The turf
My House of Lords dinner disaster
It was just a straightforward dinner in the bosom of the House of Lords, talking to members of the Jockey…
Only the Tote can save British racing
For the past 30 years Robin Oakley has taken you through the front door of the horse-racing world and kept…
After 30 years, it’s farewell to The Turf
It was Frank Johnson who as The Spectator’s editor asked me to mix my then day job as the BBC’s…
My most profitable day on a racecourse ever
The Champions Day finale at Ascot gave us, as it should, the best race of the season. Thanks to weather…
Gambling tax hikes could kill British racing
Back in the days when politicians were real flesh and blood rather than social media pushovers, I sat down with…
Where was everyone at Newbury?
The West Wing scriptwriter Aaron Sorkin had it about right when he said that so long as you keep one…
My favourite memory of Geoff Lewis
To be a great jockey takes character as well as ability and Geoff Lewis, whom we have lost at 89,…
Being a jockey is a tough ride
It has been quite some year for jockey-churning, the latest example being the mid-season decision by owner-breeder Imad Al Sagar…
The unorthodox appeal of the Shergar Cup
With DJs and MCs inviting the crowd to dance on the parade-ring steps as if they were on a beach…
How John Egan has stayed in the saddle
Pop stars rock on nowadays into their seventies. And jockeys too – despite the physical dexterity and instant-decision-making required –…
Labour is risking the future of racing
The only political party with a serious chance of winning office I will ever vote for again is the one…
‘Boldness was his friend in betting and in life’: A tribute to the great Barry Hills
I have always enjoyed Royal Windsor Racecourse, as it styles itself. It may not have quite so many dignitaries popping…
Is racing becoming too predictable?
An inquest into the Derby in the Oakley household was to be expected. Mrs Oakley, who bets about as often…
The racing victory I’ve enjoyed the most
Allegedly the most effective rain dance in the world is that performed by Native American Hopi Indians. The biennial 16-day…
The intrigue of the jockeys merry-go-round
Nearly always a thriller, Newbury’s Lockinge Stakes, instituted in 1958 and a Group 1 race since 1995, is an ever-welcome signpost…
My ones to watch this season
With racing there is always a little history involved. One of the few top races John Gosden has never won…
Is an Epsom renaissance on the way?
Through 30 years of living within walking distance of the Derby course I was ever hopeful of seeing Epsom’s status…
The Mullins men are a force to be reckoned with
Where would racing be without Willie Mullins? Even for a man who regularly rewrites the record books, who has 17…
My highlights from the Cheltenham Festival
When Poniros, trained by Willie Mullins, swept home in this year’s Triumph Hurdle as the first 100-1 Cheltenham Festival winner…
The Sandown meeting that’s a good predictor of next year’s prospects
I never enter a Cheltenham Festival week without thinking of the Irish punter who won enough on champion hurdler Istabraq…
The strange superstitions of the racing world
In racing, superstitions are rife. I once saw a trainer remonstrate with an owner for displaying a green handkerchief: green,…
What has Nicky Henderson done to irritate the racing gods?
‘It may well be that true riches are laid up in heaven,’ declared the blues composer W.C. Handy, ‘but it’s…
From the army to Folly House: the story of Jamie Snowden
It is around 3 a.m. in Northern Ireland in the early 2000s as two British soldiers share a dank ditch…
Will Kia Joorabchian’s gamble pay off?
A generous new Levy deal would be nice, as would English-based trainers producing as many winners as their Irish counterparts…
Hurrah for Constitution Hill
Hallelujah, he’s back. What we needed to take racing’s attention off the miseries of inadequate prize money, shrinking attendances and…
