Epsom

Try as they might - and by golly the good folk at Epsom tried - you can't hold back the rain. A day which should have dawned full of hope and expectation after so much attention to detail in improving the Derby Day experience instead brought black clouds and bluster across the Epsom Downs. Good for the farmers, not so for the frolickers. But no amount of rain could dampen the spirits of Tom and Kathleen Whelan, decked out in pink to support their son Ronan riding in the second...

Saturday's G1 Betfred Derby had added drama as the 3-1 favourite Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel) was declared a non-runner after finishing 10th. Video evidence reviewed after the start revealed that the Aidan O'Brien-trained Chester Vase winner had his left hind leg on the stalls shelf as the gates opened, effectively putting him at a disadvantage as he began on three legs. After a stewards inquiry, it was deemed that he had been denied a fair start and he had his chance "materially affected at the start" of the Classic. Aidan O'Brien said, "That...

In conditions more akin to the festive period then summertime at Epsom, Ballydoyle's Christmas Day mastered the gruelling test the 2026 G1 Betfred Derby became to provide Camelot with his first Blue Riband. The subject of increased support as every shower rained down on the Surrey venue, the 7-1 shot was sent forward by Ronan Whelan to race second from the outset and when committed in early straight galloped relentlessly to a 2 3/4-length success from Maltese Cross (Sea The Stars). Third was James J Braddock (Zarak), 2 1/2 lengths...

Staged in the relentless drizzle and mirk that arrived with vicious timing to dampen Derby day, Saturday's G1 Coolmore Coronation Cup came down to survival of the fittest with Victorious Forever's Bay City Roller (New Bay) overwhelming his rivals for a 10-length victory. With the 5-4 favourite Calandagan (Gleneagles) unable to raise a leg and Ballydoyle's leading hope Jan Brueghel (Galileo) struggling from the outset in ever-worsening conditions, it was left to Oisin Murphy to enjoy an armchair ride around Epsom on the four-year-old who had already proven his love...

Shapoor Mistry is no newcomer to breeding. He's been at the game for 40 years in his native India where he owns Manjri Farm and has won his home Derby on several occasions. But he described winning the Betfred Oaks with his homebred Thundering On as being "like a dream come true".  He said, "It's tough to win big races anywhere in the world and especially tough in England." That may be but Thundering On really didn't make it look tough at all as she motored down the home straight...

Friday's G1 Betfred Oaks looked a competitive renewal beforehand, but in the end it was Shapoor Mistry's homebred Thundering On (Frankel) who held sway in a show of dominance. Sweeping from last to first with Dylan Browne McMonagle ice-cool careering towards his first Classic success, the well-backed 5-1 shot brushed aside Legacy Link (Dubawi) to win by 3 3/4 lengths. "It was effortless, she's so, so talented," the rider said of the winner who had only been breaking her maiden last month in the Salsabil. "We were coming into the...

And so it comes down to this: 14 runners are set to go to post for the Betfred Derby, which, with a newly elevated prize fund of £2 million, is the co-richest race in Britain in 2026. Five British-breds will take on six horses born in Ireland, two in Germany and one in France, with their origins representing the broad spectrum, from a homebred for one-mare owner Jennifer Dorey to four colts representing the most powerful bloodstock operation in the world, Coolmore. Ten of them were sold either as a...

With just six horses in training in Europe, Shapoor Mistry operates on a scale that is dwarfed by the powerhouse operations - but it has proved no barrier to success for the Indian native who, off the back of a dream fortnight stacked full of important winners, could enjoy his greatest success yet when homebred Thundering On (Frankel) lines up in the Betfred Oaks.  Bloodstock agent Anthony Stroud has played a massive role in Mistry's excellent run of form. Recent juvenile winners Havana Lightning and Shimmering Sun, along with Group...

The birdsong is briefly interrupted as a pair of colts gallop by. Nothing too strong now, for the major work is done. Maltese Cross and Tenability breeze on up Newmarket's Al Bahathri, giving rise to some contented muttering from the father-and-son team watching on. Sam Haggas was only three years old and was "left at home" the day that Shaamit won the Derby for his parents William and Maureen 30 years ago. He plays a different role these days, as the buyer of his father's fifth Derby runner and racing...

Two special guests will make the pilgrimage to Epsom this weekend to mark the 150th anniversary of the Derby victory of the Hungarian-bred Kisber, a sporting achievement still lauded in the country of his birth. Andras Krebs, the deputy director of Kincsem Park racecourse in Budapest, will attend this year's Derby with his wife Linda, bringing with them commemorative coins of Kisber's great win, which will also be given as prizes for this year's Hungarian Derby. In what was an extraordinary era for Hungarian racing, Kisber was foaled the year...

Aidan O'Brien's seven-strong Betfred Derby team is headed by Benvenuto Cellini (Frankel) as 17 horses were left standing for the Epsom Classic at the latest forfeit stage on Monday. It was Dee Stakes winner Constitution River that led home an O'Brien-trained one-two-three in the French Derby at Chantilly on Sunday. Fellow Chester scorer Benvenuto Cellini is joined by Pierre Bonnard (Camelot), Action (Frankel), Causeway (Wootton Bassett), Endorsement (Wootton Bassett), Christmas Day (Camelot) and Proposition (Frankel) at the five-day stage. Although holding an exceptional hand once again in a race he...

His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen will attend Betfred Derby Day at Epsom Downs, the Jockey Club has revealed.   Their Majesties are joint Patrons of The Jockey Club, which owns and runs Epsom Downs Racecourse. Both Their Majesties are Honorary Members of The Jockey Club and became the organisation's joint Patrons in May 2024, succeeding Queen Elizabeth II who was Patron for 68 years, from 1954 until her death in September 2022.  Jim Allen, General Manager of Epsom Downs Racecourse, said, "We are honoured and thrilled that...