SANDRACER.COM ~ ALL WEATHER RACING BLOG

Teahupoo denied the late charge of Ballyburn to win his third BAR 1 Betting Hatton's Grace Hurdle by the narrowest of margins....

There was perhaps a sigh of relief in the racing world when the Chancellor announced her budget that saw the sport avoid a direct tax hike....

Former champion hurdler Constitution Hill falls once again as Golden Ace wins the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle....

Jockey Patrick Mullins is targeting 1,000 career winners after chalking up his 900th success aboard Jimmy Du Seuil in the SIS Supporting Irish Racing Beginners Chase at Fairyhouse....

A maximum field of 24 will face the starter tomorrow for the Coral Gold Cup (2.55 Newbury) run over three miles two furlongs. The going on the chase course is currently described as good to soft but up to 10mm of rain is forecast before the scheduled off-time. There has only...

We’ve been getting plastered this week. Although not how you think… it’s not, for example, that we were so relieved about horseracing being spared some of the largest tax hikes inflicted on betting operators in the Chancellor’s budget....

The sire of the Melbourne Cup winner has tragically passed away - and his cause of death is heartbreaking...

Willie Mullins won the Thurles Racecourse Beginners Chase for the sixth time in seven years - but not with long odds-on favourite Salvator Mundi, who had no answer to the finishing kick of stablemate Kappa Jy Pyke....

British racing is spared a tax rise on betting on the sport which it feared could lead to thousands of job losses....

Il Est Francais remains on course for a second tilt at King George glory despite a disappointing return to action at Ascot on Saturday....

Racing Together is pleased to welcome back delegates for the fourth Industry Day, to share the challenges and opportunities presented through British racing’s community engagement. This full day event is open to all industry professionals and community organisations. Ticket Details Early-bird tickets at last year’s price are on sale until...

With thanks to Go Racing in Yorkshire for sharing this update with us. Wetherby’s next race meeting on Wednesday, November 26, is their now annual community raceday.  As with all good ideas, it started small and has grown significantly, supporting different local communities, who when you drill down into it, have a...

A third Australian jockey has been suspended for sharing a video of a fellow rider allegedly appearing to sniff white powder, which was claimed to be cocaine....

Connections of Anzadam expect to have a better idea of where he stands in the two-mile pecking order after he puts his unbeaten record in the line in a mouthwatering renewal of the BetMGM Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle on Saturday....

Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) is delighted to announce the top three finalists for two prestigious awards at The Jockey Club RoR Awards 2025, with public voting now officially open. These awards celebrate the exceptional versatility of former racehorses and highlight the remarkable partnerships they have formed in their second careers....

Williams, who trained Mon Mome when he won the National, is marking 30 years in the business....

Golden Ace swept through to take victory in a dramatic renewal of the BetMGM Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle as both Constitution Hill and The New Lion came to grief....

Constitution Hill will face a maximum of four rivals at Newcastle on Saturday in what is set to be a blockbuster renewal of the BetMGM Fighting Fifth Hurdle....

Dylan Kitts has received a nine-year ban after an independent British Horseracing Authority disciplinary panel concluded he attempted to prevent Hillsin from winning at Worcester in July 2023....

Applications are now open for the 2026 British Horseracing Development Programme, which has teamed up for the first time with the 10,000 Interns Foundation’s 10,000 Black Interns Programme as it continues to strive to showcase a career in racing to a diverse pool of outstanding talent. The British Horseracing Development...

Jockey Dylan Kitts and associate John Higgins are banned after conspiring to stop Hillsin running on his merits....

The stunning incident occurred shortly after the start of a race at Evangeline Downs in the USA on Saturday night....

England completed their flawless Autumn international run with a hard-fought 27-23 win against Argentina....

Gaelic Warrior holds off a late charge from stablemate Fact To File to win a thrilling John Durkan Chase at Punchestown....

Gaelic Warrior got the better of a pulsating duel with stablemate Fact To File to win an epic renewal of the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase....

Odds-on favourite Grey Dawning beats two-time winner Royale Pagaille to triumph in the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park....

Seventeen are set to face the starter for the Betfair Stayers' Handicap Hurdle (2.25 Haydock) tomorrow; the going on the hurdle course is currently described as good to soft. Ma Shantou, seventh in the Albert Bartlett at the Festival, comfortably beat Electric Mason two and threequarters lengths at Cheltenham four weeks...

They wrote a pretty Hornpipe tune in honour of Beeswing, reputed to be the best mare ever to race at Kelso, and a song to celebrate the exploits of The Shunter (who scooped the £100,000 Morebattle Hurdle bonus), but this week’s blog is about two of the unsung heroes of...

As part of Safer Gambling Week 2025, the Racing Post published an opinion piece this week by John Blake, Chief Executive of Racing to School, reflecting on the role of education in supporting awareness and informed decision-making. ________________ Stan Cottle bookmakers in Cardiff in the 1980s was to me a...

Calandagan is named horse of the year at the Cartier Racing Awards in London, ahead of Ombudsman, Delacroix and Minnie Hauk....

DOMINIC KING: The last time Constitution Hill was seen was at Punchestown in May. He was thrashed, having previously suffered two horrible falls in the Champion Hurdle and the Aintree Hurdle....

The woman remains in a critical condition with her mother refusing to leave her bedside....

Jockey Harry Skelton wins the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham on Panic Attack, trained by his brother Dan....

Tomorrow's Paddy Power Gold Cup (2.20 Cheltenham) is to be run in memory of Irish trainer Edward O'Grady who sent out 18 Festival winners between 1974 and 2006. He trained Tranquil Sea to win this race in 2009 - and we haven't seen an Irish winner since. Five have crossed the...

