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Withington trainer Fergal O'Brien, who more than doubled the stable strength of National Hunt yards within close proximity of Andoversford with his move to new premises last year, has started the season in fine style. The new yard has sent out more winners than any other British trainer in July, recording 10 winners from 35 runners at a strike rate of 29%. One could be forgiven for thinking yard ...

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Gloucestershire trainer Christian Leech, whose wife Sophie holds the licence for their growing operation in Newnham, raised the thorny issue of comparative prize money again this week in an article in the Guardian.  Leech, whose stable enjoyed 9 winners from 100 runners last season, has had as many runners in France as in the UK since the resumption of racing on July 1st, with 60% running in...

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After a fortnight of behind closed doors Jump racing in the UK, trainers based in Gloucestershire are outperforming their peers in making up for lost time on the winners' chalkboard. After 7 fixtures, and a splendid 64 races, 11 have returned successfully to the county.  Jump racing during the summer can rarely be described as of the highest quality, but owners' patience in retaining horses ...

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Ilona Barnett, raceday steward at Andoversford and a mainstay of the raceday team that delivers the annual Andoversford Races, has been elected Chair of the Point-to-Point Secretaries Association, and joins the Point-to-Point Authority board to represent the interests of the 170 or so fixtures across the UK. With a solid background in farming, Pointing and racing, Ilona should be able to make her...

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Young people have never had such a range of education and training opportunities across all sectors as now, and Racing is one sport which has really got to grips with the career development of its entry level candidates. However, like all top flight sport, the pyramid of excellence narrows considerably, so it’s no surprise to see people in middle management often leaving to find better rewa...

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During lockdown, most businesses have focused on trying to keep afloat, whilst applauding the efforts of the medical professionals keeping us healthy. But one racing business has used its expertise to support the collective national effort.  The leading racing silks maker in Europe, Allertons, has changed course during the coronavirus crisis to support local hospitals and provide hundreds of...

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Did you get up in time to watch the Grand Annual in Australia on Tuesday, in the absence of being able to watch our own here at Andoversford? If so, you were rewarded with a  great race in the Warnnambool sunshine, fought out by previous winners Gold Medals and Zed Em, who were outpointed by young challenger Ablaze, trained bu Cieran Maher. It looks like our own version would sit very well a...

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Andoversford takes great pride in being the first site of the Grand Annual Chase in 1834, but our colonial cousins have adopted the rasce and then some. They are still racing in Australia and Tuesday's Waterfront by Lyndoch Living Grand Annual at Warrnambool is the most valuable running of the Grand Annual anywhere at AUS $315,000, (£161,000), and part of a breathtaking 8 race card worth Aus...

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On Friday March 13, Al Boum Photo became the first horse since Best Mate in 2003 to successfully win two consecutive Cheltenham Gold Cups. Accompanying the eight-year-old on his successful trip over the Irish Sea to take on the world's best chasers was jockey Paul Townend while trainer Willie Mullins was the mastermind behind the repeat. It was a race to rank with the best that Prestbury Parek can...

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With the news that all racing in the UK been cancelled due to Coronavirus, Peter Watton from OddsMonkey explains what this could mean for the sport — and the people that rely on it to earn their living. You'd have to be a hermit to have missed the news about the recent spread of COVID-19. The virus is set to cause huge damage to the world's economy and the health of the world's population. ...

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