Blog Archive

It’s always a tragedy when a horse is forced to retire prematurely through injury. And it’s even sadder when that horse just happens to be one of the best thoroughbreds on the planet that was just hitting his stride. Crystal Ocean, highly …

In 2018, the American horse Justify created a slice of history by becoming just the thirteenth horse to claim the Triple Crown of US racing: winning the Kentucky Derby to add to his victories in the Preakness and Belmont Stakes. And yet, …

While it would be trite to suggest that football has a gambling problem, many inside the game – including Joey Barton, most notably – have suggested that betting is a major issue. Everton’s Yerry Mina is the latest high-profile player to breach …

Only one horse in history has won the Grand National on three separate occasions, and that was the incomparable Red Rum. And no horse has even gotten close to winning the famous Aintree marathon in three consecutive years. So the news that …

The UK Gambling Commission have suspended the license of EveryMatrix Software Limited as of Thursday 5th September, citing compliance violations relating to their ‘customer interaction framework’. One white label gambling site powered by EveryMatrix has cited “issues with handling possible addictive players” …

There are numerous dangers that trouble the safety of the humble jockey, but usually being bitten by a horse is not that high up on the list. But that was exactly the fate that met Francois-Xavier Betras as he guided Lucky Lycra …

The Guardian, in their latest clumsy crusade against the gambling industry, reported on Sunday that the UK Gambling Commission was planning to make it compulsory for bookmakers, online casinos and betting sites to sign up for the Gamstop campaign, which allows punters …

We should make this perfectly clear: while the bookies are as sharp as a tack and rarely get things wrong in a sporting context, when it comes to politics they aren’t always on the ball. The bookmakers made both Leave in the …

It is the undoubted highlight of the festive National Hunt calendar. And now the Christmas Festival at Kempton Park has been given a boost with the announcement that Ladbrokes will take over principal sponsorship of the meeting from 2019 onwards. The bookmaker …

It’s one of the most eagerly anticipated fixtures in the racing calendar. Hundreds of thousands of people descend on Royal Ascot to watch the action unfold in the flesh, but for those who want to swerve the dress code and occasional pomposity …

A Facebook advert created by the Football Index app has been banned by regulators for featuring stars of the game that are under the age of 25. The ad stars the likes of 19-year-old Jaden Sancho, the 20-year-old Kylian Mbappe and Raheem …

Having endured chaos on the tracks ahead of Royal Ascot, now race fans face similar carnage in getting to the Ebor Festival in York as the East Coast mainline is closed for the first time in two decades. Quite why the train …

It’s a shortlist that brings together some of the best footballers on the planet with those who delivered a career-defining moment of magic. The World Goal of the Year gong, also known as the Puskas Award, was devised by FIFA to celebrate …

This week has witnessed the AGM of the National Association of Racing Staff’s (Nars) in Lambourne. Normally, that wouldn’t be the kind of engagement to really get the juices flowing beyond those directly involved, but a speech from Nick Rust, the BHA’s …

If you are attending a Premier League or EFL game in the coming weeks, you might be well served to keep your texting until half-time or, safer still, don’t bother at all. It seems as if the vultures are circling, with clubs …

Despite making history with her incredible performances, Enable still cannot lay claim to being the best racehorse in the world. Winning two Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe renewals and the Breeders’ Cup Turf – becoming the first horse to win both in …

It was supposed to be a mere publicity stunt, designed to help publicise a campaign with positive intentions. But the killjoys at the Football Association tend to play everything by the book, and so Huddersfield Town’s one-off kit – as part of …

It is with much sadness that connections of Too Darn Hot, the champion two-year-old of 2018, have confirmed their horse has had to be retired after suffering a significant injury at Glorious Goodwood. He is said to have picked up the injury …

In the latest challenge to the amount of space that gambling firms are taking up in football sponsorship, GVC Holdings has announced that they will ‘donate’ their branding rights to the problem gambling charity GambleAware in the upcoming 2019/20 season. The operator, …

Glorious Goodwood is a flat racing meeting where you can expect a feast of high quality races and plenty of entertainment off the track too. There’s also the chance to make history – as Stradivarius did in winning a third Goodwood Cup …