Two runners from the Kentucky Derby meeting in 2024 will be offered wild card entries for the Epsom Classics run in June four weeks later.
A runner from the Edgewood Stakes, run on Kentucky Oaks day (May 3), will receive an entry and travel incentive for the Betfred Oaks on May 31, while a colt from the American Turf Stakes on Kentucky Derby day will get the same privileges for the Betfred Derby.
Jockey Club Racecourses and Ascot have been coordinating with Churchill Downs Incorporated to create links between historic races in the UK and the top turf races in the United Stakes, with the aim of increasing runners between the two countries.
With that in mind, there will also be wild card spots up for grabs in the Twin Spires Turf Sprint Stakes for the King Charles III Stakes (formerly King’s Stand) and the Old Forester Turf Classic Stakes for either the Prince of Wales’s Stakes or the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot.
In return, a runner from the Prince of Wales’s Stakes and the Queen Anne will receive the same incentive for the Arlington Million and a runner from the Falmouth will be invited to the Beverly D Stakes.
The winners will be invited but should they not take it up, the racecourses may turn to the placed horses instead.
Matt Woolston, assistant racing and international racing director at The Jockey Club, said: “We’re delighted to develop these links with races at the Kentucky Derby Meeting in its 150th year.
“A trip to Churchill Downs is one that should be on the bucket list for every racing fan, the world over. The Kentucky Derby itself can trace its origin back to Epsom Downs in 1780, when Diomed won the very first Derby, and we are proud to reinforce this historic link.
“These historic races already have an international reputation and we want to welcome more and more international runners in the years to come.”
Nick Smith, director of racing and public affairs at Ascot racecourse, said: “We are very excited to be working with Churchill Downs and the UK Jockey Club on this exciting new initiative.
“We were very pleased to play our part hosting the Churchill team at Royal Ascot last year, with the Kentucky Derby trophy on display as they built up to this important 150th running of the world’s greatest dirt race.
“We have a rich modern history of American runners at Royal Ascot and their success always adds hugely to the meeting.”
Gerri Colombe appears increasingly likely to travel across the Irish Sea over the festive period to contest the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.
So impressive when scoring at Aintree in the spring, Gordon Elliott’s charge made a successful reappearance with a last-gasp win in the Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal last month.
The leading Cheltenham Gold Cup contender has the option of remaining on home soil for the Savills Chase at Leopardstown on December 28, but Elliott is currently favouring the trip to Sunbury.
“He’s going to work Friday morning and if everything is okay, he’s going to go to Kempton,” the trainer said at Punchestown on Tuesday.
Gerri Colombe is the 11-4 second-favourite for the King George with the sponsors, who make last year’s winner Bravemansgame their 2-1 market leader despite suffering back-to-back defeats so far this season.
The Willie Mullins-trained Allaho is next on the list at 11-2, with Nicky Henderson’s Shishkin a 6-1 shot to claim victory on what will effectively be his seasonal debut, having refused to start at Ascot last month before subsequently missing potential outings at Newcastle and Sandown.
Royale Pagaille, who beat Bravemansgame in last month’s Betfair Chase at Haydock for Venetia Williams, is also a single-figure price at 8-1, as is Patrick Neville’s stable star The Real Whacker.
Gordon Elliott has branded reports that the British Horseracing Authority could limit the number of runners an individual trainer can run in major handicaps in Britain as “very dangerous”.
It has been suggested that the ruling body is consulting stakeholders to garner their views regarding the possibility of capping the amount of runners a trainer can declare in Class 1 or Class 2 handicaps to four.
If such a rule change was introduced, it would clearly have a major impact on the Randox Grand National at Aintree, as well as several handicaps at the Cheltenham Festival.
Elliott, no stranger to saddling multiple runners in high-profile races both in Britain and in Ireland, admits the prospect of being limited to how many horses he can run in a race is a huge concern.
“I think to try and cap an owner or a trainer’s horses is very dangerous,” he said after racing at Punchestown on Tuesday.
“If you go back to the 1960s, Tom Dreaper won seven Irish Grand Nationals in a row and he had 50 per cent of the field, although I know there weren’t big fields then.
