Latest from Horse & Hound in Racing-opinion

‘Breathless, chaotic, compelling – it was a proper, old-fashioned Grand National,’ says trainer Kim Bailey

Kim Bailey — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:32:55 +0000

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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Aintree great channels Red Rum to reclaim Grand National title: ‘He’ll gallop to the end of the world for you’

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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

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‘You can’t expect 20-plus racehorses to come around a corner in a straight line’, says Davy Russell on the false starts at the Cheltenham Festival

Davy Russell — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 10:29:42 +0000

Retired three-time Irish champion jockey Davy Russell shares his views on Cheltenham’s star performer and the reason for the Festival’s frustrating false starts

This year’s Cheltenham Festival was an eventful week, as a big competition like that always is. The Festival’s leading jockey, Paul Townend, outshone everyone, he really is one of the all-time greats and certainly stamped his authority on the sport this year. He has a brilliant attitude, a marvellous way about him.

But the spread of winners really struck me this year, it was exceptional – different trainers, owners and jockeys, young and old, English, Welsh and Irish, all experienced the Cheltenham thrill. Even pedigree-wise, we had an array of different stallions siring winners.

We started the week with a Nicky Henderson-trained winner, Old Park Star, in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, and Seven Barrows once again had a brilliant week. Tom Bellamy rode his first Festival winner at the age of 31, while young Patrick O’Brien experienced Cheltenham success for the first time in the conditionals’ race and is a rising star.

Amateur jockey Shane Cotter is only 19, but he is already shining in the point-to-point field and his win in the Kim Muir was a real standout. He’s local to me, and his grandfather Dan Cotter bred a very good horse called Thyne Again who I rode. Similarly, Conor Stone-Walsh, who rode the cross-country winner for Gavin Cromwell, is a great talent.

Every day had its individual standout moment and in every race, there was a new story. This year, more than ever, told you just how open our sport is.

Cheltenham Festival starting woes

The high number of false starts was a frustration and the resulting spat between jockeys Nico de Boinville and Declan Queally in Wednesday’s opener received lots of media attention.

As a jockey, you’re under a lot of pressure to get the best position and after a false start, it’s incredibly difficult to get back in the box seat.

It’s not like a game of snooker, where you can go back to video analysis and say the red ball was here and the white ball was there, and you can start again.

That’s why they need to get the start right first time, so it’s fair and everyone is happy. If you’re not happy with your position, that’s your own fault, you have to take your medicine.

The argument came about because Nico wanted to be back down the inside, but Dec was there. Nobody is innocent of not getting a bit anxious at the start and it often gets verbal. Nico got very vocal about the situation and probably shouldn’t have, but then again Dec probably shouldn’t have aired his dirty laundry in public.

In the end, I suggested that the two jockeys shook hands to draw a line under the matter – the final outcome will be decided by the British Horseracing Authority investigation.

I can forgive them for what was said in the heat of the moment and I hope the stewards will be understanding of that too. I’d be adamant in saying that, contrary to how it was portrayed in the media, there was no malice in what Nico did or didn’t say and it wasn’t racially motivated.

So what’s the solution?

The problem is that for the rest of the year, there are very few issues with the starts – it only seems to affect these big, competitive festivals. So to go changing a whole system just for Punchestown or Cheltenham is ludicrous. Unfortunately, though, they are where the spotlight falls.

At Cheltenham, it’s not the starter’s fault nor that of the jockeys – the positioning of the starts coming off a tight bend seems to be the real cause. You can’t expect 20-plus runners to come around a corner in a straight line.

All week, the winners were the horses that got a good start and were immediately to the fore – very few came from behind.

I have a big thing about the use of the flag, too. Rather than being static – raised before the start, then dropped to indicate “go”, meaning for jockeys it’s all about the anticipation – I would like to see a more visual intermediate cue of a waving flag that says you can come forward, but you’re not starting.

By Friday, as soon as the starter saw the runners in a straight line, he’d let them go, even if they were still a long way back and I think that was the right thing to do because the closer you get to the starter, the more anxious the riders are going to be.

I just hope they can find a solution before next year.

● What were your Cheltenham Festival highlights? Let us know at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your views published in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine

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‘Caring for our retired racehorses is key – once you sell a horse, you lose all control’, warns Kim Bailey

Kim Bailey — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 15:26:58 +0000

Cotswolds-based National Hunt trainer Kim Bailey reflects on recent racing action ahead of the Cheltenham Festival and the steps needed to ensure the best possible future for racehorses on their retirement from the sport

It’s been wet, wet, wet! But it was good to see racing beat the odds on Saturday 7 February at both Newbury and Warwick. Credit must go to the teams who were working mighty miracles to ensure their meetings went ahead.

Warwick’s ground wasn’t too bad and it produced some exciting racing and drama right to the line. Newbury, by contrast, looked very testing indeed and the results often reflected that, with several races decided by wide margins (see report, p54 of 12 February H&H magazine).

The Cheltenham Festival really was the theme of the day. The Denman Chase was won from the front by Haiti Couleurs, while the Game Spirit Chase was won in striking fashion by Lulamba. Just when he looked unlikely to get there, he powered clear late on. He now looks bound for the Arkle Chase and better ground could make a significant difference to him.

Talking of ground, the William Hill Hurdle was won in commanding style by Paul Nicholls’ Tutti Quanti, who made all under top weight and did so most impressively. Nicholls clearly feels that very soft ground is the key to him and if conditions fall his way, he could yet enter the Champion Hurdle picture.

Looking back a couple of weeks, you also must marvel at the Dublin Racing Festival. After flooding threatened the meeting, they shifted racing to Sunday and Monday and still produced top-class sport, with reputations made and broken in testing conditions.

What struck me most was the toll it took, with horses pulling up just strides after the line. They will certainly know they’ve had hard races and, with Cheltenham only weeks away, perhaps it might even give the English trainers more realistic chances?

“It didn’t read well for the sport”

Racing often finds itself looking over its shoulder and one area that has attracted publicity recently is the retirement of racehorses and where they end up. Unfortunately, there was a slight disaster when Sprinter Sacre made the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

The incident surrounding payment for his veterinary fees and a GoFundMe page was all down to a lack of communication, but regardless, it didn’t read well for the sport. Thankfully, through Nicky Henderson it was quickly resolved.

We have just retired Two For Gold. Now 13 years old, he won 11 races, ran at the Cheltenham Festival, contested the Grand National and won and ran several times at Ascot. All in all, he has been a most remarkable horse to be involved with.

When we retire our horses, they go with a non-racing agreement. The people who take them on are heavily vetted by my wife Clare, and the conditions are very clear: the horse must be properly looked after, we must be kept informed of how they are getting on and there has to be ongoing communication.

We never sell our retired horses, because once you sell a horse, you lose all control. This way, we retain some influence over their future.

Racing has absolute responsibility to look after horses when their racing careers end, but when you consider how many horses retire every year, it’s easy to see what a challenge this is for trainers and owners alike.

But we are very lucky that the Retraining of Racehorses programme is expanding and with the help of many, including David Howden and the Thoroughbred Aftercare Programme, there are many more options open as to where our old warriors go.

Wonderful result

Life is so often about being in the right place at the right time and for young Aamilah Aswat, her moment came and she took it, when becoming the first female black jockey to ride a winner over hurdles at Kempton last week, on Guchen.

Aamilah has been working here for four years, works incredibly hard, schools beautifully and thoroughly deserved her opportunity. But chances in racing are hard to come by. Unless your parents are trainers or wealthy owners, getting started is incredibly difficult.

She was fortunate that Sir Francis Brooke organised a charity race for the Ebony Horse Club, of which Aamilah was a part, and it was only right that she rode the horse once she became a licensed jockey.

After four rides, the first three being valuable learning experiences, she put everything together to win – a wonderful result for her, for the charity and for the publicity it has generated. It proves a simple truth in racing, as in life: without that moment of opportunity, the struggle to get going can be immense.

