day.

And the milestones keep on coming. In 2024, he notched his first Royal Ascot winners and last year recorded his debut Group One success before going on to wave farewell to 2025 by setting a new record for the number of winners in a calendar year.

“That record wasn’t something that I set out to achieve specifically last year, but I had a great season that finished off well,” he says.

“I just wanted to try and ride as many winners as possible last year. I’d obviously been in the country for the majority of the year – January to January – which probably isn’t as common for a lot of the bigger jockeys. So I’ve had a lot more rides, and then towards the end certain goals started popping up in terms of the numerical number of winners.”

Billy Loughnane: ‘I like the adrenaline rush’

So what is it about this sport and working with these remarkable animals each day that drives him?

“I like the adrenaline rush. Big winners on big days, and seeing how good the horses can be,” says Billy.

He reflects on how he handles the pressure that comes with his position. He’s reached stratospheric heights and broken records all while still a teenager, he’s at the top of the game and with that, of course, comes expectations.

“I think first of all, it’s a feeling of relief to ride big winners, there’s obviously a lot of pressure on big days, and it’s just a proper buzz,” he says.

“A lot of it’s just wanting the horse to win, more than anything. Pressure is probably not quite the word for it… it’s a feeling of relief when the horse has won.”

Billy has top agent Tony Hind in his corner – “he’s the best agent in the country” – and support from yards including his father’s, Charlie Appleby and George Boughey.

“He [George] has looked after me since I was claiming. I’m lucky to have someone like him behind me,” says Billy. “Soprano winning at Royal Ascot was our first big winner together, I got a real kick out of that.”

Charlie Appleby, too, has been behind some of Billy’s biggest successes, including his first top-flight victory.

“Rebel’s Romance in Germany last year was my first Group One winner, he’s probably top of the pecking order,” says Billy, reflecting on the biggest moments in his career so far.

“That was a buzz. He’s a very good horse, it was my first time riding him and he’s been around the block, so he was pretty push-button.”

Aiming for a century-old record

Last year, Billy Loughnane finished second to Oisin Murphy in the Flat jockeys’ championship and has his sights on going one better this year. Oisin was 24 when he was crowned champion for the first time in 2019; should Billy succeed, he would be the youngest champion in more than 100 years – a record currently held by the late Sir Gordon Richards, who won his first championship in 1925 at the age of 21.

Hard-working, talented, professional are the words frequently used to describe Billy – and he shares the same advice to any youngsters sharing his dream.

“Keep your head down, work hard, and you’ll get there,” says Billy, who makes time for our chat having just landed back from the Middle East – before war broke out – and on his way to ride eight at Southwell that night.

“Usually I fly in and out, but this year I’ve been based over there for January and February, which has been a bit different, but I’ve enjoyed it,” he says.

“I’ve been in Dubai for the past couple of months, riding in the Middle East. I was in Saudi Arabia last weekend, Bahrain… I’ve been riding in a lot of countries around there, but I’m ready to get going over here.”

And so he has, this month backing up a treble at Kempton on his 20th birthday with a five-timer at Wolverhampton, as his laser focus turns in earnest to his main goal for 2026.

“My aim this year is to try and be champion jockey,” he says. “Oisin has had a tight grip on it the past few years, and I need to ride a lot more winners than I did last year to get close to him. I’ll be trying to ride as many winners as possible to give that a kick.”

From Billy the kid, to perhaps Billy the champion in 2026 – the sky is the limit for this shooting star.

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