“In 1983, Michael Dickinson had the first five home in the Gold Cup and then 20 years later Martin Pipe had eight and nine of the field in two races at the Cheltenham Festival – things haven’t changed.”
Elliott made the headlines last month when saddling 14 of the 20 runners in the Troytown Chase at Navan, a move which he staunchly defends.
He added: “There would only have been four runners in the Munster National if I didn’t run one in it, never mind eight, and it would have been the same in the Troytown.
“These races aren’t filling up and you have to try and support them for the sponsors and everyone.
“In the Galway Plate, I ran six horses for six different owners. It’s very hard for me to have to tell someone that they can’t run.
“We buy them all thinking they are going to be Gold Cup horses but a lot of them end up being three-mile chasers.”
When asked to comment on the potential move, a BHA spokesperson said: “From time to time, the BHA will contact stakeholders for views on various issues. We would not comment on speculation around private discussions.”
Gordon Elliott has branded reports that the British Horseracing Authority could limit the number of runners an individual trainer can run in major handicaps in Britain as “very dangerous”.
It has been suggested that the ruling body is consulting stakeholders to garner their views regarding the possibility of capping the amount of runners a trainer can declare in Class 1 or Class 2 handicaps to four.
If such a rule change was introduced, it would clearly have a major impact on the Randox Grand National at Aintree, as well as several handicaps at the Cheltenham Festival.
Elliott, no stranger to saddling multiple runners in high-profile races both in Britain and in Ireland, admits the prospect of being limited to how many horses he can run in a race is a huge concern.
“I think to try and cap an owner or a trainer’s horses is very dangerous,” he said after racing at Punchestown on Tuesday.
“If you go back to the 1960s, Tom Dreaper won seven Irish Grand Nationals in a row and he had 50 per cent of the field, although I know there weren’t big fields then.
“In 1983, Michael Dickinson had the first five home in the Gold Cup and then 20 years later Martin Pipe had eight and nine of the field in two races at the Cheltenham Festival – things haven’t changed.”
Elliott made the headlines last month when saddling 14 of the 20 runners in the Troytown Chase at Navan, a move which he staunchly defends.
He added: “There would only have been four runners in the Munster National if I didn’t run one in it, never mind eight, and it would have been the same in the Troytown.
“These races aren’t filling up and you have to try and support them for the sponsors and everyone.
“In the Galway Plate, I ran six horses for six different owners. It’s very hard for me to have to tell someone that they can’t run.
“We buy them all thinking they are going to be Gold Cup horses but a lot of them end up being three-mile chasers.”
When asked to comment on the potential move, a BHA spokesperson said: “From time to time, the BHA will contact stakeholders for views on various issues. We would not comment on speculation around private discussions.”
The remarkable patience of Elixir D’Ainay’s connections was rewarded as he made a triumphant return from almost four years on the sidelines in the William Hill Lengthen Your Odds Hurdle at Punchestown.
The JP McManus-owned gelding proved his ability in his first season with Willie Mullins during the 2019/20 campaign, notably chasing home Envoi Allen in a Grade One at Naas before falling two flights from home in the 2020 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham won by Shishkin.
Despite a mammoth absence totalling 1372 days, Elixir D’Ainay was a 4-5 favourite for his comeback in County Kildare and showed at least some of his talent remains intact with a comfortable victory.
Ridden by Mark Walsh, the nine-year-old looked to have a race on his hands after being chased into the home straight by Whimsy, but he knuckled down after the final flight to repel that challenge by two and a quarter lengths.
McManus’ racing manager Frank Berry said: “Willie had him entered in a chase and I’d presume that’s the road he’ll go down from here.
“It’s lovely to get him back and that was a lovely race to find for him. We’ll be happy now if the wheels stay on.
“He’s a fine, big horse and his form was very good around the time he got injured. It’s lovely to see him back and credit to all of Willie’s team.”
Elixir D’Ainay was one of three winners on the card for the champion trainer, with Paul Townend steering Embassy Gardens (8-11) and Blizzard Of Oz (5-4) to short-priced victories in the beginners chase and maiden hurdle respectively.
