It feels unnecessary for Roger Charlton to talk of building his profile. This, after all, is a man who won two Derbies in his first season some 28 years ago, and in the meantime has developed a reputation perhaps the equal of any other current British trainer in terms of pragmatism and maximising the potential [...]

Should Headway (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}) emerge triumphant in next month's G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas S., he will represent the culmination of more than 40 years of thoughtful endeavour by the Player family. Whatton Manor Stud, halfway between Grantham and Nottingham, was “about 50 acres of nothing and a dozen cow boxes” when Peter Player [...]

Suffice to say that the Qipco 2000 Guineas did not immediately spring to mind when Roger Teal first set eyes upon Tip Two Win (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}). The small May foal, a first to be bred as something of an afterthought by Surrey-based owner Anne Cowley, has taken all those associated with him by [...]

Most of racing's bloodstock powerhouses will be well aware of the fertility of Barry and Fiona Reilly's Woodcote Stud. It might come as more of a surprise to the casual observer that an operation set on 70 acres just a mile and a half from Epsom town centre would be capable of producing six top-level [...]

Attempting to make an impact in the bloodstock industry without any form of early equine education would surely be considered a disadvantage. Fortunately for Nick Bradley, he appears to have been blessed with the sort of restless and analytical mind which would be the envy of most dyed-in-the-wool horse folk. A former primary school teacher, [...]

There were many obstacles in the road when Richard Hughes made a high-speed manoeuvre from jockey to trainer in 2015. With experience, elite owners and even a Classic aspirant now in the stable, there finally seems to be a little time for a man who has been living on his nerves to ease his foot [...]

Radlett is generally associated with the leafy streets and luxury sports clubs befitting one of London's most exclusive commuter towns. This year, though, the Hertfordshire enclave could also boast a top-class racehorse as Librisa Breeze (GB) (Mount Nelson {GB}) prepares for the first of what could be many overseas assignments. The grey has already made [...]

Every day this week, a member of the TDN's Europe/International team nominates a horse of the season. Tom Peacock selects the Ascot Gold Cup winner. One performance during the course of a season will often provide the basis for a horse's rating. On sentimental and emotional handicapping calculations, the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot set [...]

A year of upheaval as Ed Walker relocated to Lambourn still delivered his highest total to date in terms of both winners and prizemoney. Given that the young trainer also inhabited four different yards during his six seasons in Newmarket, the chances of further improvement must be considerable now he has a firm footing. “My [...]

Months of chilly toil around Britain's six all-weather tracks is simply a means to an end for most jockeys. In Hollie Doyle's case, the sand provided the launchpad for bigger and better things once the Turf began in 2017 and it again presents an opportunity with most of the leading lights operating further afield. In [...]

John Murrell and Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez were responsible for one of the star turns of the 2015 Tattersalls December Mare Sale when they sold Qualify (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) a few months after her victory in the G1 Investec Oaks and it seems likely that the couple will be in the news again as the auction [...]

Josh Christian's coffee maker is in for further heavy use next November with the large and successful overseas Breeders' Cup contingent likely to be followed by another one in 2018. “I learned this year that the more we get, the less sleep I get,” he explains a little sheepishly. “It was two or three hours [...]