The turf

A feast of feelgood emotion

27 November 2021 9:00 am

Ascot’s image is all champagne and fascinators, high society and high rollers. Said Art Buchwald: ‘Ascot is so exclusive that…

My tips for this season and a look back at our Flat Twelve

13 November 2021 9:00 am

There are Flat people and there are jumping people. People like the late Captain Tim Forster, trainer of three Grand…

A brace of new books worth the space in any racing library

30 October 2021 9:00 am

In 1986 a young Mark Johnston, having acquired a derelict yard on the Lincolnshire coast, phoned the Jockey Club to…

Charlie Appleby is the trainer to beat

16 October 2021 9:00 am

I know what Keats was on about with his mists and mellow fruitfulness, but autumn is less of a joy…

The making of a racehorse trainer

2 October 2021 9:00 am

My best fun, through ten years reporting European politics for CNN, was bumping around the Continent with sparky young producers…

My Arc de Triomphe tips

18 September 2021 9:00 am

The emphasis may all be on speed horses these days, with breeders interested only in horses that struggle to get…

The importance of second chances

4 September 2021 9:00 am

A Sandown Saturday proved the perfect send-off for 12 raceless days on the otherwise wonderful Isle of Mull. A Frankie…

A great contest without the skulduggery of the past

21 August 2021 9:00 am

Taking a day off racing to enjoy Joe Root’s regal 180 not out against India on the third day of…

Proper racing is back at last

7 August 2021 9:00 am

At last proper racing is back. Through the long days of lockdown horses and jockeys have still given their all…

Jockeys suffer online abuse just like footballers

24 July 2021 9:00 am

At least England’s defeat in the European Cup final has spared us the sight of Boris Johnson, who can scent…

The 4,000 spectators at Sandown Park weren’t short-changed

10 July 2021 9:00 am

When only four horses were declared to contest this year’s Coral Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park, there were the usual…

The rise of older jockeys

26 June 2021 9:00 am

There are many facets to Royal Ascot’s appeal. For some it is glamour, style and opulence. For some it is…

The Derby was a game of musical saddles

12 June 2021 9:00 am

We all know it takes courage to win races over jumps, along with athleticism, stamina and speed. But you need…

Racing badly needs the full relaxation of restrictions

29 May 2021 9:00 am

Humans are herd animals too. Jockeys, trainers, owners and those enjoying the few prized media attendance slots for racing behind…

My Twelve to Follow on the Flat

15 May 2021 9:00 am

Combing through race recordings to try to find some fun horses for Spectator readers this summer, I have been struck…

My top tip for the Grand National in 2023

1 May 2021 9:00 am

Want to know the winner of the Grand National in 2023? You heard it here first: when the ante-post books…

Hats off to Rachael Blackmore

17 April 2021 9:00 am

Sporting heroes in our modern world have an extra burden to carry. Within seconds of their triumph, with the adrenaline…

The secret of Ireland’s racing success

3 April 2021 9:00 am

How Father Sean Breen would have loved this year’s Cheltenham Festival. The late parish priest at Ballymore Eustace, who owned…

The true cost of Gordon Elliott’s crass stupidity

20 March 2021 9:00 am

Thanks to Covid, there could be no spine-tingling roar at the Cheltenham Festival this year as the first race runners…

Ireland’s love affair with horse racing

6 March 2021 9:00 am

With the Cheltenham Festival close, the quest for serious punting money intensifies. I had one potential contributor identified at Kempton…

The coup that nearly cost the bookies £10 million

20 February 2021 9:00 am

Since coup conspirators nearly won £10 million from the bookies, the sport has divided into two camps. Some grinned and…

My tips for Cheltenham

6 February 2021 9:00 am

Dry January it wasn’t and I am not referring to the trainers who normally undergo an annual abstinence but who…

In defence of gambling

23 January 2021 9:00 am

Doing good doesn’t always work out as expected. A regular entering his local pub takes pity on an old lady…

The poetry of Bryony Frost

9 January 2021 9:00 am

Hearing that the Queen has both a real and an official birthday, a small boy asked the obvious question: ‘Does…

The horse with a taste for human flesh

19 December 2020 9:00 am

Greville Starkey’s great victories as a jockey included the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Star Appeal at 119-1. In…