Townend was particularly impressed with Embassy Gardens’ jumping, saying: “He’s brilliant, when you’re riding him, you’d be encouraged to keep asking him everywhere but on that ground you can’t.
“It was the perfect introduction, he relaxed and jumped well. I didn’t have to be too hard on him but going around on that ground will take a bit out of them anyway.
“He raced properly with me today. He was too keen when he ran in the Albert Bartlett in Cheltenham, but I lit him up early. Today was just about getting him to do things right and he did, he couldn’t have done any more.
“He has loads of scope for the big one and he was a joy to ride. Hopefully, this will be his year.”
Jimmy Mangan’s Spillane’s Tower won the opening William Hill Ireland Rated Novice Chase for the McManus-Walsh combination.
Fourth behind the top-class Facile Vega at Navan last month, the five-year-old was the 9-4 favourite to make it third time lucky over fences in this lower grace and got the better of a duel with Firm Footings to do just that by a head.
“He had two great runs and he delivered today, so it was great,” said Mangan.
“It turned out to be a sprint, they went very handy for the first mile. He has a bit of class, he’s not too slow. I’ll be speaking to Mark and I’ll see what they want to do with him.”
Gordon Elliott’s point-to-point graduate Kish Bank (4-5 favourite) made a winning debut under rules in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Auction (Pro/Am) Flat Race, with Harry Swan in the saddle.
Elliott said: “He’s a grand horse. To be honest, I was kind of nervous about running him because he ran in a point-to-point a few weeks ago.
“He’s a horse for the future, a big horse and we’ll put him away now until next year. You might see him run in a graded hurdle or something but he won’t do much this season, as he’s a massive horse.”
Gordon Elliott’s promising novice chaser Imagine could head across the Irish Sea for a Grade One start at Kempton on Boxing Day.
The five-year-old began his chasing career this season, starting out at Fairyhouse in a beginners event he won by a comfortable two and a half lengths.
He then stepped up in class at Punchestown late last month to contest the Grade Two Craddockstown Novice Chase.
Under Jack Kennedy, Imagine was required to dig deeper than on debut but he did so to come home the winner when crossing the line half a length ahead of John Ryan’s Lucid Dreams.
A step up in trip is now afoot and so too is a step up in grade, as the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day is pencilled into his diary – a Grade One event run over an extended three miles.
Alternatively, Imagine holds two entries at Leopardstown’s festive meeting, over two miles and a furlong in the Racing Post Novice Chase and over three miles and half a furlong in the Neville Hotels Novice Chase – both Grade Ones.
He is also in Limerick’s Guinness Faugheen Novice Chase over nearly two and a half miles.
Imagine is owned by Andy and Gemma Brown of Caldwell Construction, whose racing manager Joey Logan said of the gelding: “We’re very happy with him, to be honest.
“He stepped up from his beginners in Fairyhouse and won the Grade Two and we were very happy with that.
“He wants further really, two miles is a bit short and we’re hoping we might step him up at Christmas time.
“I think the further he goes, the better he’ll be. We’re looking at the Grade One on Boxing Day at Kempton, that’s a possibility.
“He’ll have an entry and we’ll sit down with Gordon to discuss. If not, it’ll be Leopardstown but that’s what we’re thinking of at the moment.”
Jessica Harrington’s Jetara successfully stepped up to Listed class with a tenacious display in the William Hill Epic Value Mares Novice Hurdle at Punchestown.
The daughter of Walk In The Park is bred to be smart, being from the family of several high-class performers, including Jetson, Jered, Jett and Champion Hurdle hero Jezki.
Jetara was a Listed winner in the bumper sphere last season and went on to be placed in Grade Three company over hurdles in the new year.
She failed to fire on her first start of the current campaign at Down Royal but made the most of having her sights lowered when belatedly opening her account over timber at Fairyhouse last month and she was a 2-1 joint-favourite stepping back up in grade under Sean O’Keeffe.
The five-year-old mastered Banntown Girl halfway up the home straight and passed the post with six lengths in hand over the staying-on A Penny A Hundred.
