The going description on all courses at Aintree (Hurdle, Mildmay and Grand National) was today changed to Good, Good to Soft in places (from Good to Soft) ahead of the Randox Grand National Festival (Thursday 7^th April to Saturday 9^th April inclusive).

Watering will now take place on the Grand National course today, with 4 to 5mm of irrigation being applied.

Aintree’s Clerk of the Course Sulekha Varma explained at 4.00pm today: “We were forecast showers last night but in the end we only received 0.5mm of rain. That coupled with a dry and windy day today has seen the ground dry out and we are now Good, Good to Soft in places on all three courses.

“We have taken the decision to water just the Grand National course today and we will put down 4 to 5 millimetres of irrigation.

“The watering should hopefully take the Grand National course back to Good to Soft. We will check again in the morning before making any decisions on further watering. As always, our aim at Aintree is always to produce the best possible racing surface and we will continue to constantly monitor the situation and react appropriately.”

Tom Marquand will represent Ireland in Racing League 2022 having been the first pick at this morning’s jockey draft at Doncaster Racecourse.

A total of 108 jockeys signed up for the inaugural draft, with the seven team managers each selecting seven riders in a pre-agreed order to ensure a fair allocation.

Each region will have at least one G1-winning rider, with notable picks including Frankie Dettori for Wales and The West, Jamie Spencer for The North and last year’s leading jockey Jack Mitchell for The East.

Ireland – Kevin Blake
Tom Marquand
Rossa Ryan
Jason Watson
Tyler Heard
Dylan Browne McMonagle
Gavin Ryan
Billy Lee

Yorkshire – Leonna Mayor
Paul Mulrennan
David Allan
Oisin McSweeney
Joanna Mason
Cam Hardie
William Carver
Dougie Costello

The East – Rupert Bell
Jack Mitchell
Hayley Turner
Kieran Shoemark
Grace McEntee
Luke Morris
Ray Dawson
Cameron Noble

Wales and The West – Jamie Osborne
David Egan
Saffie Osborne
Adam Kirby
Frankie Dettori
Callum Shepherd
Neil Callan
Clifford Lee

Scotland – Linda Perratt
Kevin Stott
Ryan Sexton
Andrew Mullen
Ben Curtis
Rowan Scott
Graham Lee
James Sullivan

The North – Mick Quinn
Jamie Spencer
Paul Hanagan
Ben Robinson
Connor Beasley
Harrison Shaw
Pat Cosgrave
Lewis Edmunds

London and The South – Matt Chapman
Nicola Currie
Sean Levey
Laura Pearson
Marco Ghiani
Daniel Muscutt
Louis Steward
Eoin Walsh

Ireland team manager Kevin Blake said: “I am really happy. Six out of the seven were selections I thought I might get and the exception to that I am very happy with. It is a nice mix of British-based and Irish-based jockeys, with some of the top lads in Ireland keen to support the concept. Gavin Ryan and Dylan Browne McMonagle rode in the Racing League last year and were very keen to be involved again, as was Billy Lee. It will be great to get them over alongside the British-based jockeys headed by Tom Marquand, who was obviously the number one pick.”

Rupert Bell, team manager for The East, said: “That was great fun to do. I am delighted as I got most of what I wanted. I kicked off with Jack Mitchell as he was the star of the show last year, helping team talkSPORT win. We have Hayley Turner, Grace McEntee and Luke Morris – some very reliable jockeys who will do our team proud.”

Scotland team manager Linda Perratt said: “I am delighted with my picks. One or two of them were away early, so we kicked on the best we could. I think we have some really good jockeys and some lovely trainers with nice horses. Hopefully, they will be pleased with the picks!”
For more information, please visit www.racingleague.uk.

Following a fascinating season of jumping action at Leopardstown, attention turns to the Flat and some Classic contenders will announce their credentials in Foxrock this weekend with the Ballylinch Stud 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas Trials and the P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes.

Shape will be put on the new season in rapid time as just seven days into the new season clues for some of the biggest prizes in the sport will be on offer with Dermot Weld hopeful of representation in each of the major races this weekend.

The Ger Lyons-trained Group 1 runner-up Dr Zempf, who holds an entry in both the English and Irish 2,000 Guineas, heads the potential field for the listed Ballylinch Stud Red Rocks 2,000 Guineas Trial. Both races look like playing Roulette on bestnewzealandcasinos.com as it’s difficult to be confident of a winner.

The son of Dark Angel was narrowly touched off in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes last year and looks an exciting colt to mix it in some of the big races this year for Lyons, who has a strong hand on the day.

Impressive Naas maiden winner Pearle D’or is a Moyglare homebred who opened his account last October on his only start and he is one of a dozen entries for the first of Saturday’s three trial races.

Opposition to Weld’s son of Starspangledbanner includes five colts who have earned a rating of at least 100, among them course and distance winner Glounthaune who triumphed in the Killavullan Stakes for Aidan O’Brien last term.

“Glounthaune is going very well and showing plenty of pace,” said the trainer.
“America (Breeders’ Cup) was probably too quick for him, Ryan said he couldn’t get him organised and he was too green on the track but he’s going well. We were playing catch-up all last season, he’s a big horse, but he could be one for the French Guineas.”
In the Group 3 Ballylinch Stud Priory Belle 1,000 Guineas Trial Homeless Songs could be the Weld-trained and Moyglare-owned representative. The filly won her maiden at Leopardstown on debut and ran well in the Killavullan behind the aforementioned Glounthaune.

