The story of Saturday's Temple Stakes contender American Affair is very much a family affair for Lanarkshire trainer Jim Goldie, with his deep knowledge of the pedigree and the devotion of his granddaughter, Alex, both playing their part in the spectacular rise of a five-year-old who started last season with a BHA mark of just [...]

Connections of the runners in Sunday's Poule d'Essai des Pouliches will be able to breathe a sigh of relief when they look around the ParisLongchamp paddock and discover that the Godolphin blue is nowhere to be seen. Their domination of the early-season Classics, on both sides of the Atlantic, had to end somewhere, though it [...]

It might seem a bit late in the year to be talking mating plans, but last week's call to Gary Hadden turned out to be a very timely one indeed, with the man at the helm of Craig Bennett's Merry Fox Stud having not one but two significant developments to report. Tragically, the first such [...]

The Arqana Series returns for its third year in 2025, with €1.2 million in prize-money and bonuses up for grabs across five races, including the Arqana Series des Poulains – won last year by leading Classic contender Maranoa Charlie (Fr). Bred by Haras d'Etreham, the 'TDN Rising Star' was eligible for the Arqana Series after [...]

The Sunday Racing silks were carried to a famous one-two at Nakayama on Sunday, but not in the order expected as Museum Mile (Jpn) (Leontes {Jpn}) toppled the unbeaten Croix du Nord (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}) to claim the first leg of the Japanese Triple Crown, the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2,000 Guineas). It was [...]

Japanese raider Soul Rush (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) stunned the Meydan crowds as he denied Hong Kong champion Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) in the shadows of the post to double his Group 1 tally in the $5 million Dubai Turf sponsored by DP World. The race is a 'Win and You're In' for the GI [...]

Raging Torrent (Maximus Mischief) made it back-to-back triumphs for trainer Doug O'Neill in the $1 million G2 Godolphin Mile sponsored by Emaar, producing an explosive performance from the front under Frankie Dettori to follow up his GI Malibu Stakes success at Santa Anita on Boxing Day. Closely attended by Mufasa (Chi) (Practical Joke) for much [...]

The British Flat season will officially get underway on Saturday with the sight of 17 unraced juveniles barrelling down the Doncaster straight for the traditional curtain-raiser that is the Brocklesby–the starting point for subsequent Group winners such as Hearts Of Fire (GB), The Last Lion (Ire) and Persian Force (Ire) since the turn of the [...]

“Has it really been that long?” queries Kevin Ryan after being informed of an anniversary looming on the horizon, that of it being two decades since Amadeus Wolf (GB) won the Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket. “I didn't think it was that long ago,” he adds, rubbing his face in apparent disbelief, elbows perched on [...]

Middleham trainer Ed Bethell on a career-best season in 2024, plans for stable star Regional and some exciting new recruits to the team at Thorngill Stables Everywhere from Doncaster to Dubai, Ed Bethell is preparing to unleash a handful of his stable stars in the next fortnight, fresh from a “tremendous” 2024 which saw the [...]

The return of Seven Days earlier this week allows us to close the book on the stopgap that was Winter Watch. Before you know it the first Classics of the season will be upon us, leaving the cold, dark months that spanned 13 editions of this column since it first came into being in November [...]

In a week that had everything but rarely went to script, it was only fitting that the prize which means everything in this sport should provide one final twist in the Hollywood blockbuster otherwise known as the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, with leading man Galopin Des Champs (Fr) (Timos {Ger}) having to settle for the runner-up [...]