● Let us know about your former racehorses in their second careers, at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance for their story to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

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Alamy Live News. 2PJFNPX Two For Gold and David Bass win the Memberships At Ascot Veterans' Handicap Chase for trainer Kim Bailey and the May We Never Be Found Out Partnership 2. This is an Alamy Live News image and may not be part of your current Alamy deal . If you are unsure, please contact our sales team to check. (Image credit: Alamy Live News)

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Take a look back on horseracing’s epic highs and puzzling lows from 2025

Jennifer Donald — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 08:30:18 +0000

This year has been one of epic highs in the horseracing world, but 2025 has also brought with it some puzzling lows. From an historic Grand National to a former farrier winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup and everything in between, I’ve picked out just some of the most unforgettable moments on the racetrack from the past 12 months.

Horseracing highlights from 2025

An emotional Willie Mullins embraces his son Patrick after their horse Nick Rockett won the Grand National. (Image credit: Getty Images)

1. All the emotions: father and son embrace after winning the Grand National

“It can’t get better than this,” said Irish training maestro Willie Mullins after he saddled Nick Rockett to win the Grand National, ridden by his son Patrick.

There’s no better feeling than watching your child succeed, whether it’s in the school egg and spoon race or on the global stage, and I’ll never forget the surge of emotions that filled the paddock in the aftermath of the race.

It took a while for father and son to find each other in the melee but when they did, we witnessed one of the greatest embraces in sporting history. I simply adore Willie Mullins and seeing him floored by the enormity of what he and his family achieved, still gives me goose bumps.

My favourite post-script was chatting to groom Katie Walton about her “barely 16hh” Aintree hero, Nick Rockett.

“He’s always been a legend to me, but now he’s proved he’s a legend to the world,” she said. “Everyone knows who Nick Rockett is now.”

2. Never give up: the reign of Sean Bowen

The 2025 champion jockey Sean Bowen, 27, has already chalked up more than 150 winners this season, 90 more than his nearest rivals. He’s riding better than ever and the comparisons with the greatest jump jockey of all time, Sir AP McCoy, are totally justified.

Sean’s traits in the saddle are plentiful but a novices’ chase at Cheltenham in November exemplified them better than ever. He and the Olly Murphy-trained Wade Out looked to be swimming against the tide throughout the race and us lesser mortals would likely have waved the white flag. But Sean coaxed the quirky gelding home with complete belief, all but carrying Wade Out over the final obstacle and home to victory.

This is why Sean is the punters’ favourite and he’s earned my utter respect too.

3. The all-conquering Willie Mullins in utter disbelief

We’ve grown accustomed to Willie Mullins amassing countless accolades from Grand Nationals to Cheltenham Gold Cups and jumps trainers’ championships. But a Breeders’ Cup winner? Surely even that was beyond the realms of the Closutton trainer.

But Willie upstaged a stellar cast of global rivals to deliver a spectacular success in the Breeders’ Cup Turf with 28/1 shot Ethical Diamond, reinforcing the fact that anything and everything is possible from this humble genius.

Lorcan Williams aboard Golden Ace, celebrates after winning the Unibet Champion Hurdle on day one of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

4. Golden Ace proves the Champion Hurdle was no fluke

Nothing beats a good David versus Goliath story and, proving that anything can happen in the sport of kings as long as you’re in it to win it, is the brilliant mare Golden Ace. A stunned silence filled the Cheltenham grandstands when she and jockey Lorcan Williams returned the shock winner of the Champion Hurdle after hot favourites Constitution Hill and State Man crashed out.

Then in a near-carbon copy of those unlikely chain of events, Jeremy Scott’s star mare emerged the surprise victor of the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle in December. The pair had been sent off at odds of 22/1.

“Pinch me to make sure this isn’t a dream,” summed up the Somerset trainer.

5. Our favourite jockey Rachael Blackmore steps aside

Like many, I’ve held Rachael Blackmore aloft as an inspiration and a shining example of a fantastic all-round horsewoman during her 16 years at the top. So I was gutted to hear that she was retiring from race riding in May.

The record-breaking Grand National, Gold Cup and multi-Graded winner was the idol I wish I’d had growing up, proving that anything was possible and that gender shouldn’t even enter the conversation.

“Horses have given me the best days of my life and to them I am most grateful,” she said, which is something we can all relate to.

Bob Olinger and Rachael Blackmore en-route to winning the 2025 Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

6. Jumps trainers’ title goes to the wire again

For the second year running we were treated to a gripping “Will he, won’t he?” conclusion to the season when Willie Mullins and Dan Skelton took the trainers’ championship right to the wire. I can remember previous titanic battles between the likes of Richard Dunwoody and Adrian Maguire and they always add a gripping narrative to the sport, taking the action to a whole new audience.

Unfortunately though, there has to be a loser and Dan described the prospect of Sandown’s finale as like “walking out to face the executioner”. His deflation was evident after such a herculean effort, but the Warwickshire trainer’s turn will certainly come.

7. Constitution Hill: a puzzling conundrum

This time last year, Constitution Hill reigned as the country’s leading hurdler, unbeaten in 10 races. When he fell for the first time in the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival we were shocked, but then it happened again at Aintree and, when history repeated for a third time in this year’s Fighting Fifth at Newcastle, we all started scratching our heads, not least his “shaken” trainer Nicky Henderson.

Debates raged throughout the racing world as to the reason behind this puzzling blip in our heroic champ. The answer perhaps is that this is a horse, not a machine, but it will be interesting to see what Nicky decides will be the next steps in Constitution Hill’s otherwise stellar career.

Nico de Boinville salutes the crowd aboard Constitution Hill following their victory in the Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

8. A £100 bargain buy wins over the Grand National fences

To conclude this year’s horseracing review of 2025, we must celebrate a brilliant racehorse called Twig. We all love a bargain and £100 pointing purchase Twig gave his 20-year-old jockey Beau Morgan the biggest win of his career over the Grand National fences at Aintree when winning the Becher Chase.

Twig is trained by Ben Pauling, assisted by Beau’s brother Luca and owned by their mother Georgia. Their father Arron called his son’s success a “dream come true”. Beau and Twig won seven point-to-points before returning under rules, finishing 10th in this year’s Grand National, and this success at Aintree came off the back of a win in the veterans’ chase at Sandown last month.

“I owe everything to Twig,” said Beau.

What were your favourite moments in the 2025 horseracing season? Write to hhletters@futurenet.com for a chance to be published in Horse & Hound – please include your full address (town and county will be published).

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‘A tough little mare who has become a serious horse in her own right’: Kim Bailey on Fighting Fifth winner Golden Ace

Kim Bailey — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 10:44:59 +0000

National Hunt trainer Kim Bailey shares his thoughts on last weekend’s racing action, the new-style hurdles, and repercussions from the budget

Not often do I sit at home on a Saturday. As a trainer, it’s not something you want to be doing too often. We’ve had a good week, with plenty of winners, but even so…

So, with a glass of wine and a bowl of soup, I parked myself in front of the TV with great excitement to watch the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury and the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle for the return of the great Constitution Hill taking on the young pretender, The New Lion.

Only two flights in and Constitution Hill fell, having stepped at a hurdle again. Two hurdles later, The New Lion thought about running out, and then drama number two unfolded when he came down two from home, stepping in the same way as Constitution Hill and taking a heavy fall when looking all over the winner.

It was left to the forgotten horse in the line-up, reigning Champion Hurdler Golden Ace, to grind it out. I’m absolutely thrilled for her trainer Jeremy Scott; you won’t meet a more special person who has been under a huge amount of pressure this season. There is much sadness, though, for Nicky Henderson and Dan Skelton – two very good horses on the deck, but thankfully both are OK.

Racing throws up results that make you wonder at times, and this tough little mare has simply been in the right place to capitalise on some great horses taking tumbles. But she has become a serious mare in her own right – a Champion Hurdle winner, no less. I do wonder how the Geordies addressed “Jezza” in the post-race celebrations.

Of course, when things go wrong, every person involved in racing becomes a trainer. Poor Nicky Henderson will have endured more than enough unsolicited advice on how to train Constitution Hill from the know-alls. But is it just the case of those new-style white hurdles? It all seems to have gone wrong since he met them.

A racecourse and trainer on the up

Newbury staged two fabulous days’ racing. The racecourse is back on the up and drawing in good crowds again, helped by some excellent racing.

