Text Updates for Horse Races

So You Think the hot favourite could not hang on to win at Ascot today

Were you excited for the big race today from Royal Ascot? Did you wonder if the highly fancied So You Think would live up to expectations? Were you at work all day and had to follow the race via BBC text updates?

Here's how it was reported:

BBC Sport's Frank Keogh on Twitter: "Just caught my first glimpse of NZ-bred So You Think in parade ring at Royal Ascot. Stood in admiration. Mighty-looking horse"
1545: So You Think goes off at 4-11 and gets away neatly.
1546: Jan Vermeer leads with six to go and going at a hell of a lick.
1546: So You Think is well set in third and ready to surge.
1546:Here he comes....
REWILDING WINS THE PRINCE OF WALES'S STAKES AT 17-2
1553:A breath-taking finish as Frankie Dettori brings Rewilding up alongside So You Think as the much-fancied but fading favourite desperately attempts to cling on to his lead, but his grip is prised loose within the last few metres. A tight finish produces a track-record time.

Unemployment (and live TV) beckons.

Live text updates - Royal Ascot day two (BBC)

The best horse race ever

The 2000 Eclipse Stakes from Sandown Park is still the best race I've ever seen, not least because of the pedigree of the field. Below is a selection of the career Group 1 successes of the horses.

Giant's Causeway

Futurity Stakes (Ireland) (1999)

Prix de la Salamandre (1999)

Gladness Stakes (2000)

St. James's Palace Stakes (2000)

Eclipse Stakes (2000)

Sussex Stakes(2000)

Juddmonte International Stakes (2000)

Irish Champion Stakes (2000)

Awards:

European Horse of the Year (2000)

Leading sire in North America (2009, 2010)

Kalanisi

Heron Stakes (1999)

Queen Anne Stakes (2000)

Champion Stakes (2000)

Breeders' Cup wins:

Breeders' Cup Turf (2000)

Awards:

American Champion Male Turf Horse (2000)

European Champion Older Horse (2000)

Sakhee

Dante Stakes (2000)

Sandown Classic Trial (2000)

International Stakes (2001)

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (2001)

Fantastic Light

Sandown Classic Trial (1999)

Great Voltigeur Stakes (1999)

Arc Trial (1999)

Dubai Sheema Classic (2000)

Man O' War Stakes (2000)

Hong Kong Cup (2000)

Tattersalls Gold Cup (2001)

Prince of Wales's Stakes (2001)

Irish Champion Stakes (2001)

Breeders' Cup Turf (2001)

Awards:

United States Champion Male Turf Horse (2001)

European Champion Older Horse (2001)

European Horse of the Year (2001)

Timeform Result of 2000 Eclipse Stakes

Sadler's Wells Calls it a Day

One of the greatest sires of thoroughbred racehorses has passed away at the age of 30. Sadler's Wells died of natural causes yesterday in Coolmore, County Tipperary; the farm which had been the place of his birth, training and retirement.

As a horse he was a superb winner for the legendary trainer Vincent O'Brien, picking up four Group 1 races (Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial, the Irish 2,000 Guineas, the Eclipse Stakes and Phoenix Champion Stakes). But as a sire he excelled to become the greatest sire in the world, producing 74 individual Group/Grade 1 winners and more than 293 stakes winners.

Sired himself by Northern Dancer (the greatest sire of the 20th century), Sadler's Wells was 14 times the leading stallion in Britain and Ireland. Among his progeny are In The Wings, Salsabil, Barathea, Kayf Tara, Istabraq, Montjeu, Galileo, Imagine, Islington, High Chaparral, and Yeats.

Although Sadler's Wells has already left a legacy which has shattered record books, his sons taken on and expanded his mantle as the top European sire. Galileo for instance has twice been the leading stallion in Britain and Ireland having fathered 16 Group/Grade 1 winners including New Approach, Soldier of Fortune, Rip Van Winkle, Red Rocks, Cape Blanco, Teofilo and Lush Lashes.

Below is a selection of horses sired by Sadler's Wells which went on to win Group 1 (or in the case of National Hunt horses, Grade 1) races. Put simply this list of horses could rank as a list of the greatest horses in Europe for the past 20 years.

