Build up to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe

A slick video promoting the 2015 running of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in which Treve seeks a third Arc crown.

Stobart Flat Jockeys Championship 2015

Latest standings in the Stobart Flat Jockeys Championship

1. Silvestre De Sousa (110 wins)
2.= William Buick (80)
2.= Paul Hanagan (80)
4. James Doyle (74)
5. Luke Morris (73)

British Champions Series - fantasy racing 2015

A very eventful running of the Ladbrokes St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday earned us a useful 99 points and moved our stable inside the top 250.

Aidan O'Brien and Bondi Beach (2/1f) won the race in the stewards' room after an enquiry which saw Simple Verse demoted to second place for interference, despite being first past the post. The reversal saw us earn 76 points as a result.

There are no more races in the series in September. Next month, after The Kingdom of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket, all attention turns to the finale - QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on 17 October. With double points on offer, it can all be won and lost. Luckily we still have some transfers to use up.

British Champions Series - fantasy racing 2015

194 points earned in the Doncaster Cup on Friday saw us leap 200 places on the leader board, inside the top 300.

We selected the first two home in Pallasator (9/2) and Clondaw Warrior (7/1) and also had the jockey aboard each of them as well  - Andrea Atzeni and Frankie Dettori.

Neither trainer Sir Mark Prescott nor Willie Mullins are available in the game, so there were no points to be earned from them.

A useful 45 points were earned from Luke Morris and Graham Lee for their rides in the race.

Stobart Flat Jockey Championship 2015

Silvestre De Sousa (106) has extended his lead in the Flat jockeys championship to 29 wins over second-placed William Buick (77).

 Championship standings 

1. Silvestre De Sousa (106 wins)
2. William Buick (77)
3. Paul Hanagan (75)
4.= James Doyle (70)
4.= Luke Morris (70)

Sporting Life Pick 6 - Kempton and Haydock

This Saturday's Pick 6 takes in races at Haydock and Kempton:

1.45 Kemp Jack Hobbs
2.00 Hayd Sovereign Debt
2.20 Kemp Mutawathea
2.35 Hayd High Secret
3.10 Hayd Lexington Place
3.45 Hayd Magical Memory

Combined odds: 55,583/1

Jockey Turner announces her retirement

Back in 2013 when jockey Hayley Turner was on the sidelines with injury I wrote a couple articles on the importance of jockeys staying in the limelight.

I wrote at the time:

"one hopes that Hayley Turner does not drop off the radar after her recent injury (broken ankle) which will keep her out of action for 6-7 weeks. The injury comes shortly after she split from trainer Michael Bell, who gave her 157 rides in 2012 and more than 650 in the last five seasons. It is likely she will miss Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Day at Ascot in early August too, a high-profile, televised meeting. 

The combination of recent events, one on top of each other, means their impact is multiplied. Out of sight; out of mind."

Unfortunately, with the announcement of her retirement from racing at the end of the 2015 season, it does seem she has struggled to find the number and quality of rides she achieved in 2012 since that injury.


Jockeys need to stay in the limelight

http://turfaccounts.blogspot.com/2013/07/staying-in-limelight.html

http://turfaccounts.blogspot.com/2013/08/staying-in-limelight-part-2.html

Racing hacks bank holiday woes

Spare a fleeting thought for racing journalists who got stuck with the Bank holiday shift yesterday.

Probably already not feeling great after a Sunday session in the pub, what you really want when running a racing desk on a Bank holiday Monday is a quiet day when nothing really happens

Bank holiday's usually have a busy racing programme, so all that is required is a few nice stories for your race meeting review and then put your coat on as the "lucky last" goes off and you're out the door three strides after the winner has gone past the post.

Not yesterday, however.

First, there was the story of former Olympic cyclist Victoria Pendleton having her first ride as an amateur in the last race at Ripon. So you know that regardless of whether she wins or not, you'll have to wait around for some quotes to be filed and write up a more detailed review of the race than a Class 6 amateurs' handicap usually warrants. No dashing out of the door before the "weighed in" has been called.

On top of that there were the retirement announcements of two racehorses and a jockey in the form of Hurricane Fly, Telescope and Hayley Turner.

This means more quotes, more articles to file and all the while trying to remember how many races they won, which races and when.