Dan Skelton triumphed yet again, this time in the Coral Gold Cup when his Bryan Drew-owned mare Panic Attack absolutely bolted up.

Remarkably, it’s 21 years since Celestial Gold completed the same winning double with the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham. Surely Dan is now odds-on favourite to win this year’s trainers’ championship?

“No lifeline for racing”

What can you say about last week’s budget? Initially, everyone seemed to think it was good for racing, but I don’t believe it will be. We might have been saved on one front with the “Axe the Racing Tax” campaign – which every trainer, jockey and owner in the sport got behind – clearly helping, because racing’s own tax position wasn’t altered.

But everything else in the wider changes to the Gambling Act has hit the bookmakers hard. Their profits are being wiped out as their tax rates have gone up by at least 40%. That is going to have a huge knock-on for our sport, most obviously through sponsorship, which is a huge worry.

The chancellor didn’t exactly throw racing a lifeline either. Not only are we facing the rise in the minimum wage, but the 40% cap on business rates has been removed as well. I don’t know if many people outside the industry realise this, but business rates on training yards are already high and the thought of those going up even further is alarming.

It’s hard to see how this doesn’t end badly for smaller and medium-sized yards. In a couple of years’ time, when these new rates really bite, I fear we’re going to see trainers going bust. It’s not scaremongering; it’s just the reality of running a yard in the current climate.

On that note, I fear I should be heading back to that unfinished bottle of wine!

● What are your thoughts on the new-look hurdles? Share your opinion at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

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‘The new generation of no-nonsense trainers are making their mark’, says Kim Bailey

Kim Bailey — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 10:29:28 +0000

The past couple of weekends have served up some cracking jump racing. Everyone’s been desperate for a bit of rain and some genuine jumping ground, so it was great to see competitive fields and some good horses stretching their legs again.

You can tell the winter game is back, because Venetia Williams opened her account with Djelo winning the Charlie Hall Chase with just her second runner of the season.

There’s been a noticeable change in the pecking order among the jump trainers with a new generation coming through – probably not the sort to wear trilbies like the old guard used to!

Dan Skelton has come out flying again this year and, after last season, he’ll be determined not to let Willie Mullins get the better of him. He has the biggest team of horses in the country and has already run around 120 of them, so he’s not short of ammunition. He’s the poster boy for the new breed of no-nonsense trainers.

Newmarket-based James Owen is also doing a fine job of pushing boundaries, with one foot in the Flat world and one over jumps, and he’s making a success of both.

Then Olly Murphy is one of the most impressive young trainers around. His strike rate is hovering around 40%, which is extraordinary. He has a yard full of talented young horses, and you feel he’s ready to make that leap. If anyone is going to make Dan Skelton sweat over the trainers’ title, it might be Olly.

Olly also has the bonus of his agent father Aiden helping him buy his horses and Sean Bowen riding for him. Sean is in a class of his own – strong, balanced and clever and worth at least a 7lb advantage to any horse he sits on.

The whole Bowen family are quite something. Eldest brother Michael has made a great start to his training career since taking over from father Peter, who was a fine trainer in his own right and brought fresh owners and money into the Welsh scene. Their younger brother, James, is currently sitting second in the jockeys’ championship behind big brother Sean.

Another changing of the guard

There’s also been a shift in the point-to-point world. It’s an industry under real pressure at the moment, with rising costs hitting just as hard there.

Lately, we’ve seen a few of the so-called semi-pro point-to-point trainers make the jump into the professional ranks, and two to keep an eye on are Tom Ellis and young Max Comley. Max had a proper grounding working for me, and both he and Tom are training the right way.

A couple of young claiming jockeys who are really starting to make their mark are Freddie Keighley and Isabelle Ryder. Both had horsey upbringings in Pony Club, racing and showjumping, the sort that produces real talent.

Freddie rode his first winner at Cheltenham a couple of weeks ago – he’s the son of trainer Martin and I think he was born on a horse. He has a lovely natural balance and an infectious enthusiasm for the game. He’s now with Paul Nicholls, which will only bring him on further, and he’s definitely one to follow.

Now that Rachael Blackmore has retired and Bryony Frost has moved to France, the spotlight has turned to the next generation of female riders. And, as you will have read in Horse & Hound magazine last week (“Female role models”), Isabelle is absolutely one of them. She rode for me the other day and gave the horse a superb ride.

For someone so young, she has a fantastic attitude, real feel and plenty of confidence in the saddle. She’s going places, and quickly.

“The power behind the throne”

To finish, it would be remiss of me not to mention that I’ve added Mat Nicholls onto my licence. Mat has worked with me for 18 years and is very much the power behind the throne here.

We have invested heavily in some really nice young horses and ex-point-to- pointers and had a winner at Aintree with Marsiac, and Uttoxeter with Home Made Hero. We look forward to the challenges ahead.

● Which young trainers and jockeys are catching your eye? Let us know at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

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Kim Bailey: ‘The Grand National is a race of dreams and drama’

Kim Bailey — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 09:24:23 +0000

Cotswolds-based National Hunt trainer Kim Bailey, who won the the Grand National with Mr Frisk, reflects on the magical ingredients in this year’s race

That was as good a Randox Grand National result as you could have wished for. The Aintree race always has a story and my God it did not disappoint this year.

Willie Mullins trained the first three home and five of the first seven. “Oh, how boring,” you might think if you looked at the result on paper. But not if you had watched the race. In real time, the brilliant television coverage caught it all.

There was great drama from the start, which for once went smoothly. The sun shone and the racecourse was packed with colour.

Watching the horses charge down to the famous, if slightly diminished, Becher’s Brook was a sight to behold. As the race unfolded, you could imagine any of several horses winning the race with the ever-changing ebb and flow of the runners at the front.

Then, two from home, you could see that Willie Mullins held a huge hand. It looked all the way up the run-in that last year’s winner I Am Maximus was going to triumph again, but there was Patrick Mullins on Nick Rockett creeping closer and, 100 yards from the winning post, the battle was won.

Now if you thought the race held plenty of drama, then you were in for a huge wave of emotion watching the Mullins family left speechless. They were totally overcome by the fact their only son Patrick had just won the biggest race in the world.

The television cameras panned on a shell-shocked Willie who looked totally overcome. Five minutes later, Matt Chapman with the ITV Racing crew grabbed Willie who, for the very first time in his public life, just could not speak as he was so choked up.

The tears, joy and emotion that racing’s most famous trainer showed left lumps in the throats of many watching. It was an extraordinary moment of television.

A mix of emotions

The Grand National winner always has a story and away from the Mullins family for a moment, the winning owner Stewart Andrew revealed it was his late wife Sadie who convinced Willie Mullins to train the winner.

Stewart said, “Nick Rockett wasn’t my horse, it was my wife’s horse, and she wanted a horse in training with Willie. She had her holy communion with him.

“We bumped into him by chance at Cheltenham sales and Sadie said, ‘Why don’t we get Willie to buy a horse for us?’”

Stewart responded, “Well if you want to get Willie to buy a horse, Sadie, buy a horse.” And she did. As they say, the rest is history.

The sadness was that Stewart’s wife Sadie died in 2022 after watching her horse finish fourth in a bumper at Fairyhouse.

Horse welfare on a hot day

Horse welfare played its part on a hot day at Aintree. Nick Rockett was taken off to be washed down and cooled off after the race so no horse returned to the winner’s enclosure.

Patrick Mullins – not to be without a mount – rode piggyback into the winner’s enclosure on Nick Rockett’s owner Stewart Andrew, celebrating as he went. And why not?

The vibes were brilliant, the race yet again held us all on tenterhooks. Can you imagine how proud you would be if it was your son who had just ridden a Grand National winner, and you trained it? Magical stuff.

The Grand National proved once again why it’s a race of dreams and drama. This year’s race has every right to have a huge chapter written about it in the history book of the world’s most famous horse race.

