David Armstrong

Of the first three from last year's Middle Park to line up in Friday's G3 Commonwealth Cup Trial, David Armstrong's Coppull (Bated Breath) was the least-expected in the market but came back strongest to turn that form around. Smartly away under Rossa Ryan in the course-and-distance prep for Royal Ascot's three-year-old sprint feature, the 7-2 shot who had won the Richmond at Goodwood and been third in the Coventry here as well as the Middle Park surged away from the main pack passing two out and was in front soon...

David Armstrong has opened up on how a run of rotten luck has made him appreciate Coppull's Group 2 Richmond Stakes success at Goodwood even more before explaining how two decades of studying pedigrees has been made worthwhile with the emergence of his latest sprinting star. Armstrong's distinctive red and white silks have been carried by modern day bullets like July Cup winner Mayson, Prix de l'Abbaye heroine Mabs Cross (Dutch Art) and the classy Garswood (Dutch Art) but the owner-breeder endured his share of misfortune in recent years when...

With a hefty storm brewing overhead Goodwood, Highfield Farm's Coppull (Bated Breath) showed his rivals a clean pair of heels in Thursday's G2 Markel Richmond Stakes. Third in the Coventry last month, David Armstrong's homebred was 5-1 to provide Clive Cox with a third renewal of this six-furlong contest in seven years and was always happy in front of the group racing towards the stands under David Probert. Finding the fence late on, the colt named like most of the owner-breeder's horses after a Lancashire village kept up the momentum...

Mayson (GB) has been sold to his part-owner and breeder David Armstrong and will leave Cheveley Park Stud after completing 11 breeding seasons.  The 15-year-old son of Invincible Spirit (Ire) is out of the Pivotal (GB) mare Mayleaf (GB) and won five of his 18 starts for Richard Fahey, including the G1 July Cup and G3 Palace House S., as well as being beaten just a neck when second in the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye. At stud, he has been represented by the G1 King's Stand S. and July Cup...

As English racing prepares for the return of full capacity crowds from Monday, racecourses have issued some guidance and a number of requests to racegoers, including being vaccinated against coronavirus and taking up the government's offer for free lateral flow tests before attending a racecourse. The British Horseracing Authority and the Racecourse Association will not yet be introducing a Covid-certification system, but are working with the department of culture, media and sports to put the framework in place in the event that such a measure is needed. The Scottish and...

The date of June 1 has for several weeks been dangling tantalisingly over British racing as the earliest possible day of resumption for a sport which has been under wraps since Mar. 18, five days before country went into full lockdown. With restrictions having been eased in recent weeks, hopes continued to grow that racing could be one of the first professional sports to burst back into action from the coronavirus-enforced hiatus, but it took until 4pm on Saturday, May 30 for the government to grant its consent publicly. There...