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Sport of Kings

CLAIM GAME

February 11, 2021

THE ANTIQUATED nature of the system put in place by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) for owners and trainers to lodge claims when seeking... Read more »

COOLMORE’S GERMAN PAL

January 28, 2021

THE COOLMORE gang seems to have cemented a strong relationship with a German billionaire named Georg von Opel. This looks to have resulted... Read more »

JOSEPH O’BRIEN’S JUMPING

January 28, 2021

JOSEPH O’BRIEN must be looking forward to the resumption of flat racing this spring after enduring a challenging time with his jumps string... Read more »

MULLINS BOWS OUT

January 28, 2021

IT IS very rare when a 24-year-old multiple Grade 1 and Grand National-winning jockey decides to hang up his boots without the excuse... Read more »

DRONE MOAN

January 28, 2021

THE LENGTHS some dodgy overseas punters will go to in order to get an edge in their betting has been highlighted by the... Read more »

NOT GOING THE DISTANCE

January 14, 2021

THE RETURN of dual Gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo in the Savills Chase at Tramore on New Year’s Day was supposed to... Read more »

HOLDEN ON TO THE PRIZE

January 14, 2021

KILKENNY MAN Paul Holden and his trainer daughter, Ellmarie, have pumped a lot of money into racing in the past few years, both... Read more »

MOANING MULLINS

January 14, 2021

ANY DREAMS that 2020 might finally be the year for Gordon Elliott were dashed after Willie Mullins mopped up the majority of prize... Read more »

MICK O’LEARY CASHES IN

December 16, 2020

MICK O’LEARY may not be happy with the number of passengers flying with Ryanair this year, but he should still be able to... Read more »

PUNCHESTOWN BLUES

December 16, 2020

THICK FOG put Punchestown’s recent big meeting in jeopardy but the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board’s clerk of the course and Punchestown chief executive... Read more »

SARAH LYNAM’S FRUSTRATION

December 16, 2020

ALTHOUGH THEY represent one of the largest category of racehorse in training, it seems low grade sprint handicappers are getting a raw deal.... Read more »

PAUL BYRNE’S BIG PLANS

December 3, 2020

IN JULY, when The Shunter made his debut for trainer Emmet Mullins at Tipperary after an unproductive spell for his previous trainer, it... Read more »

RACECOURSE BLUES

December 3, 2020

THE NEWS that British racecourses can welcome back not just owners but also limited crowds with immediate effect is in stark contrast to... Read more »

MULLINS PREPARES FOR BATTLE

December 3, 2020

WILLIE MULLINS has finally taken the wraps off his army of national hunt stars after resisting running them until well into November. His... Read more »

KEANE’S AMERICAN DREAM

November 19, 2020

THIS YEAR’S Breeders’ Cup, held at Keeneland racetrack in Kentucky, was a mighty success for Irish trainers and jockeys, none more so than... Read more »

BOYLESPORTS UNSADDLED

November 19, 2020

BOYLESPORTS HAS received a sharp rap on the knuckles from the Gambling Commission in the shape of a £2.8m fine after a series... Read more »

GORDON ELLIOT’S CROCODILE

November 19, 2020

GORDON ELLIOTT has teamed up with Eddie O’Leary to very lucrative effect this year with a couple of young point-to-point horses. Elliott has... Read more »

STICKING IT AT DUNDALK

November 19, 2020

FLAT STAYERS aren’t particularly well catered for at Dundalk and, after some lobbying from Michael Grassick’s Irish Racehorse Trainers’ Association, Horse Racing Ireland... Read more »

JOHNNY MURTAGH’S SECOND CHANCE

November 5, 2020

ON THE back of his best ever year as a trainer, Johnny Murtagh received another major boost with the news that he is... Read more »

NO MERCY FROM IHRB

November 5, 2020

DENIS EGAN’S Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) wielded its axe in no uncertain terms recently when disciplining little-known trainer Alan Wells. The handler,... Read more »

AIDAN O’BRIEN’S MIX UP

October 22, 2020

THERE WERE red faces in the Ballydoyle camp after it emerged that Aidan O’Brien’s two runners in the prestigious Group 1 Fillies Mile... Read more »

COLIN KEANE’S NEXT RIDE?

October 22, 2020

FORMER CHAMPION jockey Colin Keane’s bid to regain his title this year is providing an exciting narrative to this flat season, as he... Read more »

SHARK ATTACKS JOCKEY

October 22, 2020

JOHN HANLON’S good season hit a hurdle last month at Listowel when one of his horses, Comporta, was deemed by the race day... Read more »

CHAMPERS ALL ROUND

October 8, 2020

LUCK PLAYS a big part in the success or otherwise of horse racing, but one group of owners who must be pinching themselves... Read more »

TOUGH GOING AT GOFFS

October 8, 2020

FEARS THAT the value of bloodstock would plunge due to the effects of Covid-19 (see The Phoenix 25/9/20) were justified when Goffs staged... Read more »

OISIN MURPHY’S DRUG WAR

October 8, 2020

THE NEWS that racing’s latest poster boy, Oisin Murphy, tested positive for metabolites of cocaine at Chantilly in July could prove a major... Read more »

NO GAIN FOR AIDAN O’BRIEN

October 8, 2020

WITH HEAVY rain in Paris scuppering the participation of Aidan O’Brien’s main challenger, Love, in the Arc de Triomphe, a last minute scare... Read more »

STICKY JAM

September 24, 2020

NORTHERN IRISH-trainer Ronan McNally trains only a handful of horses, but his runners have attracted their share of attention from authorities over the... Read more »

HEFFERNAN MAKES HIS MOVE

September 24, 2020

THE NEWS that Irish Champions Weekend took an U8m hit when held behind closed doors was sobering but, in racing terms, there were... Read more »

NOEL MEADE’S CLAIMS

September 10, 2020

SINCE RACING resumed in June, Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) has been viewed as having done a decent job in rescheduling important races that... Read more »

KEVIN BLAKE’S INTERFERENCE

September 10, 2020

RACING HACK and broadcaster Kevin Blake is not shy about airing his opinions and he has been on a campaign over the summer... Read more »

DAVID KEOGHAN ROLLS THE DICE

August 27, 2020

WHEN THE Fozzy Stack-trained Aloha Star was demoted from second to third for causing interference to the favourite, The Lir Jet, in the... Read more »

GALLOPING ODDS AT TRAMORE

August 27, 2020

TRAINED BY Gordon Elliott, Enzani will be the subject of Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) interest when he runs next, after a peculiar... Read more »

McMANUS DOUBLES DOWN

August 13, 2020

DESPITE THE absence of spectators, the allure of ‘setting one up’ for Galway remains strong and one man experienced in pulling off a... Read more »

EMMETT MULLINS’S ID ISSUE

August 13, 2020

EMMETT MULLINS will be glad to see the back of this summer. The talented young trainer recently found himself in the headmaster’s office... Read more »

SHARK PICKS UP THE SCENT

July 30, 2020

CARLOW TRAINER John ‘Shark’ Hanlon has enjoyed some great days with the likes of Luska Lad and Hidden Cyclone but, like many of... Read more »