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A sweltering July Thursday afternoon is about as far removed from the Point-to-Point experience as you can imagine, but that hasn't stopped Cotswold-based trainers from capitalizing on the infrequent Jump racing fixtures taking place at this time of year, and Worcester, scenicly situated on the banks of the Severn, provided plenty of entertainment and success for our professional handlers yesterda...

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Martin Keighley is a man in a hurry, after he exceeded last year's sum total of winners with a double at Worcester yesterday. Mind you, last season was largely one to forget, but with horses like Pinnacle Peak, an accomplished 14l winner of the concluding handicap hurdle, he can be assured there is more to follow.  Worcester's scenic riverside track has a set of fixtures few would envy - lar...

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A son of the Cotswolds enjoyed a marquee moment today when former Point-to-Point rider and one time trainer at Postlip, near Winchcombe, James Grassick, trained his first winner in France, at St Malo.  Grassick, who sold up to start a new life with his young family at the Dreux training centre within a few miles of Mont St Michel last autumn, finally received his French training licence towa...

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Four of Gloucestershire's trainers have been making the most of the very limited opportunities available at this time of year over the past few days. Just four fixtures have taken place since this time last week.  The Fergal O'Brien stable continues to make the most of its opportunities, with a winner yesterday at Uttoxeter, another today at Southwell and a brace of seconds to accompany them...

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When a stable's in form, it's in form. Fast on the success of Martin Keighley and David Jeffreys yesterday at Worcester, the same pair have won again, this time at Southwell and Newton Abbot . And neighbour Graeme McPherson has got in on the act too. There's definitely something in the air around Stow-on-the-Wold presently.  Let's be honest now; heart beats aren't racing at dangerous levels...

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Martin Keighley was doubling up again today at Worcester at the end of a week when Jumping has played a supporting role to the Flat's greatest event in Royal Ascot. With just five fixtures before Sunday's double header at Hexham and Worcester, it was time to enjoy the exploits of erstwhile flat counterparts for most of the week.  That said, trainers usually best known for their jumpers were ...

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Amid the hoo-ha that surrounds Ascot week, one piece of Jumping news has escaped almost unseen, which will be viewed with sadness by a majority of the professional training community. Simon Claisse, Clerk of the Course at Cheltenham since 1999, is leaving the home of Jump racing.  With a background as a farm manager, and a pretty good record between the flags with some 60 winners to his name...

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Arnold Palmer once said,"The harder I practice, the luckier I get". It's an adage all too familiar to racehorse trainers, but sometimes when your luck is out, you just have to trade through it. Sometimes, luck is playing against you; sometimes, your horses are performing below their best; sometimes, they're just plain not good enough.  Two of the hardest-working people I know are Martin and ...

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Britain has a long history with horse racing dating back beyond Charles II's dalliances with Nell Gwyn on Newmarket Heath. The grandeur and elegance of some of the famous events capture the imagination of the public evenamong those that are not enthusiasts. The social aspect of a day at the races as you cheer on the horses that you’ve bet on is unique, and has been broadly welcomed...

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There were no fairy tale season endings at the last grand hurrah of the Hunter chase season at Stratford on Friday evening. The racing was highly competitive with some close finishes, none of which sadly included runners from Gloucestershire stables.  The closest we came to success was in the Pertemps Network Stratford Foxhunter, where the Fergal O'Brien-trained Captain Cattistock reached a ...

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