The Queen's Cup, North Carolina, USA
Springtime is welcomed in Mineral Springs, North Carolina, USA by the fanfare of the Queen’s Cup Steeplechase. The event is held at...
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Jo O'Neill
Apr 13, 20215 min read
An Interview with Erin Pope, a saddler.
Like many pony-mad girls, Erin Pope went to work with horses as soon as she finished her A-levels. Starting out at a small eventing yard,...
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Jo O'Neill
Apr 2, 202112 min read
March 2021 Diary
On February the 22nd, we had four runners at Carlisle. It seemed an age since I had led up a winner, so I was chuffed to lead up Theme...
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Jo O'Neill
Mar 25, 20213 min read
What's In A Name?
The process of naming a horse is regulated by intricate rules. There are thousands of names registered every year and each one is checked...
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Jo O'Neill
Mar 18, 20215 min read
The Racing Life of Donna Hills
Donna Hills, 45, was always at the races, shadowing the runners of Champion trainer Paul Nicholls as well as managing the kit and...
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Jo O'Neill
Mar 12, 20213 min read
An Interview with Tracy Roberts of Turfpix, Racing Photographer
Tracy Roberts has been crazy about horses and ponies since she was a little girl and started to follow National Hunt racing from the age...
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Jo O'Neill
Mar 3, 20218 min read
February 2021 Diary
I was supposed to be going to Wetherby on the 28th January but was rescheduled to Fakenham to take Frisco Bay (Frisky). His groom Alex...
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Jo O'Neill
Feb 28, 20213 min read
An Interview with Tony Woodley - a Racing Saddler!
Tony Woodley has been a saddle maker for thirty years, but only full-time for the last eight years. He lives in Rainford, near Haydock...
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Jo O'Neill
Feb 21, 20215 min read
An Interview with Claire Hardwick
A lot of changes, alterations and diversity have been caused by the coronavirus pandemic and none more so than to the business of Claire...
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Jo O'Neill
Feb 17, 20215 min read
An Interview with Kevin Parsons - Union Learn Project and Sports Coordinator at NARS
Kevin Parsons grew up half a mile from Salisbury Racecourse and was fascinated by the sunny days of racing there. This led to a career in...
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Jo O'Neill
Feb 7, 20216 min read
An Interview with Hannah Gregory - Assistant Trainer to Richard Phillips
Being a pony-mad girl, Hannah Gregory, 28, has ridden since she was three. She rose through the ranks of the local Pony Club and competed...
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Jo O'Neill
Jan 31, 20218 min read
January 2021 Diary
It snowed at the end of December; proper fluffy white snow. Yardie John Dina made a snowman at the back of the stables with twiggy arms,...
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Jo O'Neill
Jan 24, 20217 min read
An Interview with Leanne White - Head of Travelling to Andrew Balding
Leanne White (nee Masterton) is one of the most respected travelling head staff in the UK and Internationally. At the age of sixteen, she...
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Jo O'Neill
Jan 18, 20215 min read
The Racing Life of Gordy Clarkson
Gordy Clarkson, 52, has worked with racehorses his entire life here in the UK and over in Ireland, with only a brief hiatus when he was...
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Jo O'Neill
Jan 14, 20213 min read
Interview with Top Owner The Honorable Mrs Elizabeth Wills
The Honourable Mrs Elizabeth Wills lives near Cheltenham and caught the racing bug from her husband, Ian, who farms and has yearlings....
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Jo O'Neill
Jan 10, 20215 min read
An Interview with Jamie Insole, Assistant Trainer to Charlie Hills
Not many people have the racing pedigree with as much black type in it as Jamie Insole! Jamie’s family includes successful jockeys and...
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Jo O'Neill
Jan 8, 20212 min read
An Interview with Top Owner Alison Jelley
Graham and Alison Jelley have been involved with racehorse ownership for approximately twenty years. Their colours are a familiar sight...
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Jo O'Neill
Jan 3, 20219 min read
December 2020 Diary
I do love the frosty mornings, especially the silver haw frosts; cobwebs are sparkling lace, the ground twinkles like a surface of...
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Jo O'Neill
Dec 28, 20206 min read
An Interview with Author and Racing Fan Jilly Cooper
Jilly Cooper CBE began her writing career as a journalist before mixing the writing of non-fiction and fiction, but is most famous for...
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Jo O'Neill
Dec 22, 20207 min read
An Interview with Racing Legend Richard Pitman
As a jockey, Richard Pitman won a Champion Hurdle on Lanzarote in 1974, a Hennessy Gold Cup, a Whitbread Gold Cup and two King George’s...
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