Ascot

A memorable Royal Ascot

29 June 2024 9:00 am

You tend to like a jockey who has just ridden you a 16-1 winner, as Callum Shepherd did last Saturday…

The turf

26 November 2022 9:00 am

The government may for the moment have disbanded its circular firing squad, but racing has never shown a greater ability…

The turf

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…

The turf

24 January 2020 10:00 pm

Racing’s New Year began well with the award of OBEs to both Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls, showing that they…

Racing for the app generation

18 August 2018 9:00 am

Making racing profitable depends on getting information at the right time. In the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood two Saturdays ago…

The turf

19 August 2017 9:00 am

‘Racing isn’t a team sport,’ the diehards used to tell us about the Shergar Cup, Ascot’s annual contest for three-rider…

The turf

22 July 2017 9:00 am

A woman I once encountered at the dining table whose prime years were clearly behind her described herself as ‘approaching…

Jumping for joy

29 October 2015 9:00 am

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

First he brought limp salad, and now it’s drizzling

Picnics

4 July 2015 9:00 am

Strange, isn’t it, that despite having such famously terrible weather, we Brits are so fond of a picnic. It’s something…

Girl power

23 August 2014 9:00 am

Mrs Oakley returned from her latest book club with an uplifting story. The Mother Superior of an Irish convent was…

Veterans’ day

17 August 2013 9:00 am

As part of the after-dinner entertainment on a cruise ship recently, I encountered a couple of comedians. One claimed he…