Ian Balding with the Mill Reef statue Ian Balding has been paying tribute to the best horse he ever trained as he recalls the life and career of the great Mill Reef, one of the most popular racehorses of all time, who was born 50 years ago this year.
Anna and New Rich going down to the start (Photo copyright Debbie Burt - with thanks)When the phone rang on June 14 asking if I could ride in this year’s Magnolia Cup, my heart leapt. This was a race I had always wanted to ride in.
Tom Hiscocks stands beside his Drinking Horse Newbury racecourse marked the opening of its Flat racing season by installing a remarkable sculpture at the heart of the parade rings - Tom Hiscocks' massive yet finely realised depiction of a drinking horse.
Luke Harvey at last month's Barbury International Point-to-PointWhere do I start with Luke Harvey - the man who tweets as @LeglockLuke? Jockey, trainer, TV personality, comedian, bon viveur - all that and he's probably the best-known owner of point-to-pointers in Britain. Luke lives at Kingston Lisle - just over the downs from Baydon.
Francesca Altoft - on a pretty chilly day at Newbury RacecourseArriving at a race meeting last Saturday, braving some torrential rain and clouds hovering low on the nearby hills, a young photographer tweeted: "I've been coming here since 2011 and working here since 2014 and I still have to pinch myself every time I arrive...#LuckyGirl."
EdwardEquine Grass Sickness (EGS) is something most people who are involved with horses have heard of, yet many - like myself - are probably unaware of what it may involve.
Emma Lavelle Racing's Laura Scrivener with wet but victorious Woolstone One (Photo from @FfosLasRC)This will be Marlborough trainer Emma Lavelle's second full season at the Bonita Racing Stables in Ogbourne Maizey. Last season her horses flourished in the airy stables and on the all-weather and grass gallops.
Jimmy Fortune - at home Flat jockey Jimmy Fortune did not want his last race to be a wet September evening's Nursery Handicap qualifier on an all-weather track. So he was very pleased when trainer John Gosden gave him his last ride at Newmarket on Nathra in the Group One Sun Charriot Stakes on October 7 - the day he announced his retirement.