● What was your favourite story from this year’s Randox Grand National Festival? Tell us about it at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

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Davy Russell: ‘A late Cheltenham Gold Cup entry is a bold decision that could change a trainer’s future’

Davy Russell — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 10:35:41 +0000

Davy Russell, who achieved 25 winners at the Festival prior to his retirement, rides an emotional rollercoaster at an “extraordinary” Cheltenham Festival

Where do you start with this year’s extraordinary Cheltenham Festival? We saw a mix of established winners enjoying the spotlight, new trainers coming to the fore, some talented young jockeys earning their place in the winner’s enclosure and, while Ireland remained dominant, success came from both sides of the water.

In the same way the Brazilians play soccer or the English are good at cricket, we live and breathe horseracing in Ireland. So it’s important for us to succeed and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that we’re good at it.

Kopek Des Bordes’ victory, in the opening Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, got the four days off to a great start, but it was a rollercoaster ride after that.

Lossiemouth’s win in the mares’ hurdle was a real standout, and you can see where Willie Mullins was coming from, separating her from Champion Hurdle contender State Man. Had it not been for State Man’s fall at the last, Willie would have won both races.

For trainer Gavin Cromwell to supplement Inothewayurthinkin as a late entry for the Gold Cup – and win – was phenomenal. Forget about how much money it cost, you make these decisions under immense pressure. Then all you have is hope, when the outcome could change your future in the sport. So all credit to JP McManus for being such an understanding owner. It was a huge call, but they were all duly rewarded.

“We felt Michael’s presence all week”

My great friend Ken Budds saddled his first Festival runner, 125/1 shot Anyway – who I bought for the owner and have been riding at home – to finish second to Caldwell Potter in the Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase. I started riding out for Ken as a kid, and the sign I used to do with my hands at the top of the hill during my racing days was for Ken’s brother, who passed away.

It’s a big undertaking to take a horse to Cheltenham and it had been our long-term plan, but you’re putting your neck on the line doing so and horses have a habit of making an eejit out of you. In another year, Caldwell Potter would most likely be running in a different race, but we’re happy to finish second – we thought he’d run a huge race, so we’re very proud.

But we must pay tribute to jockey Michael O’Sullivan, who died last month after a fall at Thurles. He had won on Anyway, and for his 2023 Cheltenham winners Marine Nationale and Jazzy Matty to win in succession like that was extraordinary; we felt Michael’s presence all week.

As always, there were plenty of hard-luck stories, so credit to Gordon Elliott and his staff who held up all week long, despite not enjoying a single winner – even though his horses ran well – until the last race, when he pulled it out of the bag with Wodhooh.

Whether you’re a jockey or a trainer, you love to see the Irish horses winning at Cheltenham and if you have a winner on day one, you can float around for the next three days. But if you’re looking at everyone else celebrating, even though you’re happy for them, you’re thinking, “When is it my turn?” For such a tough man to show such emotion tells you how much it meant to finally get there.

New-look hurdles

What interested me was the impact of the new-style hurdles they introduced at Cheltenham this year and which they’ve started rolling out at racecourses in Great Britain and Ireland. Replacing the traditional timber obstacles, these foam-padded rubber hurdles are designed to improve safety for horses and jockeys – they are said to reduce the chances of horses falling by about 11%.

I don’t want to blame the jumps and I don’t know the numbers, but there did seem to be plenty of trips and spills. There’s a louder noise off them – which increases with a whole field of runners – and a different sensation when horses hit them or flick the top of them. They also seem to swing as they come back into place, whereas timber hurdles tend to be knocked flat. I don’t think there’s a problem, they’re just different and anything different takes time to adapt to.

Hats off to Cheltenham for another phenomenal week.

● What were your standout moments from this year’s Cheltenham Festival? Let us know at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and country, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

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Kim Bailey: ‘The good, the bad and the ugly…’

Kim Bailey — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:28:17 +0000

National Hunt trainer Kim Bailey applauds a brilliant steeplechaser and discusses a threat by some of his fellow trainers to boycott giving TV interviews

The good, the bad and the ugly faces of racing have been seen over the past couple of weeks. Let’s deal with the good news first.

Last weekend, we enjoyed the hugely popular Dublin Racing Festival held at Leopardstown. This festival has grown and grown and not only hosts some of the best jump racing of the season – albeit mostly Irish-trained horses – but it has also become a must-visit meeting for a huge number of English racing fans.

We saw an emotional and impressive win by the reigning Cheltenham Gold Cup hero, Galopin Des Champs. This monster of a chaser made it three Irish Gold Cups on the trot and if there was any doubt about him not being a horse of the public, that was squashed by the reception he received, even before passing the post. Noise like that has not been heard since The Boomtown Rats played there 10 years ago!

The whole meeting was brilliantly televised and great to watch, although you do have to wonder why Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead ran so few horses.

Hark back three weeks to the Berkshire Winter Million weekend. We now have our own Festival weekend, which was run for the first time with two racecourses joining forces to create three fabulous days of racing. Ascot and Windsor are close neighbours, and this new festival was set alight with racing at Windsor on Friday, Ascot on Saturday and back at Windsor on Sunday.

Let me tell you, it was a resounding success. Ascot hosted its customary great action and Windsor, which has only just returned to jump racing after being away for the best part of 20 years, did likewise. The old figure-of-eight track at Windsor is gone and the new course, which will take a while to get used to, whether by spectators or riders, is in place.

It is a great initiative, and one that I am sure will catch on and grow out of all recognition, principally because you have two racecourses willing to make it work.

Farewell to a legendary owner

Windsor was the last time we saw John Hales in the winner’s enclosure and his death last week was a shock to all in jump racing. There has hardly been a greater supporter and owner than John, who started his winning racing life with the great One Man. John’s success has been legendary and he will be hugely missed.

An ugly boycott

The ugly side of racing was shown when it was reported that trainers, who are members of Peter Savill’s breakaway Professional Racing Association (PRA), announced that they would boycott all televised interviews at Sandown last Saturday.

Dan Skelton backed the PRA’s demand for trainers to be paid for broadcast interviews and said that he and others were prepared to “stand strongly” if it came to not cooperating with the television companies on course.

Well, it certainly raised an uproar, but thankfully the PRA backed down. However, their voice has been heard and the first salvo from the PRA was, to a certain extent, a winning one, even if you don’t agree.

The battle is all about media rights and the lack of transparency of racecourses with their finances. The National Trainers Federation (NTF), which is the official representative of 97% of trainers, is involved in racing’s various decision-making structures through its membership of The Thoroughbred Group.

Its chief executive, Paul Johnson, said that while he understood the frustration of the PRA membership, the NTF did not support such a course of action.

The PRA is founded by Peter Savill, and the funds raised from talking were to go to fund the PRA.

As I said, this is the first salvo of a long battle, but we all hope strikes won’t be on the horizon. Racing needs more funding, and the racecourses are behind what prize money comes to the table. At present, many are withholding what amount they are given and where it goes – where is the transparency?

On a more positive note, the jump-racing world creeps closer to the Cheltenham Festival. Only four weeks to go!

● Whose side are you on when it comes to trainer payments for broadcast interviews? Let us know at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and country, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

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Davy Russell: ‘Nicky Henderson gets so much stick, but he lets his horses do the talking’

Davy Russell — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 10:35:33 +0000

Former Irish champion jockey Davy Russell salutes top National Hunt trainer Nicky Henderson for letting his horses do the talking in a sport where patience is key

This year’s Christmas racing was unreal. Whether you’re a diehard fan or someone new to the game, what we all witnessed was very special.

A standout moment was mighty hurdler Constitution Hill returning from a year off to win the Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day, beating Willie Mullins’ Festival-winning mare Lossiemouth.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Nicky Henderson pulled off such a remarkable training performance. He’s done it so many times in the past with the likes of his three-time Champion Hurdle winner See You Then, who raced sparingly owing to tendon problems and won the Champion Hurdle off one run.

Then more recently, there was Sprinter Sacre, who won the Champion Chase after an absence of nearly three months.

Nicky has received so much stick in the press and on social media about not running his horses. You’ll remember Henrietta Knight faced a similar barrage with her triple Gold Cup-winner Best Mate, with people complaining she didn’t run him enough.

