Alan Varey

 Alan Varey of Batsford Stud in Gloucestershire admitted to being "lost for words" when presented with the Queen Mother's Silver Salver at the TBA's 11th annual National Hunt Breeders' Awards. The special recognition award is the highest honour bestowed by the TBA's National Hunt committee and recognises Varey's long and distinguished career in the racing and breeding industry. Sponsored by Goffs, the awards ceremony took place in Doncaster on Monday evening. Asked by host Nick Luck what gets him up in the morning, Varey replied, "Just seeing what we have in...

With racing in Britain suspended until at least the end of April, just days before the Guineas would have been run at Newmarket, the one certain thing in an uncertain world is that there will be some disruption to the Classic programme this season. Hopefully that will merely be some date changes. The last time there was a significant change to the British Classics was 25 years ago, when the Derby was moved from its traditional Wednesday slot to a Saturday. It still rankles in some quarters, though in this...