Ralph Beckett's winning way with the fillies
Fretful horses who waste their energies — and often their racing potential — ceaselessly pacing their stable dormitories are known…
Yes, I'm biased – but this was a great Royal Ascot
The one sight I was determined not to miss at Royal Ascot was that of the Queen from over the…
Cambridge, meet your first professor of racing lore
Watching the contestants parade at Epsom for this year’s Oaks, I remembered the great D. Wayne Lukas’s pronouncement on selecting…
Will racing waste its Scoop6 jackpot?
Eight people became millionaires last Saturday, collecting £1,342,599 each when the Scoop6 bet, which had been rolled over for 12…
My 12 tips for the racing year
In sport, winning is everything. Come second and only your parents and the dog remember. Most readers will have forgotten…
Own up, Twelve to Follow fans – which of you sabotaged my BMW?
Mrs Oakley takes a dim view of my using the BMW that consumed much of her savings to ferry sacks…
Sympathy for the bookies
We all have to adjust to reality, like the lady who entered a Barbados bar having already enjoyed several gin…
Why the other jockeys love Jamie Moore
In the parade ring just after Sire De Grugy had won this year’s Queen Mother Champion Chase, I found myself…
Comebacks, longshots and cruel disappointments: what makes Cheltenham Festival great
No sporting event anywhere compresses so much drama, emotion and character into a single venue as the Cheltenham Festival. It…
How Paul Bittar has kept British racing together
British racing is such a quirky minefield that some were surprised when in 2011 the authorities chose Paul Bittar, a…
The Grand National needs kinder weather
This year you don’t want to be a jockey’s valet. Never have their washing machines spun so vigorously. From every…
Women simply don't understand sport's importance
Liverpool manager Bill Shankly was once challenged with the story that for their wedding anniversary treat he had taken his…
When lawyers take to racehorses
Can you be both restless and content? Standing last week with Graeme McPherson on the viewing platform over his sharply…
How jockeys play dirty
At Christmas a friend from CNN sent me the story of a US officer on a European train. Searching for…
Why does Newbury alienate potential racegoers?
You don’t realise how much your pleasures mean until you are denied them. It was wonderful to get back on…
Christmas racing reading
In one of those old Mae West films a girl admires her friend’s jewellery: ‘Goodness, what lovely pearls,’ only to…
Racing: Here are the 'Twelve to Follow' for winter
Women truly are different. Recovering in a spare bedroom from the wonders of a hip replacement (don’t ever jump on…
How the slowest horse won — and caused the biggest upset in Grand National history
On a grey October morning, along a Berkshire lane leading up to the Ridgeway amid fields stuffed with pheasant, 30…
The Qataris are influencing every aspect of racing
Not having the odd £100,000 to spare, I had never before joined the world’s richest owners and their bloodstock agents…
The turf: bad-mane day for Tropics
At the degenerative stage of a dinner party recently I heard related with perfect timing the tale of the gent…
Dean Ivory — from mechanic and welder to enthusiastic and successful trainer
Trainers used to come into racing with Aunt Agatha’s legacy after a short service commission, having probably worn a trilby…
Robin Oakley: Henry Candy's brilliant bargains
Cape Peron was my easiest choice for our Twelve to Follow. When Henry Candy smiles his gentle smile, as he…
Most of the racing crowd were saddened that Godolphin was dragged through the mire
Driving to Newmarket through a biblical-style deluge that had sheep, cattle and horses queuing in twos in case Noah had…
Age triumphs at Ascot
As part of the after-dinner entertainment on a cruise ship recently, I encountered a couple of comedians. One claimed he…
Qataris invest heavily in British bloodstock
A fresh new breeze is wafting through British racing. Led by the enthusiastic Sheikh Fahad Al Thani, the Qatar ruling…
