Opinion
Our honest take on the sport, from race-riding and the way races are run to the talking points that get us going. Argued straight, and always up for debate.
Pacemakers: The Obvious Ones and the Ones Nobody Noticed
Action, Lambourn and Hawk Mountain were obvious pacemakers. Henlein, Never So Brave and Snapretend shaped their races too, and nobody said a word.
14 Sep 2026Worcester's Near Side: 3 Jockeys Saw It, 8 Did Not
The first, second and third at Worcester all came down the near side. The two best jockeys at the track went there, and one 22/1 shot followed them home.
10 Sep 2026Beaten Favourite Last Time Out: The Stat That Matters
Every service flags a beaten favourite. On its own that flag tells you nothing at all. Here is the context that turns it into something you can actually use.
25 Aug 2026Horse Database: Which Horses Are Rated What
A handicap mark on its own is a fact, not an insight. Our Horse Database shows every horse as it stands today, and the gap between the two is the point.
25 Aug 2026Il Est Francais Joins Dan Skelton: The Headgear Angle
First time headgear is a negative signal on average, not a positive one. Which makes the yards it does work for, like Skelton with a tongue strap, worth…
12 Aug 2026The Best Ratings in Racing? 21 Top-Rated Winners in a Single Day
We believe RatingTheRaces produces the best ratings around, and Friday 24 July made the case for us: 21 top-rated winners across the day, plus our nap and a…
24 Jul 2026Qatar Goodwood Festival: The Five Feature Races, and What Last Year Told Us
Five days at Goodwood, a Group 1 on each of the first four and the Stewards' Cup to finish. We look back at how each of them was won last year, including a…
19 Jul 2026Aidan O'Brien: One Winner From His Last 23, and a King George Worry
Aidan O'Brien has had just one winner from 23 runners across the weekend, with two beaten at odds-on. A look at a rare cold spell, and why the timing matters…
19 Jul 2026Danger Bay and the Art of Ignoring the Prize Money
Danger Bay is being aimed at a Group 3 worth less than three handicaps he could win first. A look at why so much race planning ignores the prize money.
16 Jul 2026The little things too many jockeys get wrong
A fair but frank look at the race-riding habits that keep costing horses and punters, from ignoring an obvious track bias to dropping the hands before the line.
9 Jul 2026