Harrington said: “She was good. She’s got the experience from last year and is a second season novice basically.
“She goes on that heavy ground, unlike the rest of the family. She’s hardy now and she won going away, she quickened up great.”
Jetara will now bid to pick up more valuable black type in Graded company.
“I don’t know where we’ll go, she might get an entry in the mares’ race at Christmas (Grade Three Kerrymount Mares Hurdle at Leopardstown) and then there is one at the end of January (Solerina Mares Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse),” Harrington added.
“We’ll look at anything over two and a half miles or two-five. I might even try and find a three-mile race in England.
“The mares’ novice at Cheltenham is only two miles. I’d rather wait and go to Fairyhouse for the Grade One, that would be her aim in the spring.”
Deborah Cole is yet to decide the next destination for Long Distance Hurdle third Flight Deck, admitting she is still very much on a high from the bargain buy’s surprise heroics this autumn.
The nine-year-old won five times in 15 starts when previously trained by Jonjo O’Neill, but was picked up for just £5,000 at the sales in the summer and has since really enjoyed himself in his new surroundings at Cole’s Solihull base.
His first start for new connections was at Cheltenham in October when belying odds of 66-1 to grab the bronze medal in a Pertemps qualifier and he then excelled himself in even deeper waters when a close-up third behind staying stalwarts Dashel Drasher and Paisley Park at Newbury.
Those two performances have seen Flight Deck – who runs for The Steve, Joe And Steve Syndicate – more than cover his purchasing costs, with the past few months very much a blur for the trainer, who is still trying to let Flight Deck’s underdog achievements sink in.
For now though, she is content to continue letting the dust settle while the horse recharges his batteries ahead of a return to the track in the new year.
“We haven’t really made a detailed plan yet, we’re just seeing how he is and it’s been a bit of a fairy story with him really,” said Cole.
“He’s fine, he’s really well. Next on the agenda will probably be a little break and I think he is a horse you have to keep sweet and happy.
“It’s all a bit surreal and when he ran so well at Cheltenham we were a bit surprised, and then when he backed it up at Newbury, only beaten by two exceptionally good horses, and not beaten that far really, it was just amazing.
“To have a horse of that quality and for that cheap is just amazing and we feel very lucky. People are paying hundreds of thousands of pounds for these horses and there is never any guarantee, is there. He just slipped through the net, I think.”
Flight Deck’s stellar display in esteemed company at Newbury has Cole considering continuing on a Graded level journey for his next start, with Cheltenham’s Cleeve Hurdle on January 27 a possible option.
However, the West Midlands handler concedes she has never had to consider these calibre of races previously and is very much taking it one day at a time, while also embracing the challenge of mapping out Flight Deck’s next movements.
“It’s tempting (to stay at Graded level) and he’s obviously got a lot of ability,” continued Cole.
“We may do, but it is all new and we’ve never dealt with horses who would go for Graded races up until now, so it’s a bit of a learning curve really. We’re enjoying it though, obviously!
“We’re not in any rush with him and there’s plenty of time. We’ll probably have a look in the middle to the end of January and see what there is then really.
“There is that (the Cleeve) and we have pondered on that, but I don’t know. I think we’re still trying to keep our feet grounded because he could put in a stinker, but who knows.
“He’s obviously in a very happy place now – and for all our horses, that is very important.”
Jamaica’s senior Reggae Boyz captain and shot stopper Andre Blake, will host a goalkeeping clinic at the UWI-Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence, on December 14 and 15. The clinic will run from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day.
This clinic will provide exceptional goalkeeper training to more than 24 youth goalkeepers selected from the top ISSA Manning Cup and daCosta Cup teams, and two female goalkeepers from Reinas Academy.
The goalkeepers will receive top-notch training led by the experienced Phil Wheddon, who also serves as Andre Blake’s goalkeeper coach at Philadelphia Union.
Wheddon is the only goalkeeper coach in United States history to have coached both the men’s and women’s national teams in a FIFA World Cup. He coached in three World Cups and won two Olympic gold medals with United States.