But why would Nicky run Constitution Hill if he wasn’t right? Once again, Nicky let his horses do the talking and he was proved right in his decision not to run until Kempton. The result underlined why patience is so important in our sport.

Irish excitement

There was a real buzz at Kempton that day and it was the same at Leopardstown, when dual Gold Cup-winner Galopin Des Champs cast aside the superstar young pretender Fact To File to win his 10th Grade One. The champion once again proved he’s no fluke.

Brighterdaysahead is another for the Irish to get excited about and her 30-length victory in the Grade One Neville Hotels Hurdle was sensational. You’d have a soft spot for the mare because she’s so mannered and she’s actually very unassuming at home. But when you realise what’s under the hood, she’s something different.

She’s been looked after by the same people from the start, Sinead O’Brien and Shane McCann. I rode her as a young horse and I loved her. She was special, but she was so green and you wouldn’t realise how fast she is until you had another horse to take her a good gallop. I’ve never known a horse who can go so fast for such a long time.

Another Nicky Henderson runner, Sir Gino, put up a performance the likes of which I don’t think we’ve seen in my generation at least. He was a super sub in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle and to win an unplanned Grade One over hurdles meant he had to be a special horse, but the way he took on his fences at Kempton was a real sight.

All in all, there’s plenty of strength and depth on both sides of the Irish Sea, more than we’ve seen for a long time, and the scales seem to be balancing themselves out. There will be a lot of fellas with their chests out heading to the Cheltenham Festival and it’s very exciting for the sport.

It’s time to take a chance

This year’s sales were pretty healthy and anything fancy is making a bit of money. But what I’ve noticed is that people aren’t willing to take a chance on anything slightly out of the norm. Unless it’s down on paper for all to see – either by a horse doing something extraordinary on the track or having a standout pedigree that suggests they could be a bit special – buyers don’t want to know. Even the syndicates have got fussier.

But this sport is not an exact science and I’m sure that in a couple of years, there will be stories from buyers about how much value they got. Just look at the 18hh Jeannot Lapin, who won at Leopardstown at odds of 150/1, having been bought for £3,000 as a hunter chaser. Although the horse was well bred and had reasonable form, there you have someone going against the grain and Dominic Jones, who took a chance buying him, is reaping the rewards.

Those horses are there if you’re lucky enough and willing to have a go.

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Kim Bailey: ‘There’s nothing more rewarding than making people very happy with a win’

Kim Bailey — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 10:20:09 +0000

Successful National Hunt trainer Kim Bailey on the joy of racing and why the sport is currently under threat

I am often asked why on earth I have been doing what I do for so long and primarily it stems from my love of jump racing and all that it entails.

My enthusiasm for the sport remains as strong as when I started out. But you cannot beat having a winner and seeing how the owners react to that, as shown when The Kemble Brewery won the bumper at Cheltenham two weeks ago. The celebrations in the paddock and in the pub that night made great viewing and Cheltenham Racecourse even posted it on their Instagram account.

A group of friends headed by Phil Andrews decided it would be good to have a horse and name it after their favourite Cheltenham pub, The Kemble Brewery. They called themselves the Breakfast At 10 Syndicate because they all meet up there for breakfast at that time before racing. They are huge Cheltenham enthusiasts, so to have a winner there was special.

You cannot help but be sucked in by the post-race atmosphere and that is one of the many reasons why I still enjoy training racehorses. There is nothing more rewarding than making people very happy with a win – and it’s not a regular occurrence, however hard we try!

“Inappropriate and discriminatory”

Racing is in a pivotal time as the Government and the Gambling Commission are trying to regulate betting with affordability checks and as a result stop many punters’ harmless pastime. Is this an infringement on their rights to enjoy the sport or is it a bid to try to stop addiction gambling?

Addiction in any form is difficult to stop, but making everyone face the same brick wall is causing many punters to bet illegally. The knock-on effect of a loss of betting turnover will duly come in the shape of lower prize money in the sport.

The industry is putting up a strong defence and asking all to sign a petition to stop its implementation. We believe such checks – which could include assessing whether people are “at risk of harm” based on their postcode or job title – are both inappropriate and discriminatory.

Shake-up to the fixture list

The British Horseracing Authority has made a major shake-up to the 2024 fixtures list, trialling a “premiumisation” of racing. This will mean 20 fewer jumps meetings, 20 new premier tier Sunday Flat fixtures and all-weather Sunday evening meetings during the early part of the year.

Two premier fixtures are also set to be run during a protected 2–4pm window on the majority of Saturdays throughout the year, which means the

Derby and Grand National race times will change.

Like all changes, much of what has been suggested has not been met with a universal thumbs up. There will be a two-year trial period and it is our job to make it work, however difficult it might be to do so.

Perhaps one of the biggest changes announced is the drop in field size from 40 to 34 runners for the 2024 Grand National. Traditionalists were horrified and although I am sad to see this change, I still welcome the fact that the race is still here. Let’s hope that all 34 runners are not trained in Ireland!

For now, all I ask is that you sit back and enjoy our wonderful sport as it is – provided the weather gods don’t taunt us, we will offer up some great viewing.

● What do you think about these latest changes in racing? Let us know your thoughts at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your views published in a future edition of Horse & Hound magazine

This exclusive column will also be available to read in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday 9 November, 2023

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Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Review: Horsepower – new Amazon Prime Video series is much more than a racing documentary

Lucy Elder — Sun, 02 Oct 2022 17:02:16 +0000

It’s always the people – and in our sport, the horses – that make the most interesting stories. And Horsepower does a solid job of beautifully shot, careful storytelling to bring so many stories to life.

The four-part Amazon Prime Video series follows the lives of champion Flat jockey Oisin Murphy and top trainer Andrew Balding from autumn 2020 to Royal Ascot 2021.

The access this fly-on-the-wall style series achieves is excellent. The insights the viewer is given into the workings of Andrew’s training operation at Kingsclere, alongside his drive to succeed and attention to detail, are exceptional.

Underpinning the whole series are the threads of ambition, passion and care. Much of the story is told by Anna Lisa Balding, whose strength and kindness shine through all four episodes.

The grittier sides of these two main protagonists’ stories are in there, too. The viewer sees Andrew’s frustration when a horse’s important final piece of work doesn’t go to plan, while Oisin’s promise beforehand that you would see the jockey at his “best and worst” is fulfilled. The cameras follow the fall-out from his positive cocaine test (Oisin has always maintained he has never taken cocaine – it was accepted by authorities that this was as a result of contamination), his ban, and his comeback. We see him vulnerable, honest, at times stroppy, and also likeable, funny and brilliant on a horse.

I’m sure there are reasons, but is surprising, though, that there is no mention of Oisin’s current ban, connected to Covid- and alcohol-related rule breaches, which he was given seven months before this series aired on Amazon Prime Video. The series ends in June 2021 – months before the news of Oisin’s alleged charges were made public in December 2021 – but certain dates connected with these charges did cross over with the time period in which the documentary was filmed.

What Horsepower really captures so well is that alchemic balance in the contradictions of this losing sport, which is all about winning, that makes racing so compelling. It’s something I touched on following the Paralympic Games in Tokyo last year – top level competition is both completely and utterly about sport to the point it almost ceases to be about sport, at all. It’s about people, horses and relationships.

The backdrop of Andrew’s build up to Royal Ascot and Oisin’s journey provide the stage. But its stories are in the players and how the two worlds – that top-flight sporting backdrop and the real lives of the people involved – are bound together.

I loved the way the one-on-one relationships between the staff and horses are given real air-time. There’s lovely insight into what goes into flying horses around the world. Seeing Bangkok playing with a coat zip, the Valentine’s day cards outside Kameko’s stable, and grooms singing to their horses in the stables and the power the horse-human bond has to transform both people and equines is beautiful. It also did a solid job of both showing how skilled stable staff are and explaining to non-equestrian viewers why seemingly small details, such as a horse being late in his coat, are picked up on.

The series touches, too, on heartbreaking stories involving staff, family and owners, deeply moving and sensitively told. Racing is not untouched by the world around it, however firm the bubble surrounding it may seem at times.

The series is a good watch. While it will of course appeal to racing fans and the horse world, those are not prerequisites, which is its strength. Horsepower is a documentary about racing, but really, it’s a story about people.

