Robin Oakley

Sandown thrills

28 April 2016 1:00 pm

The difference between praying in church and praying at the racecourse, a gnarled old punter once said, is that at…

National review

14 April 2016 1:00 pm

With great victories in Flat racing you witness hats-in-the-air exultation. You see the pride of trainers who nurtured the winner…

National review

14 April 2016 1:00 pm

With great victories in Flat racing you witness hats-in-the-air exultation. You see the pride of trainers who nurtured the winner…

My Cheltenham misery

31 March 2016 2:00 pm

Everybody has their glory memory from Cheltenham this year. Some celebrate the extraordinary seven victories for the quietly confident Willie…

My Cheltenham misery

31 March 2016 2:00 pm

Everybody has their glory memory from Cheltenham this year. Some celebrate the extraordinary seven victories for the quietly confident Willie…

Farewell to Fergie

17 March 2016 3:00 pm

Writing a Turf column before the Cheltenham Festival, as the Spectator schedule requires, which you are reading only after the…

Farewell to Fergie

17 March 2016 3:00 pm

Writing a Turf column before the Cheltenham Festival, as the Spectator schedule requires, which you are reading only after the…

Nice guys do finish first

3 March 2016 3:00 pm

Richard Johnson, possibly the nicest man to occupy a saddle and certainly the most modest, once said of his Irish…

Nice guys do finish first

3 March 2016 3:00 pm

Richard Johnson, possibly the nicest man to occupy a saddle and certainly the most modest, once said of his Irish…

King of the hills

18 February 2016 3:00 pm

There are now two Kings of the Marlborough Downs. Leading jumps trainer Alan King has long trained top horses at…

King of the hills

18 February 2016 3:00 pm

There are now two Kings of the Marlborough Downs. Leading jumps trainer Alan King has long trained top horses at…

Second thoughts

4 February 2016 3:00 pm

Racing Life is all about judgment and I got one thing right at Cheltenham last Saturday after the overnight rain.…

Second thoughts

4 February 2016 3:00 pm

Racing Life is all about judgment and I got one thing right at Cheltenham last Saturday after the overnight rain.…

Small wonder

21 January 2016 3:00 pm

Cheltenham, Ascot and Sandown Park are wonderful but without the little tracks racing would be lost. It was perishing cold…

Small wonder

21 January 2016 3:00 pm

Cheltenham, Ascot and Sandown Park are wonderful but without the little tracks racing would be lost. It was perishing cold…

North-south divide

7 January 2016 3:00 pm

The well-bred Sea Pigeon, who had finished seventh in the Derby when trained at Beckhampton by Jeremy Tree, was later…

North-south divide

7 January 2016 3:00 pm

The well-bred Sea Pigeon, who had finished seventh in the Derby when trained at Beckhampton by Jeremy Tree, was later…

Wear The Fox Hat looks innocent enough but try saying it in an Irish accent

10 December 2015 3:00 pm

President Lyndon B. Johnson’s image never quite recovered in many people’s view from the photograph of him picking up his…

Wear The Fox Hat looks innocent enough but try saying it in an Irish accent

10 December 2015 3:00 pm

President Lyndon B. Johnson’s image never quite recovered in many people’s view from the photograph of him picking up his…

Essential racing books for Christmas

26 November 2015 3:00 pm

Do horses have souls or a ‘spirit’? When form expert Marten Julian was looking to buy a horse, he asked…

Essential racing books for Christmas

26 November 2015 3:00 pm

Do horses have souls or a ‘spirit’? When form expert Marten Julian was looking to buy a horse, he asked…

Triumphant Twelve

12 November 2015 3:00 pm

Three personalities dominated the Flat season: Gosden, Dettori and Golden Horn. Victories for the trio in the Derby, the Irish…

Triumphant Twelve

12 November 2015 3:00 pm

Three personalities dominated the Flat season: Gosden, Dettori and Golden Horn. Victories for the trio in the Derby, the Irish…

Jumping for joy

29 October 2015 3:00 pm

Thank God for jump racing. The Flat has its glitz and speed and glamour, and we could not help but…

Jumping for joy

29 October 2015 3:00 pm

Thank God for jump racing. The Flat has its glitz and speed and glamour, and we could not help but…