Beckford

Whether the Classic picture is any clearer this week than last is debatable but what the last seven days have brought us is some truly impressive performances to savour. And it is hard to pick just one, though it has to be said that Portcullis's Wood Ditton run was visually the most spectacular for all that you could see the colt learning with every stride he took, from being left at the start, to bounding through then clear of his rivals.  His maiden success for the King and Queen played...

As the saying goes, 'One swallow does not a summer make, neither does one fine day', but Friday at the Curragh will live long in the memory as one fine day for Maurice Regan of Newtown Anner Stud. His young stallion Beckford (GB) was represented by his first runner and now boasts a 100 per cent strike-rate after that debutant, Beckman (Ire), overcame some trouble in running to win in impressive fashion. "It was a lot of fun," says Regan, whose voice is notably hoarse as he recalls the race....