Horsepower is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video

Davy Russell: ‘Irish racing has a lot to be proud of’ H&H Plus

Jennifer Donald — Tue, 11 May 2021 08:00:37 +0000

Davy Russell reflects on initiatives in Irish racing and ones to watch

WITH the end of the National Hunt season, we can reflect with pride at just how high the calibre of horse in Ireland is at the moment.

The finale, the Punchestown Festival, was The Willie Mullins Show. You’d think Henry de Bromhead would carry on through with the same dominance but it was really only Honeysuckle who starred – it’s unbelievable how one trainer’s fortunes can completely turn around like that. But isn’t the filly spectacular? She was absolute dynamite when taking her tally to 12 wins from 12 races now.

In 2013, the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association (ITBA) recognised that fillies needed a bit of help. They introduced the National Hunt Fillies Bonus Scheme whereby they pay out €5,000 (around £4,300) if any eligible horse wins a mares’ bumper, maiden hurdle or beginners’ steeplechase.

That’s an opportunity to win an extra €15,000, which covers your training fees for a good bit of the season.

The initiative has been really successful in getting more fillies to run, which has benefited the whole industry. Owners can now have a valuable horse to go to war with, and keeping them in training gives us all a chance to see how good they are – and there are some seriously good mares racing at the moment.

Paul Townend saw off the challenge from Rachael Blackmore to take his fourth jockeys championship, despite injuring his foot a couple of weeks before Punchestown. His first ride back was on Chacun Pour Soi in the Champion Chase, which was an outstanding performance from both horse and rider.

They rode him completely differently from Cheltenham, where he finished third; they took the bull by the horns and made all the running with a lot of pace on, making it a truly run championship race which was a joy to watch.

There was good competition from English horses at Punchestown, with trainers including Paul Nicholls and Harry Fry sending out winners, and amateur jockey David Maxwell took the Champions Hunter Chase in great style.

A DIFFERENT CLASS

GOING in my notebook as one to watch next season is the Willie Mullins-trained Dysart Dynamo, who won the bumpers at Clonmel and Punchestown and looks to be a very smart horse.

Jockey Jordan Gainford is really stamping himself – he took the leap of faith to turn professional this year and he’s reaping the rewards with a Cheltenham Festival winner on The Shunter then he rode a treble at Down Royal recently – he looks a different class.

Then from the training ranks, one name will be familiar as Emmet Mullins is the nephew of champion trainer Willie, and he has enjoyed winners at Punchestown, Cheltenham, a Grade Two at Kempton and his horses ran well at Aintree this season.

From the other side of the Irish Sea I’m impressed by the new champion jockey Harry Skelton while his brother Dan has really stamped his authority on the game.

A WELL-DESERVED BREAK

ONE of the best new initiatives in Irish racing is that jump jockeys can now enjoy a proper holiday lasting 24 days. The eight meetings between 7 and 30 June will be restricted to conditionals and jockeys who have ridden fewer than 15 winners in the past year.

It’s a fantastic opportunity for them and it means the busier lads and the senior jockeys get the chance to rest up and get their bodies back in shape without worrying about championships or your rivals getting an advantage on you.

Meanwhile, all is looking good as I recover from my broken neck – everything is healed how it needs to be, so I just need to find the right date to go back at it all again and I can’t wait.

Before then it’s sales season, starting at Doncaster, where everybody will be looking to stock up, then we’re also into festival territory with the likes of Killarney, Listowel and Galway.

Overall, it’s been a marvellous year and all credit to the medical staff in the industry for keeping the whole thing safe and allowing us to carry on. We’ve a lot to be proud of.

You can also read this exclusive column in the 13 May issue of Horse & Hound.

Kim Bailey: ‘Has Rachael Blackmore saved the public’s faith in racing?’ H&H Plus

Kim Bailey — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 14:00:14 +0000

Kim Bailey on the National, and why English trainers are in panic mode

GRAND NATIONAL-winning jockey Rachael Blackmore has brought our wonderful sport back on the front pages of the national newspapers for all the right reasons.

The sport has suffered a difficult 12 months and Rachael has produced good stories in bucketloads – what she has achieved over the past month is staggering.

She is a remarkable rider; she takes no prisoners as she is tough and hugely competitive on the racecourse, then charming, shy and understated in post-race interviews.

What the two English racing festivals, Cheltenham and Aintree, have revealed though is a huge bias towards Irish runners – to such an extent that trainers on this side of the Irish Sea are panicking that our horses are not good enough.

Irish-trained runners won 23 of the 28 races on offer at the Cheltenham Festival. Then in the Grand National, 12 of the 15 who finished were trained in Ireland.

Thankfully, we had a winner at Aintree with our own well-named Happygolucky, owned by Lord and Lady Dulverton and ridden by David Bass in a race in which every single horse was trained in England. Weren’t we lucky to have no Irish-trained horses to take on!

SUPPORTING THE INDUSTRY

THE racing industry in England needs to look at itself to see why we are showing such poor results, and the lack of prize money is a big issue.

The Irish Government backs and supports its racing industry, realising that it is a huge part of their economy. This is probably why nearly half of the Irish-trained winners at the Cheltenham Festival had UK-based owners.

There is far too much racing in Britain – mostly used for bookmaker fodder – and as a result, betting becomes its sole supporter. However, that is an area in big danger while the Government looks upon gambling as a major disease.

Another major difference between Britain and Ireland is that point-to-pointing is the Irish breeding ground of champions, and no sooner than a potential star passes the post in front, there is a clamour of trainers begging to buy. You can say what you like about what the horse might cost, but the pick of the crop usually stays on home soil, which makes it very hard to compete.

The other issue is that UK trainers do not run their horses against each other often enough, because we are far too worried about statistics; winning is what sells, not finishing second, so we try to cherry-pick the races that are the easiest to win. We need to be tougher.

A PHENOMENAL JOCKEY

TO finish, I would like to wish Richard Johnson a very happy and well-balanced retirement. A phenomenal champion jockey who, annoyingly for him, spent the best part of 20 years in the shadow of Sir Anthony McCoy, but when left alone on AP’s retirement, won the jockeys’ championship four times.

Richard is a hugely popular and wonderfully understated man, who will be sorely missed on the racecourse. He gave it his all and no man has ever retired with so much respect and admiration. He is a true gent.

This exclusive column is also available to read in this Thursday’s H&H magazine (22 April, 2021)

Davy Russell: ‘There’s no better person to pass the mantle to’ H&H Plus

Jennifer Donald — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 14:00:27 +0000

Dual Grand National winner Davy Russell reflects on a momentous day

A SENTIMENT that really struck a chord for me came from the late Aintree chairman Rose Paterson. She told me when I first won the Grand National in 2018 that winning the race was a fragile thing and the person receiving that honour should look after it carefully.

Hopefully I’ve done my part and I can’t think of a better person to pass the mantle to than Rachael Blackmore. I think Rose’s words would ring true with her, too, and I hope they will be remembered for many years to come.

You could see the delight in Rachael’s face when she crossed the line, but it was always going to happen for her. Many good female riders have tried before her, but that’s the calibre of Rachael – she stands alone not just as a female rider breaking the mould, but as a rider who has broken every ceiling this year by winning the Champion Hurdle, being crowned leading rider at Cheltenham, landing the Grand National and now she has a squeak at becoming Irish champion jockey, too.

From the second fence, my eye was drawn to three riders in sequence – Tom Scudamore on Cloth Cap, Mark Walsh on Any Second Now and Rachael on Minella Times. In the National, riders either catch the eye because of how well they’re travelling or because they’re not going well at all, and I followed Rachael step by step because she looked to be having a great ride the whole way round. Minella Times jumped fantastically for her with not a moment’s worry other than maybe getting a bit close at the third last, but he still didn’t touch a twig.

Always in control

LONG-TIME leader Sam Waley-Cohen’s run on Jett perhaps came to an end a bit sooner than the other riders would have anticipated, but Rachael was sat there in front with plenty of horse under her.