Other participating goalkeeper coaches include Jamaica Under-20 coach Andrew Sewell, national goalkeeper Jahmali Waite, Reinas Academy’s Neo Oxford and Kingston College’s Robert Beckford.
Blake, who will lead the Reggae Boyz into Concacaf Nations League semi-final action, as well as the CONMEBOL Copa America next year, explains the rationale behind the initiative.
“To whom much is given, much is required, and so this is my way of supporting the next generation of goalkeepers. I want to see what these goalkeepers look like and try to educate them on what it will take to get to the next level. Having Phil on board is great because he brings an extensive amount of knowledge and experience with him,” Blake shared.
Blake’s initiative is supported the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA), Sagicor Foundation, Spectrum Systems Limited, TruShake, Powerade, Courtyard Marriott, Leep Marketing, and UNL Sport.
Alan King has identified the Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton as a possible next port of call for Edwardstone following his admirable defence of the Tingle Creek on Saturday.
The nine-year-old was a brilliant winner of the Sandown showpiece last season and returned to the Esher track to defend his crown over the weekend.
Edwardstone had plenty on his plate as he looked to turn the tables on Jonbon following their clash in last month’s Shloer Chase at Cheltenham – and while he again came off second best, he did at least close the gap on Nicky Henderson’s star chaser.
King immediately ruled out an appearance over three miles in the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day, but the Barbury Castle handler is keen to step his charge up in trip on his next start.
“He ran very well and has come out of it well and we’ll probably look to step him up to two-and-a-half in the new year,” he said.
“He’s definitely not going for the King George, but there is the Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton in January. We’ll have a look at that and, whether he goes there or not, I think his next run will be over two-and-a-half, as it will give us an idea what we’re doing with him.”
With the Queen Mother Champion Chase already shaping up to be a straight shootout between Jonbon and his formidable Irish rival El Fabiolo, the Ryanair Chase could end up being Edwardstone’s Cheltenham Festival target if he can prove his stamina in the meantime.
King added: “You’ve obviously got Jonbon and the horse in Ireland and you wouldn’t really look forward to taking those two on.”
Angus Eve received a contract extension to lead Trinidad and Tobago’s Soca Warriors into their crucial Concacaf Nations League playoff against Canada, as they hunt a spot in next year’s prestigious CONMEBOL Copa America tournament.
Should the Soca Warriors succeed in bettering their North American opponents in March, the possibility exists that Eve might not be the one to lead them beyond that, as he is not expected to receive a new contract before the Normalisation Committee’s term ends, also in March.
This was confirmed by the Normalisation Committee’s chairman Robert Hadad, on Saturday.
Eve, who recently blasted the twin island republic’s football fraternity for its lack of support, got his desire where signing a new contract is concerned, but Hadad ruled out another extension by the Normalisation Committee, whose own tenure will also end in March.
“His contract ends in March when our term ends, so in principle we agreed that we wanted the coach to run the same timelines as the Normalisation Committee,” Hadad said on the ISports radio programme on Saturday.
“Subsequent to that, the new in-coming president and the new in-coming ex-co (executive committee) can decide who they want to be their coach. Angus would have every opportunity with them to prove himself before (the end of his tenure) and hopefully, they would continue, and they would make that decision. But in principle, we did say all along that we do not think that we should be hiring a coach or anybody for that matter to exist beyond our term,” he added.
Hadad was also reluctant to have the Normalisation Committee extend itself more than necessary before its tenure ended.
“The Normalisation Committee has been making a lot of decisions without a technical committee in place and we believe that we need to give the new, in-coming executive committee the opportunity to set the football and Trinidad and Tobago Football Association up the way they want it,” he said, as he threw his support behind Eve.
“Angus though I would say is exceptional. He’s done a fantastic job, Angus and his entire team. I would expect him to be very professional because it is in his interest, if his desire is to continue coaching Trinidad and Tobago, to perform in that game on the 23rd,” Hadad noted.
Eve guided the Soca Warriors through a spirited Concacaf Nations League campaign, as they topped their group in League A action, and progressed to the quarterfinals where, despite losing on aggregate, they inflicted a famous second-leg defeat on United States.
