Aintree

Imagine a world in which British racing's problems have been solved. There is plenty of prize-money to go round, at least 12 runners in every race, attendance figures are up, the Cheltenham Festival has returned to three days and the Derby to a Wednesday.  Okay, let's not be completely fanciful. The four-day Festival is here to stay, as is the Saturday Derby, but if you spend an hour in a room with Jockey Club chief executive Nevin Truesdale, you may leave it feeling that some of the other items on...

I Am Maximus (Fr) (Authorized {Ire}) produced one of the most impressive Grand National-winning performances in some time to propel Willie Mullins to the head of the British Trainers' Championship. Owned by JP McManus and ridden by Paul Townend, last year's Irish Grand National hero represented winner number two in the Aintree showpiece for Mullins, who sent out Hedgehunter (Ire) (Montelimar) to success in 2005. Returned the 7-1 co-favourite, I Am Maximus stormed clear of Delta Work (Fr) (Network {Ger}) in second with former Gold Cup winner Minella Indo (Ire)...

The seventh edition of the Goffs Aintree Sale was topped by Monksgrange debut point-to-point winner He Can't Dance (Ire) (Jukebox Jury {Ire}) (lot 17) who caught the eye of Gordon Elliott for £300,000 on Thursday. Consigned by Rob James Racing, the striking grey counts Fairy Tale (Fr) (Spanish Moon) as his dam, herself a half-sister to three black-type winners over jumps including the eight-time Grade 1 winner Master Minded (Fr) (Nikos {GB}). JP McGrath Bloodstock signed for lot 23, Holloway Queen (Ire), also by Jukebox Jury (Ire). The £180,000 4-year-old...

Last year was a big one for John McConnell. He fulfilled a lifelong ambition when Seddon won a race at the Cheltenham festival. That bargain buy went on to win at the Punchestown festival before bringing the trainer to the American Grand National at Far Hills.  Fennor Cross was another horse to fly the flag for the stable with great distinction. Again, a cheaply-bought recruit, Fennor Cross won races at the Punchestown and Aintree festivals.  However, in what came as a bitter blow to all associated with the horse, Fennor...

As part of a "relentless focus on welfare", the Jockey Club has announced a number of changes to the Randox Grand National, including reducing the maximum number of starters from 40 to 34. Having canvassed the views of a wide range of racing industry stake-holders as well as World Horse Welfare, the Jockey Club has settled upon five key changes to the Aintree showcase, which will be run next year on Saturday, April 13. Last year's race was delayed by 15 minutes after protestors invaded the track. One of the...

Corach Rambler provided trainer Lucinda Russell and jockey Derek Fox with their second Grand National triumph at Aintree on Saturday after the race was delayed due to a number of animal rights activists storming the track. Successful in 2017 with One For Arthur, Russell and Fox repeated the trick with Corach Rambler, who had enough in reserve to hold off the fast-finishing Vanillier in a race where Sandy Thompson's Hill Sixteen suffered a fatal fall at the first fence.  A winner at the past two Cheltenham Festivals, Corach Rambler was...

Eight point-to-pointers have been added to the 2023 Goffs UK Aintree catalogue, bringing the total lots to go under the hammer at Aintree on Apr. 13 to 23. Among the additional entries are lot 5, Lady Jago (Ire) (Getaway {Ger}) a winner of her debut for Terence O'Brien at Rathcannon; lot 14, the 5-year-old gelding Caher Roes Den (Ire) (Soldier Of Fortune {Ire}), the winner of his most recent PTP for Colin Bowe at Castletown-Geoghegan; and lot 21, last out point-to-point winner Rokathir (Fr) (Muhtathir {GB}), who will also be...

Jockey Rachael Blackmore will be awarded the 2021 Irish Racing Hero Award at the annual Horse Racing Ireland Awards in December. Blackmore became the first woman to claim the Cheltenham Festival Leading Jockey title with six winners. She found Champion Hurdle success with Honeysuckle (GB) (Sulamani {Ire}) on Tuesday, a Triumph Hurdle score with Quilixios (GB) (Maxios {GB}) on Friday and also won races in the middle of the meeting with Bob Olinger (Ire) (Sholokhov {Ire}) and Sir Gerhard (Ire) (Jeremy) on Wednesday and Allaho (Fr) (No Risk At All...

Late Aintree Chairman Rose Paterson, who died last June, was on Saturday inducted as an Aintree Legend. She joins distinguished figures from the jumps racing world including Ginger McCain, Sir Peter O'Sullevan and Jenny Pitman. Paterson's husband Owen Paterson, MP for North Shropshire, announced the launch of the Rose Paterson Trust, which will raise funds for suicide prevention causes. "For us it's just a very sad day," he said. "Normally we'd have come in early and we'd have walked the course and she'd be picking out all the details, and...

Three-time Grand National-winning trainer Gordon Elliott is fully cooperating with the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB)'s inquiry into a disputed photo allegedly displaying Elliott sitting on a dead horse, the BBC reported on Sunday. The image, which some believe to be digitally altered, appears to show Elliott making a peace gesture while sitting on a dead horse lying on its side and captioned "new work rider". "I'm aware of a photo circulating on social media," the trainer tweeted late on Saturday night. "The IHRB have been in contact with me...