In the end, it was her stablemate who would be her biggest challenger – with Aidan Coleman riding 100-1 shot Balko Des Flos – but Rachael was always in control and the further she went, the less doubt there was in your mind that she would make history. She also led trainer Henry de Bromhead’s amazing one-two in the race.

It was a great result for JP McManus, too, whose horses finished first and third. Owners are such an important part of our sport, so it’s fantastic that all their input can be rewarded at this level.

I can’t say whether Mark Walsh and Any Second Now would have won had they not been unlucky in running and badly hampered, but it’s a huge credit to his horse for coming back after that to finish third.

Credit must also go to Aintree itself for the spectacle in difficult times. I had plenty of feedback from the lads there and they were so complimentary about everyone involved at the racecourse.

The end of a great era

MY final word must go to four-time champion jockey Richard Johnson, who announced his retirement last week. He was a huge talent from a very early age and exploded on to the scene, but was always knocking on the door behind AP McCoy – he certainly kept him on his toes for many years.

We had the pleasure of seeing Richard riding in Ireland a fair bit on the likes of Florida Pearl and I was around him a bit more during my time in England – he was always a great competitor, but an even nicer person. The way he came from out of the clouds and flew home to win the 1999 Stayers’ Hurdle on Anzum will always stick in my mind. It’s certainly the end of a great era.

This exclusive column is also available to read in this Thursday’s H&H magazine (15 April, 2021)

Davy Russell: ‘Racing is what we’re born and reared to do in Ireland’ H&H Plus

Jennifer Donald — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 15:37:04 +0000

Jockey Davy Russell reflects on Ireland’s dominance at this year’s Cheltenham Festival

I WAS gutted to have to sit out this year’s Cheltenham Festival, having broken my neck in October, but there were some great highlights to enjoy.

Of course, all the headlines have been about Rachael Blackmore as leading jockey of the Festival with six winners. She really is the complete package – she’s very brave, she has a marvellous pair of hands, she can suss out a race and seems to get into just the right position early in proceedings. Even when she looks as if she’d struggle, all of a sudden she’s in the box seat.

Like me this year, jockey Jack Kennedy was out injured last year and he missed the Festival but he came back brilliantly to ride four winners, including in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Then for Henry de Bromhead to train the winners of three championship races – the Champion Hurdle and the Queen Mother Champion Chase with the fillies, Honeysuckle and Put The Kettle On, and the Gold Cup with Minella Indo, is a huge achievement and a credit to his training ability.

But what also struck me this year was the spread of winning owners – 25 in total with just Cheveley Park Stud and Kenny Alexander taking more than one race apiece; gone was the dominance of the big names.

But then again, the likes of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede were knocking on the door, and in any other year they could have had a brilliant Cheltenham. That just tells you how competitive it was.

Everbody’s talking about Ireland’s dominance this year, with 23 wins to Great Britain’s five over the four days. You look at Brazil for football, New Zealand for rugby and Ireland for horse racing – it’s what we’re born and reared to do, so it’s no surprise that we’re finally getting really good at it!

These things always come in cycles, but are there things England needs to tweak to catch up with us? Maybe Ireland has hit on something with the Dublin Racing Festival that probably has catapulted us to another level.

We’re a small country and we often end up taking each other on with our horses, but our clashes are concentrated at the right time of year – we like to find out which are our best horses before we come to Cheltenham. But from our point of view, it’s no good unless the English horses are very competitive, too – we need that for the sport.

“The old Tiger was definitely back”

OF course, we were roaring Tiger Roll up the hill to win the cross-country race – he has a big fanclub here at home!

We were confident he was back ahead of Cheltenham. I schooled him one morning then Keith Donoghue schooled him another couple of days.

At home his work has always been the same, but he gets quicker, lower and faster at his jumps the better form he’s in, and he was starting to get back that speed in the past three weeks. The old Tiger was definitely returning.

He’d got a bit deliberate in his races and was jumping the fences a bit up in the air, so they’ve done a marvellous job with him at home – he went hunting and he does a lot of different things.

For the first time this year, they even jumped him into the water at a cross-country schooling place and he seemed happier again after that. You just have to keep changing things up with him because he gets bored pretty easily.

About halfway through the race, he really got away from the back of one of the fences and I knew from thereon he was going to be very hard to peg back. He’ll probably go for the Betway Bowl at Aintree next, which again will be something different for him. You never know, he could be back for the Grand National next year.

This exclusive column is also available to read in this week’s issue of Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday 25 March

Kim Bailey: ‘This saga has hit all horse sports’ H&H Plus

Kim Bailey — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 08:35:25 +0000

Now is the time to show transparency if we are to survive, says racehorse trainer Kim Bailey

BY the time you read this, the Cheltenham Festival will have been and gone. But this year the eyes of the world will be focused on us more than ever in the aftermath of one of racing’s most difficult moments, when a leaked photo of Gordon Elliott sitting astride a dead horse appeared on social media. As soon as it was leaked, by a third party, the world of social media went mad – it was a shocking image and one that can only be described as barbaric.

What Elliott did by posing on the back of a dead horse was foolish and totally unforgivable and the ramifications will reverberate around Elliott and racing for the rest of his life.

The result of his misdemeanour is that he is banned for six months and the Cheltenham Festival has had no Elliott-trained runners, but frankly the punishment is not what this is all about.

I’m sure everyone in racing and outside the industry thought Elliott’s picture was distasteful and disrespectful, although those of us who live in the country tend to see dead animals on a more regular basis, whether it be roadkill, manufactured by farming or country pursuits.

A very fine line

BUT racing treads a very fine line when it comes to how it fares with many outside our world. Of course there is a perception of cruelty, but that is not the case. Our sport is highly regulated and we are proud of how well we look after our horses. I believe we are the best in the world when it comes to horse management and welfare.

Unfortunately many headline-writers don’t want to know that. Bad news does sell papers and Elliott’s picture has given some in the mainstream press a reason to get their teeth into and kick our sport for all the wrong reasons.

Elliott has risen through the ranks, he has taken the dream of being a top racehorse trainer by the throat and has achieved almost the impossible. He has grafted and I am sure through his determination he has forced his way to the top, but now he must show the strength of character that got him there to be able to save his career and rebuild, knowing that his unbelievably foolish mistake will haunt him.

I believe he will, but it will take a lot of persuasion for the public to trust racing again after the long-term damage the photo has done to the sport.

It is not just racing this saga has hit. It is all horse sports and those of us who are wrapped up in horses must show transparency and openness to all if we are to survive. There is no better time than the present to open our doors to show the public how we care for and love our animals.

Remember that mobile phones and cameras are everywhere and if you wouldn’t want something you’re doing appearing all over social media, it’s a clear sign you shouldn’t be doing it.

This exclusive column was also published in H&H magazine, Thursday 18 March 2021 issue

Kim Bailey: A plan that comes to fruition H&H Plus

Kim Bailey — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 08:00:38 +0000

It is hard to believe that it is just over four weeks since Imperial Aura won the Northern Trust Company Novices’ Handicap Chase on the Tuesday of the Festival.

In normal circumstances, I would be reliving and savouring a Festival winner like no other. My marketing tactics would be in overdrive, pushing the good news out there in the hope it would bring new owners – so I could go to the sales and restock for the winter. Sadly, since that great Festival week, we have all been in total lockdown owing to the coronavirus pandemic, with all racing and sales now off.

Thinking about Cheltenham, I can only smile with satisfaction that a plan hatched came to fruition. Imperial Aura is a syndicate horse, who was first bought by Kevin Ross for Ian Robinson of Imperial Racing at the Goffs Land Rover Sale in June 2016, for €26,000 (£22,730).

Ian owns many horses and, under his Imperial Racing banner, he also sells shares in his horses. To cut a long story short, my assistant, Mat Nicholls, is a friend of Ian’s and has been badgering him to send us a horse – finally Ian gave in and sent us Imperial Aura.

The gelding was always going to be a bit of a star, but when he made his debut at Kempton Park in a bumper, we were surprised that he was beaten into third. He did then go on to win a bumper shortly after at Ludlow.

His second season saw him run twice over hurdles (winning both) but he was plagued with sore shins, so we decided to rest him and be patient.