The Group 2 Debutante Stakes and Group 1 Moyglare Stud runner-up Agartha leads a strong potential team for trainer Joseph O’Brien and the 1,000 Guineas Trial is full of depth with the Ger Lyons-trained duo of Panama Red and Sacred Bridge on course to begin their campaign, while Aidan O’Brien could potentially give regally bred Only her competitive debut.

Speaking on Tuesday afternoon, Weld said: “The present plan would be to run Duke The Sessa in the P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes and Home Of Songs in the Ballylinch Stud 1000 Guineas Trial.

“They have both come through the winter nicely after doing well as two-year-olds and they will both progress for their first run too.
“At this stage, I’m happy with both horses and they would be definite runners at this stage, ground permitting.

Duke De Sessa is one of 12 entries for the P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes. The Leopardstown winner has the option of an Irish 2,000 Guineas tilt or either the English or Irish Derby as do many of Saturday’s potential rivals.

A very strong selection of entries for Ger Lyons this weekend is complimented by the unbeaten Atomic Jones who added to his Curragh maiden winner by scoring in the Group 2 KPMG Champion Juvenile Stakes on Irish Champions Weekend. Atomic Jones will now carry the globally familiar colours of the Beauty Stable partnership this weekend having been sold following that Leopardstown win.

Aidan O’Brien’s quest for a fifth straight win in the P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes is likely to be spearheaded by Bluegrass who is joined by stable companions Scriptwriter and Temple Of Artemis.

“Bluegrass might run in the Ballysax. He was just a bit green at Newmarket, it took a while for the penny to drop, he has a lazy way of going. He didn’t run too bad in the Zetland after never travelling. Newmarket can be like that if you don’t know your job,” said the champion trainer.

Both of O’Brien’s sons, Joseph and Donnacha will be keeping their father up to the task in this Group 3 however. Joseph could saddle the Galway maiden winner Buckaroo, while Donnacha’s Eyrefield Stakes runner-up Piz Badile is an interesting contender on what promises to be a brilliant day of Flat racing.

Click here for full entries for Ballylinch Stud Trials Day

Arguably the biggest racing-based meeting in the National Hunt schedule, Cheltenham Festival has been and gone in what turned out to be yet another memorable occasion in the horse racing calendar, especially given the fact that fans were able to return following 2021’s races being held behind closed doors. 

Throughout Cheltenham’s rich history, Ireland has had several success stories at the festival. Ireland’s very best jockeys and trainers have ventured over to England to catapult themselves to further glory on one of the most famous stages of them all. This year was no different, as instantly recognisable names from Irish horse racing aimed to race their way to success and continue Ireland’s hugely successful time of it at the four-day festival. 

Usually coinciding with Saint Patrick’s Day and proving to be extremely popular with Irish race goers, Cheltenham Festival is always an unforgettable occasion. This year’s event was no different either, especially for Ireland’s talented contingent. But overall, how did Irish jockeys and trainers fare at Cheltenham and what were the Irish highlights from an occasion which first took place in 1860? Let’s look at some of them below. 

Rachael Blackmore made even more history 

On the whole, Ireland dominated at this year’s Cheltenham Festival, with Rachael Blackmore stealing the show in particular. The female jockey produced an emphatic performance to reign supreme in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and further cement herself as one of the greatest female jockeys ever. Her win, which came aboard A Plus Tard, was a sweet moment considering Blackmore finished second in last year’s race. 

On winning the Gold Cup, Blackmore said: “When I took out my license, I didn’t think I would be riding at Cheltenham, let alone a favourite in the Gold Cup. I never even dreamt I could be doing this and I am. What I’m doing now is a dream I could never allow myself to have because it was not even in my reality. You can never dream too big because this is something I never thought would be possible.”

As a result of Blackmore’s victory, six of the last seven winners in the festival showpiece, including each of the last four, have been trained across the Irish Sea and further highlight the evident gulf between British and Irish horse racing at the moment. 

The Irish secured the Prestbury Cup 

Another notable success story from this year’s festival is undoubtedly when Sean O’Keeffe, Patrick Mullins, Mark Walsh and Mark McDonagh produced a number of emphatic displays to bring home the Prestbury Cup, a competition that essentially puts the winners from the four days of the Festival up against each other, with each victor being tallied up depending on the country in which they are trained. Thankfully, for Irish horse racing fans, the nation’s strong crop of talent managed to see off their rivals to bring home the iconic trophy and highlight once again just how strong Irish horses and trainers are right now. 

Paul Townend capped off a brilliant week

On the final day of Cheltenham, Paul Townend managed to cap off a fruitful week by securing the Jockeys Title for most race wins. The leading jockey for the 2022 Cheltenham Festival rode his way to numerous successes on Wille Mullins-trained horses, with Mullins also having a successful time and being named the leading trainer for the ninth time in Cheltenham Festival’s rich history. 

On being crowned the leading trainer at Cheltenham Festival, Mullins, who has become a dominant force in horse racing, said: “I’m delighted with the whole team and I’m going to accept the award with all my team because they are the ones who do it in the background leaving me free.”