A week may be a long time in politics but last week must have felt very long indeed at Turf Club headquarters where, as Larry Gogan might say, the hits just kept on coming. In fact racing politics as a whole can sometimes make the real thing look like a sensible, humdrum way to make a living. (more…)

Michael O’Leary’s outstanding success testifies to a clear-eyed realisation that the only thing that counts in business is the bottom line. However his investment in bloodstock he has described in the past as a “money pit” so it’s safe to say the Ryanair boss manages to park his financial instincts to the side when it comes to horses. And yet he appears to be surprisingly hard-headed when it comes to prizemoney and where it should go. (more…)

Great fillies like User Friendly and Ouija Board have won the Irish Oaks but the race also has on its roll-of-honour the easiest classic winner anyone has probably ever seen – and it’s not Sariska. (more…)

A weekend expedition to a Dublin betting shop indicated that when it comes to Irish racing the more things change, the more they can remain the same. It was like going back in time. As soon as the local stuff came on the screen, there was a groan, an actual groan, from the assortment of humanity scrambling to make a few quid. (more…)