The following season, he ran well in a competitive hurdle at Chepstow and then I wanted to go over fences with him. The plan was to have three runs and then win at the Cheltenham Festival – easy, right? What were the chances that plan would come to fruition?

“We should continue to dream”

Imperial Aura won at 25/1 in a three-horse race at Fakenham on his chasing debut, which was hairy stuff to watch. We decided to go to Cheltenham to see how he coped with the course. He was second to Pym over three miles, which was probably too far for him. Then it was back to Cheltenham on Trials Day and once again we finished second.

He proved himself good enough to run at the Festival. The big day arrived and his band of owners had grown out of all proportions. There are 10 people involved in Imperial Aura, but on that Tuesday, standing in the paddock waiting for jockey David Bass, it felt like there were at least 40.

They had all had a flutter on him, so when three out in the race it looked like he was “home and hosed” (bar a fall), they all started to go mad. Then the Gordon Elliott-trained Galvin appeared out of the pack – they were the only two horses in the race jumping the last, but Imperial Aura sprinted to the line to win.

It might not have been the Gold Cup, but who cares? Imperial Racing and their followers took no prisoners when it came to celebrating their big win, taking over the winner’s enclosure. But that is what racing is all about – teams of happy faces from all walks of life, enjoying something special that most owners can only dream about.

During these tough times, we should hold our heads high and continue to dream. Owners fantasise about winning at the Cheltenham Festival and when that comes true, it should be bottled and sold to all. Trust me, there is nothing more exciting than being there and achieving it.

Unfortunately, Lauren Jack, who looks after and adores Imperial Aura, has been furloughed until all of this is over. Jockey David Bass is self-employed and therefore out of work, so it is dark days for all.

Keep safe and well – let’s pray for some form of normality returning one day soon and I am dedicating this column to the NHS, for all they are doing to help us.

Ref Horse & Hound; 16 April 2020

Marcus Armytage: It’s unique, like no other race H&H Plus

Horse & Hound — Tue, 07 Apr 2020 08:00:54 +0000

We all had a bit of fun with the virtual Grand National, which was won by the Christian Williams-trained, Welsh National winner Potters Cross, on Saturday, 4 April. It was watched by nearly five million people – half the number who watched the actual Grand National in 2019 in the UK, but about seven times the number who watched the virtual National the same year.

More importantly, though, bookmakers raised a staggering £2.6m for the NHS. This was an amazing amount, given that the maximum bet was £10 per horse, per person, and the average amount bet was just over £2.

There was some entertaining banter around it. Within minutes of having fallen at the second last when going clear on Aso, jockey Charlie Deutsch had changed his Twitter profile picture to his “virtual fall”.

Winning the Grand National is such a special thing – such a unique feeling like no other race and not even the Cheltenham Gold Cup comes near it. Barely a day has passed in the 30 years since I won on Mr Frisk in 1990 that it has not been mentioned to me by someone.

So a part of me was sad at the end of what would have been National day, when I’d have been driving home from Liverpool – still excited by the thrills and spills of the race – because someone has been denied what could have been a genuine life-changing and career-altering moment.

My tears are not for trainers like Gordon Elliott, Willie Mullins or those who have tasted victory before, but for the smaller outfits like Christian Williams and Robert Walford, trainers respectively of Potters Corner and Walk In The Mill – the first two home in the virtual race, who both had excellent chances going into the real thing.

Yes, they might both be back next year with similar chances, but the horses had been in good form this season. They’ll return aged 11, but probably not getting any quicker with another crop of younger horses to take on.

‘It will be back’

I celebrated the 30th anniversary of Mr Frisk’s Grand National win with, ironically, a seven-mile run to get me out of the house.

I have always been a great believer in fate and – for me to have won a National – having your stars aligned on the right day. It was fate how I got a late spare ride on the Kim Bailey-trained Mr Frisk, a firm-ground specialist, at Doncaster three years before the National.

During my winning ride, at Becher’s Brook second time, I went past the front-running Uncle Merlin with jockey Hywel Davies perched precariously on his ears after a mistake. I was convinced Hywel would get back in the saddle and rejoin me again at the Canal Turn, but I never saw him again.

That it was one of only two Nationals run on the firm since World War II redoubles my belief in fate. But the more I think about it, the luckier I think I was. What if there had been coronavirus in 1990? Watching replays and seeing how close we had lined up on the tapes – our horses’ noses touching it – what if that had been the year for the false start and void National, which happened three years later?

It would have been fun to be at Aintree for the 30th anniversary of my greatest day, but I can live without that. While fate worked in my favour back then, it has conspired against all 40 runners this time. Next year, it will be back as strong as ever I’m sure.

Ref Horse & Hound; 9 April 2020

Brough Scott: Taghrooda has a sprinkle of stardust [H&H VIP]

Brough Scott — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 09:00:57 +0000

In horse racing, as in the rest of life, anticipation usually far outruns reality. But not last Saturday at Ascot and not again, if the fates oblige, when the runners strain up the Longchamp straight for the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe in October.

For in a summer in which racing has often become all but invisible on the sports pages, the challenge that the filly Taghrooda laid down to her male rivals in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes was stark and simple enough to grab attention.

And what she did on the track when Paul Hanagan asked her to course down the four-year-old colt Telescope and the Eclipse Stakes winner Mukhadram was something anyone who loves animals or athletes can store in the memory.

For these were horses with real ability and back-stories to match. In the build-up to last Saturday we could at last revel in racing’s ability to intrigue. Telescope was the horse from a Highclere syndicate that famously included Sir Alex Ferguson, but who had never quite delivered on his reputation until a quite devastating seven-length success at Royal Ascot last time out.

That was matched at the meeting only by the way Taghrooda’s John Gosden-trained stablemate Eagle Top had sauntered up a day earlier in what was only the third race of his three-year-old life.

Flat racing, when it works offers an absolute — the very best bred, trained and ridden thoroughbreds striving for the line with no quarter asked or given. There should be no hiding place and there was none on Saturday as Leitir Mor did pace-making duties for last year’s Irish Derby winner Trading Leather, Mukhadram went for home in the straight and Taghrooda finally flashed past the post in a brutal 2min 28.13sec for the Ascot mile-and-a-half.

She had an expanding three lengths at the post but she had needed to work for every inch of them. Two furlongs out she was still a couple of lengths adrift of Telescope and Mukhadram as those two locked-in together, and Paul Hanagan was just the right side of frantic as he gathered his filly for an ultimate effort.

It was not until the furlong pole that she got to the duelling pair but as she drew away from them she did something that only this form of athletics can do — she conjured the past from the present.

Like father…like daughter

Five years on since Sea The Stars stormed unbeaten through a uniquely demanding season, here was his daughter continuing her own unsullied victory roll.

What is more, there is every chance that she will aim to bow out, as Sea The Stars did, with victory at Longchamp, where she will not only renew rivalry with some of Ascot’s principals but is likely to face the English and Irish Derby winner Australia, last year’s dazzling Arc heroine Treve and her sire’s extraordinary German-bred son, Sea The Moon. If the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth was a story to keep racing on the sports pages, this Arc should nearly make the front.

Having both Taghrooda and Sea The Moon in the field from what is Sea The Stars’ very first crop of foals is little short of astonishing. It is as if Usain Bolt had retired after the Beijing Olympics and had a son and a daughter going for gold medals at this week’s Commonwealth Games. It will not be easy for either colt or filly but, wow, they have got some of their father’s stardust.

Taghrooda had her day last week, but wait until you see her brother. Sea The Moon may have won all his four races in the less competitive field of his native Germany, but what he did last time out in the German Derby is almost beyond amazing.

If you haven’t watched it, put “Sea The Moon — Deutsches Derby” into YouTube and prepare to rub your eyes in wonder. Sea The Moon lollops along in front and then runs right across to the stands rails to win by 11 lengths from Lucky Lion, who last Sunday [27 July] beat Frankel’s admirable full-brother Noble Mission.

Perhaps the ground was much faster under the stands rails, but perhaps also Sea The Moon is a freak. Whichever way you look at it, anticipation is off and running.

This column was first published in Horse & Hound magazine (31 July, 2014)

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