Man alive, talk about $ signs…

Group/Grade 1 Winners Sired by Sadler's Wells

Foaled	Name	Major Wins
1986	In the Wings	Coronation Cup, G. P. de Saint-Cloud, Breeders' Cup Turf
1986	Old Vic	Prix du Jockey Club, Irish Derby
1987	Salsabil	1,000 Guineas, Epsom Oaks, Irish Derby, Prix Vermeille
1988	Opera House	Coronation Cup, Eclipse, K George VI & Q Elizabeth
1989	El Prado	1991 Irish Champion Two-Year-Old Colt, 2002 Leading sire in North America
1990	Barathea	Irish 2,000 Guineas, Breeders' Cup Mile
1990	Fort Wood	G. P. de Paris
1990	Intrepidity	Prix Saint-Alary, Epsom Oaks, Prix Vermeille
1991	Carnegie	Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, G. P. de Saint-Cloud
1991	King's Theatre	K George VI & Q Elizabeth
1991	Northern Spur	Breeders' Cup Turf
1992	Istabraq	Champion Hurdle x3
1992	Moonshell	Epsom Oaks
1994	Ebadiyla	Irish Oaks, Prix Royal-Oak
1994	Entrepreneur	2,000 Guineas
1994	Kayf Tara	Ascot Gold Cup x 2, Irish St. Leger x 2
1995	Dream Well	Prix du Jockey Club, Irish Derby
1995	King of Kings	2,000 Guineas
1996	Montjeu	Prix du Jockey Club, Irish Derby, Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, G. P. de Saint-Cloud, K George VI & Q Elizabeth
1997	Beat Hollow	G. P. de Paris, Arlington Million
1998	Galileo	Epsom Derby, Irish Derby, K George VI & Q Elizabeth
1998	Imagine	Irish 1,000 Guineas, Epsom Oaks
1998	Milan	St Leger
1999	High Chaparral	Epsom Derby, Irish Derby, Irish Champion Stakes, Breeders' Cup Turf x 2
1999	Islington	Yorkshire Oaks x 2, Nassau Stakes, Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf
2000	Brian Boru	St. Leger
2000	Powerscourt	Arlington Million
2000	Doyen	K George VI & Q Elizabeth
2000	Refuse to Bend	2,000 Guineas, Queen Anne, Eclipse
2001	Yeats	Coronation Cup, Ascot Gold Cup x 4, Irish St. Leger
2002	Playful Act	Fillies Mile
2003	Alexandrova	Epsom Oaks, Irish Oaks, Yorkshire Oaks
2003	Ask	Coronation Cup

For an essay on Sadler's Wells early achievements see here.

Click here for the Coolmore statement on it's most prized animal.

Grand National 2011

This year there are 40 runners and riders in the Grand National. Last year AP McCoy the greatest jockey of all time broke his National duck and won in fine style.

Here's an example of what we might expect to see tomorrow (just remember that the fences are even higher...!)

Hold on to your hats 'cos here is the full card for the 2011 Grand National. The twelve Irish trained horses have ickle shamrocks beside them for ease of reference. Almost all jockeys and horses are Irish too :)

via Racing UK

Best of luck to all!

McCoy Sports Personality of the Year

AP McCoy has saddled more horse racing winners (over 3000) than any other jockey. The closest jockey to him is Richard Dunwwody at 1699. So McCoy is likely to finish his career with twice as many wins than the next best rider.

Inevitably he has been Champion Jockey a few times. In fact he has won it each year for the last 15 years.

Tonight he was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year ahead of nine other sporting superstars who were all champions in their respective disciplines in 2010.

Here are three examples which show why I think he deserves the respect, adulation and praise he receives.

Example the first, McCoy falls off his horse, remounts, and wins. This video is also probably the funniest thing I've ever seen. All the horses were alright by the way.

Example the second, McCoy wins a race with a horse that does not want to be riden, at all. Don't mind the chap at the beginning, nice comments though.

Example the third, he wins the Grand National for the first time. Emotional moment etc but what a ride. Shivers up the spine stuff and a monkey off the back to boot.

A bad week

It's been a terrible week or so for sport. At least I think it has.

Talks between Serie A clubs and the player's association broke down with the real possiblity of an all out strike at the end of the month.

The World cycling authority UCI demanded swift action against triple Tour de France champion Alberto Contador for illegal doping.

After hitting the winning runs for Pakistan in a sensational One Day match against South Africa, unbeknownest to his team, Zulqarnain Haider secretly fled his team's hotel on the eve of the deciding match of the series, travelled by plane to London, sought political asylum and announced his retirement from cricket after receiving death threats for refusing to throw games. It's being reported that he was ordered to "get in line" for the last game of the series and that his family have also been threatened.

Andy Irons, the iconic virtuoso, former world champion, and (arguably without doubt) the greatest surfer most charismatic in history was found dead in his hotel room.

Photo: "Fir0002/Flagstaffotos"

If you think the last week has been dramatic just look back on it in a year's time. Maybe it will be a watershed. Maybe it'll be a turning point. Or maybe not. It has been a crazy week though.

This was the week Johnny Murtagh left Ballydoyle, the most coveted horse racing stable in the world.

This was the week Valentino Rossi, the most successful Moto GP rider of all time, began his greatest challenge ever by testing his new team's Ducati for the first time.

This was the week three time world champion and world number won (before his suspension) John Higgins began his first snooker tournament after being banned for bringing the game into disrepute amid allegations of match fixing claims.

This has been a surprising, tough, nasty week and largely one to forget. But hope springs eternal and you never know, maybe the likes of Murtagh and Rossi will rise our spirits again and we will look back on this week as the spark of a new dawn in sport.

A hurricane hit Ireland on Sunday night. Surfers found a new wave. Things might be looking up already.

Gay Future with Murphy’s Stroke

Much sporting commentary of late has surrounded match fixing of one kind or another. But does anyone remember a certain race horsing scandal from 1974? Anybody?