Hadad pointed out that the Normalisation Committee always had confidence in Eve’s leadership.
“We were very optimistic that we would perform well all along. Angus took us to where we are today, and we had faith in Angus all the way through. We understood what his development plans were; he was very candid with us, he explained to us what he was doing and when something didn’t go right, he would not be running and hiding, he would be discussing the matter with us,” Hadad shared.
“We thought him (to be) the best option to get us to where we are today. Now that he has gotten us here, yes, it is a little uncomfortable that his term ends in March and he has this very big game, but we believe if he gets us into that game against Argentina (opening Copa America match) and we manage to defeat Canada, we think that the new executive committee would consider him,” he opined.
You Wear It Well will go back against her own sex in the new year after failing to really fire in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Sandown on Saturday.
With the Grade One contest rescheduled following the abandonment of racing at Newcastle the previous Saturday, and Constitution Hill and his stablemate Shishkin withdrawn on account of testing conditions, everything appeared to be falling into place for Jamie Snowden’s star mare.
The six-year-old had already shown her well-being this season by landing a Listed prize at Wetherby, and with Snowden having won the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury the previous weekend with Datsalrightgino, You Wear It Well was favourite to provide him with another major Saturday success in Esher.
Ultimately, though, the daughter of Midnight Legend was well beaten in third place behind the popular veteran Not So Sleepy and fellow mare Love Envoi, and Snowden feels his charge underperformed.
He said: “I think the handicapper had it on form that she had to improve to win that race, even without the two defections. She ran all right, but probably hasn’t run her race, I would have said.
“Her price was probably skewed by the form of the yard and this, that and the other, but she’s run OK in the circumstances.
“She goes on soft ground, but that really was terrible ground on Saturday and she didn’t really get into any great rhythm. She was a bit keen early on and missed a couple of hurdles.
“Take nothing away from anyone, but it probably wasn’t her true running.”
You Wear It Well’s main objective is to secure a second Cheltenham Festival success in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle in March, having last season landed the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.
What route she takes to Prestbury Park is uncertain, but she appears unlikely to take on the boys in the meantime.
“I think going back against her own sex makes sense really,” Snowden added.
“Due to a lack of a realistic opportunity for her in December, we thought we’d take our chance in the Fighting Fifth, and the fact that she went off favourite suggests it wasn’t a ridiculous decision to go down that kind of route.
“It didn’t quite work out, but we’ll dust ourselves down and go again. There are mares’ races for her at Sandown and Doncaster and Warwick, so there are plenty of opportunities between now and March.”
After playing out a goalless first half in which Thomas of Cavalier had the best of the few chances created between both teams, as his close-range effort was kept out by Shaquan Davis, who got down well to his right, Mount Pleasant broke the deadlock five minutes into the resumption.
Frankie Dettori is one of six nominations for this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
The Italian had announced that 2023 was to be his last in the saddle but he enjoyed so much success that he has been tempted to continue his career in America.
His supposed farewell season got off to the perfect start when he won the 2000 Guineas on Chaldean and ensured he won two of the five Classics on offer by taking the Oaks on Soul Sister.
Further big-race glory followed at Royal Ascot in the Gold Cup on Courage Mon Ami and the winners continued to flow – so much so that he later admitted that by August he was having second thoughts about his retirement decision.
On Champions Day at Ascot, his scheduled last meeting in Britain, he produced a stellar ride on Trawlerman in the Long Distance Cup and signed off in customary fairytale fashion by winning the Champion Stakes on King Of Steel.
So far Sir Anthony McCoy is the only jockey to have won the award in 2010. Dettori himself finished third in 1996, the year of his Magnificent Seven. Hollie Doyle was third in 2020.
The event will take place on Tuesday, December 19 and the other nominees are cricketer Stuart Broad, England goalkeeper Mary Earps, wheelchair tennis player Alfie Hewett, heptathlete Kataina Johnson-Thompson and golfer Rory McIIroy.
Dettori has just completed a spell on reality TV show I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, in which he was the first contestant to be voted off.
Coral make Dettori a 16-1 chance to win with Earps their 1-7 favourite.
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