Jack's Blog

  • Sep
  • 27
  • 2011

The Whip Rules: <insert whip-based pun here>

Whipping up a storm. BHA cracks the whip. Jockeys are the whipping boys… There are just too many puns to choose from. Ok, maybe not. That last one was particularly weak.  What is clear is that the BHA have...

  • Sep
  • 27
  • 2011

Picks of 2011 - Three Year Old Colt

It’s obviously Frankel! Next…  To not consider the opposition does a disservice to some very good horses so I’m going to briefly touch on the merits of two smart three year olds. Firstly, the Derby winner, Pour Moi, who...

  • Sep
  • 27
  • 2011

Picks of 2011 - Three Year Old Filly

I have to admit it. This category really lacks strength in depth. No one filly has stamped her authority on the season and all the big race winners have disappointed at one time or another.  The strongest British contender...

  • Sep
  • 27
  • 2011

Royal Ascot - Part 3

Having rushed down to pick up, dust off and put on my top hat (I was twice stopped by stewards on the way to berate me for my bareheadedness) I finally made it to the brawl location. In truth it...

  • Sep
  • 26
  • 2011

Picks of 2011 - Two Year Old Colt

This is an immensely tricky category! One glance at the market for next year’s 2,000 Guineas shows that there has been no stand-out two year old colt of 2011. That’s not to say they’re a bad bunch – time will...

  • Sep
  • 26
  • 2011

Picks of 2011 - Two Year Old Filly

Most of the top races for two year old fillies have been run and it’s still not entirely clear which horse has achieved the most this year. The ratings will produce a credible answer but my choice is based squarely...

  • Sep
  • 26
  • 2011

The Joy of the Accumulator

My dad has long been a devotee of the wildly optimistic accumulator. I like to think of them as strategized lottery tickets but, in truth, if you have enough patience they are so much more than that. Tiny stakes can...

  • Sep
  • 24
  • 2011

Get Ready for the Jumps!

As flat season winds down to its glorious conclusion it's almost time to dust off those frost covers and prepare to focus on National Hunt racing. Although my passion has always primarily been for flat racing I’ve grown to love the...

  • Sep
  • 22
  • 2011

Royal Ascot - Part 2

The first race had been a disaster - between the nine of us we'd failed to pick a horse in the first three. Morale was low, wallets were light and the group was beginning to prickle with sobriety. It was...

  • Sep
  • 07
  • 2011

Inside Info

My very first racing experience was perhaps the most interesting (thus far). I was nearly eleven years old and had been dragged to the 1997 Ebor meeting at York by my father and 15 year old brother. Well, I know...

  • Aug
  • 18
  • 2011

Royal Ascot - Part 1

I once read somewhere that eating carrots can remedy the acidic unease (and possible bad breath) that comes about from drinking lots of champagne. The recommended ratio was a wholly reasonable one carrot per bottle of champagne. With this in...

  • Jul
  • 23
  • 2011

Last Gasp Preview to the King George

It feels a little bit cowardly to write about racing without making predictions. So, having coured the form pages and watched countless race replays on Youtube here's my attempt at unpicking the rapidly approaching King George VI and Queen Elizabeth...

  • Jun
  • 23
  • 2011

So You Thought it would be easy?

In 2003 Australian trainer Paul Perry brought over a creature that resembled half horse half bull to run at Royal Ascot. The creature's name was Choisir and, as it turned out, he was not only 100% horse but also rather...

  • Jun
  • 13
  • 2011

Age of Superstars

Every year there are champions in racing but very few of those champions can claim to be all-time greats. Frankel's display in last month's 2000 Guineas was so visually stunning that he is already guaranteed a place in racing history....

About Jack

I’m a 24 year-old economist from London and I’m currently working for the Royal College of Anaesthetists. I never tire of reading about racing. There’s never a shortage of talking points and I can’t help but have an opinion on every aspect of the sport. Blogging is a fantastic way to share my opinions and become more involved in the racing community. The carrot of a two week placement on the Guardian’s racing desk isn’t half bad either!

I’ve not looked back since I was reluctantly dragged to the races on a family outing almost 15 years ago. I was initially attracted by the challenge of picking winners – scouring the form, reading preview after preview and picturing how the race will unfold – but now I’m more taken by the spectacle of racing. The buzz of the crowd, the beautiful scenery and the incredible mix of characters and fashions… I’m still fascinated by the hundreds of subplots behind each and every race but I’ve come to greatly appreciate the experience of a day at the races.

I like blogging about the big races. The occasions when horses with huge reputations face off against each other. The build-up to these races goes on for weeks – in that time I’ll read dozens of articles on each contender, debate the outcome for hours with friends, continually second guess how the race will pan out and, ultimately, change my mind on which horse to back at least a hundred times. The characters involved – the trainers, the jockeys, the owners and the horses themselves – provide a wealth of material to blog about.