As far as venues go for glitzy award ceremonies, York Racecourse ticks a lot of boxes: large rooms, friendly staff and to easy access by train from North and South - the latter point being a key factor in attracting more than two hundred and fifty guests for the fourteenth...

Hereford Racecourse won the Racing Together Community Award at the 14th annual RCA Showcase Awards, held in partnership with Great British Racing, Future Ticketing, Racing Foundation and Racing Together. The Richard Layton Charity Raceday’s aim was to make mental health the front runner in memory of local farmer Richard Layton,...

Two Australian apprentice jockeys have been slapped with hefty bans after videos emerged online appearing to show one of the riders allegedly sniffing white powder....

Superstar jockey Jamie Melham has copped a hefty 30-race meeting suspension after she admitted to riding carelessly during a Group Three race at Flemington....

State Man is ruled out for the season and will not bid to reclaim the Champion Hurdle title at Cheltenham in March....

The BBC unearths images of a long-lost racecourse on land now occupied by MediaCityUK at Salford Quays....

Ordinarily I wouldn't be inclined to give you so much as a 'More tea, vicar?' for an episode of Murder Before Evensong, Channel 5's TV adaptation of Richard Coles' novel set in the 1980s, but last night, as my wife took in the finer detail of the fifth instalment, my...

In the spirit of making the best of an inconvenient situation, here are ten silver-linings to Saturday’s early start at Kelso Racecourse......

It's been almost 10 years since two racegoers became instant celebrities at the Cup - and now they just might have some company....

I admire the optimism of anyone who believes they’re destined to reach the heights of the Cheltenham Festival on the back of a £7k investment, but that’s what National Hunt racing is like: even owners with a relatively modest budget dream of competing in horseracing’s greatest arena....

I’m Sophie Mellett, Marketing Executive at the National Stud. My first experience in the thoroughbred breeding and racing industry was as a student on the National Stud Diploma course in 2020, and I’m incredibly grateful to the Stud for giving me that first foot in the door. Returning three years...

Footage showed the moments leading up to the incident, which saw Wbee trailing behind rivals, before veering off to the left and through barriers after a sudden heart-related condition....

Thurles Racecourse will resume horse racing on Thursday, 9 October and fulfil its 11 planned fixtures until March 2026....

The horse had a "sudden heart-related" problem and collided with a group of spectators....

Victoria de Sousa, 39, was accused of wounding Silvestre de Sousa, 44, with intent to cause grievous bodily harm in an alleged assault that occurred on July 27....

Jockey great Geoff Lewis, the only Welshman to ride a Derby winner, dies aged 89....

The first hijab-wearing jockey to ride in a race in Britain, Khadijah Mellah, has again broken boundaries and made history by riding in her first race as an amateur jockey in the Gay Kindersley Memorial Amateur Riders Handicap at Goodwood Racecourse on Friday 22 August.   The 24-year-old, originally from...

Former jockey Robert John Warren boasted of selling $40,000 worth of ice a day, a Queensland court has heard....

Trainers love charting a well-trodden path. Most campaign certain horses in a certain way. A tried and trusted route to success. At the highest level, nobody does it quite like John Gosden....

Ethical Diamond wins the Ebor Handicap at York in a 1-2-3 for Irish-trained horses but a Melbourne Cup bid seems unlikely....

Dwyer trains his horses in Miner's Rest, a suburb some 90 minutes outside Melbourne. It was a big decision to send his star mare, Asfoora, to Britain this year....

Australia's Asfoora surges clear to win the Nunthorpe Stakes on day three of the Ebor meeting at York....

National Racehorse Week returns this year with an expanded programme of activities across the country. Through its continued partnership with Racing Together, the programme has grown to include more community events than ever before, giving people of all ages the chance to connect with racehorses and the people who care...

The Nose Bag, The Trough, Scran Shed, Feed Shed, Feed Bowl, Feed Barn, Hay Barn, Hay Net, Hay Heck......

Minnie Hauk secures an Oaks treble with victory in the Yorkshire Oaks on day two of the Ebor meeting at York....

I’m Aimee Hockley-Righton, Regional Welfare Manager for Racing Welfare, covering the east (Newmarket) and south (Epsom/ Lambourn). My role is all about supporting the people who work in the racing industry. From stable staff to stud grooms, racecourse teams, and everyone in between. Racing Welfare is here for them at...

Today, the British Horseracing Authority announced the sad death of Fiona ‘Fi’ Carlin with the following statement from Chief Executive Brant Dunshea: “Everyone at the BHA is incredibly shocked and saddened by the unexpected loss our friend and colleague, Fiona Carlin, who passed away yesterday. “This news has come as...

Khadijah Mellah is set to ride in her debut race as an amateur jockey on Friday 22 August at Goodwood Racecourse, back where it all began as the first hijab-wearing jockey to win a competitive race in Britain.  In 2019, the then 18-year-old Mellah became a new hero for women...

Teenage rider Abi Thomas hopes her charitable efforts in the saddle can be rewarded by marking the 100th anniversary of the first female rider to win a race in Britain with an ‘amazing’ victory in the Newmarket Town Plate on the July Course this Saturday (August 23rd). The 18-year-old will...

For want of a gutter, the wall became damp, For want of a wall, the roof was shot, For want of a roof, the grandstand became disused, For want of a grandstand, the racecourse closed, For want of a racecourse, the stables shut up shop, For want of any horses, the sport disappeared, And all for...

I’ve never been to Thurles in County Tipperary and, now that the racecourse there has closed, it’s unlikely that I ever will. Which is a shame for local businesses like the Horse and Jockey Hotel, the managers of which might be considering a change of name......

Having been described prior to the race as the biggest racing certainty in 100 years, the odds-on favourite was settled towards the rear of the field and confidently ridden. The Goodwood crowd started to cheer as the horses came into view and the jockey aboard the favourite started to make...