Cheltenham

No shortage of hard work and bundles of perseverance lie behind Johnny Collins's achievement in turning his Brown Island Stables into one of the finest nurseries of equine talent there is. It is all the more remarkable in that he achieved this with no racing background and just his own eye and pocket to get the whole thing off the ground. Competitive and ambitious, the 46-year-old counts several million euros worth of stock at his County Cork base, which is the culmination of over 15 years producing top-class horses over...

A new four-part series of Laochra Na Rásaíochta, featuring some of Ireland's greatest National Hunt racehorses, will air for four consecutive Wednesdays at 8 p.m. beginning on Wednesday, Mar. 8, TG4 and Touchline Media announced on Tuesday. The opening episode tells the stories of Willie Mullins's three Champion Hurdle heroes--Hurricane Fly (Ire), Faugheen (Ire) and Annie Power (Ire)--and also features a segment on Quevega (Fr), the record six-time winner at the Cheltenham Festival. Contributors include Willie Mullins, Paul Townend, Ruby Walsh, David Casey, Gail Carlisle, Ted Walsh and Noel Meade....

   Peter Molony is best known for being the man who bought the reigning Champion Hurdler Honeysuckle (GB) (Sulamani {Ire}) on behalf of his client Kenny Alexander. He also works for Sheikh Fahad's Qatar Racing operation, is an agent for Goffs and has had a multitude of top horses through his hands at Rathmore Stud. That may be why the Limerick native signs off on his Twitter bio with the word 'busy'!    Son of the legendary Martin Molony, widely regarded as the best dual-purpose jockey of all time, Peter...

Goffs will offer Minella Crooner (Shantou) and Music Drive (Muhtathir) for sale this week through Goffs Online. The Gordon Elliott-trained pair have the 2023 Cheltenham Festival firmly in their sights, while Minella Crooner will be sold with an entry at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival. Bidding will open at 11am and close at 1pm on Thursday, Dec. 22 and prospective purchasers are asked to register here no later than 12 noon on Wednesday. A 5% agents commission will be paid to the successful purchaser provided they are a registered bloodstock agent...

Gordon Elliott, Barry Geraghty and Charles Byrnes were among those to lead the tributes to Davy Russell, one of the finest National Hunt riders to ever pull on a pair of silks, who retired at the age of 43 after partnering Liberty Dance to victory in the Thurles feature on Sunday.  Russell will forever be remembered for partnering Elliott's Tiger Roll to successive Grand National triumphs in 2018 and 2019. Like those momentous days at Aintree, Russell signed off from the saddle with his customary wave aboard the Elliott-trained Liberty...

A total of 81 cyclists took part in a 24-hour challenge--embarking on 30km loops that kicked off at Cheltenham racecourse July 16--to benefit Racing Welfare, which supports the racing community. Originally tabbed with a £60,000, the total amount raised by the event is set to top £100,000. In addition to the efforts of the cyclists, funding is also boosted by event sponsors Unibet, Racehorse Lotto, The Jockey Club and Tattersalls. Well beyond the £60,000 target, that figure will have a huge impact, and could cover the cost of employing a...

Former jockey Jacob Pritchard-Webb, paralysed during a fall at Auteuil in June of 2020, will embark on 140-mile hand bike ride to benefit a pair of charities that helped him through his rehabilitation. The three-day ride, which begins July 7, will begin at Cheltenham before concluding at Newmarket. The 25-year-old hopes to raise £25,000 each for the Injured Jockeys Fund and the Matt Hampson Foundation. As part of his training for the event, Pritchard Webb was joined on a cycle around the Cotswolds Sunday afternoon by Harry Potter star James...

Retired reinsman and 20-time champion jockey Sir AP McCoy is one of the names signed on to support paralysed former jockey Jacob Pritchard Webb in a three-day 140-mile charity cycling challenge on July 7-9. Pritchard Webb, who now works in racing media and the bloodstock industry, will hand bike ride between two Jockey Club racecourses--Cheltenham and Newmarket alongside other industry members. The aim is to raise £25,000 apiece for two charities that have supported him since his June 2020 fall in France--the Injured Jockeys Fund and the Matt Hampson Foundation....

Dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo (Fr) (Buck's Boum {Fr}) has been retired and will embark on a new career in eventing. The Willie Mullins-trained 10-year-old was last seen running in the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris at Auteuil, where he made no impact and was eventually pulled up by Paul Townend. He will forever be remembered as the first horse since Best Mate (Ire) (Un Desperado {Fr}) to win back-to-back Gold Cups at Cheltenham in 2019 and 2020. Melon (GB) (Medicean {GB}), also 10 and like Al Boum...

Tattersalls Ireland has appointed Shirley Anderson - Jolag to the role of UK Client Relations. In addition to her new role for Tattersalls Ireland, she will also continue to promote Tattersalls sales at both Cheltenham and Ascot. Joining the Tattersalls Group seven years ago, Anderson - Jolag played a key role in developing and promoting Tattersalls sales at Cheltenham, Ascot and also Park Paddocks, with particular emphasis on the launch of last year's inaugural Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale. In her new Tattersalls Ireland role, Anderson - Jolag  will be working...

Sales returned to Cheltenham Racecourse on Friday for the first time since the pandemic, and the Cheltenham November Sale produced record results. Fifty horses were sold for £4,288,500-a record for any select point-to-point sale--at an average of £85,770 and a clearance rate of 93%. Topping trade was the 4-year-old Arctic Bresil (GB) (Blue Bresil {Fr}) (lot 28), who finished second in a highly regarded maiden point-to-point at Tattersalls Farm. He was bought by Gerry Hogan for £305,000. In total, 14 lots realised £100,000 or more from 12 individual buyers. "This...