British racing is counting the cost of Wednesday’s Budget, while Classic winner Gstaad has been retired to Coolmore. Hollie Doyle is set to make her long-awaited comeback at Southwell on Saturday, Billy Lee is on the brink of a first Irish jockeys’ title, and the build-up is in full swing for a huge weekend headlined by the Breeders’ Cup and the Charlie Hall Chase.
Here is the racing news today, rounded up for Thursday.
Budget blow leaves racing counting the cost
Chancellor John Healey raised machine games duty on higher-stakes gaming machines in betting shops from 20 to 25 per cent in Wednesday’s Budget, with the increase coming into effect next April. It is well short of the 40 per cent rate some had feared, but analysts Regulus Partners believe it could still force half of Britain’s betting shops to close over the next four years, at a cost of around £57 million to racing through lost Levy and media rights income.
The Betting and Gaming Council branded it “a deeply damaging decision”, with the industry already reeling from more than 600 shop closures since last year’s Budget. Our full breakdown of what the machine games duty rise means for British racing has the key numbers and reaction.
Gstaad retired to Coolmore
Gstaad has been retired to stand at Coolmore in Co Tipperary from 2027, just days before the Breeders’ Cup meeting he lit up 12 months ago. The son of Starspangledbanner won the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar on his way to Cartier champion two-year-old honours, before finishing second to Bow Echo in the 2,000 Guineas and landing the Irish 2,000 Guineas in record time at the Curragh.
A half-brother to champion juvenile Vandeek, he was bought by Coolmore for 450,000gns as a foal. “Gstaad was a remarkably tough and genuine racehorse who danced every dance at the highest level for two solid seasons,” said Coolmore’s Mark Byrne. His fee will be announced in due course.
Hollie Doyle set for Southwell comeback
Hollie Doyle is booked for four rides at Southwell on Saturday, which will be her first since breaking both bones in her lower leg in a fall at Bath on 22 May. The 162-day absence cost her almost the entire Flat season, but she has been building up her fitness on the gallops in recent weeks and is relishing the chance to get back in the saddle.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back. It’s exciting,” said Doyle. “Getting back on the horse is probably one of the easiest parts of my recovery. I feel extremely lucky and grateful that the injury I’ve had has allowed me to have another chance.”
Billy Lee closing in on first Irish title
After three seasons as runner-up to Colin Keane, Billy Lee is finally poised to be crowned Irish champion Flat jockey. The 40-year-old led Keane by 19 winners, 98 to 79, with five meetings remaining last week, an unassailable advantage with the season ending at the Curragh on Sunday.
It has been a long time coming for the Limerick native, who lost out to Keane by just three winners in 2022 and saw last year’s challenge ended by a two-month injury layoff in July. Paddy Twomey has been his biggest supporter, and Lee will become the oldest first-time Irish champion since Tommy Murphy in 1978.
Breeders’ Cup and Charlie Hall headline a bumper weekend
The Breeders’ Cup gets under way at Keeneland on Friday, and the European challenge is as strong as ever. Aidan O’Brien, level with Bob Baffert on 21 wins, can become the meeting’s outright winning-most trainer, and he has a leading fancy on Future Stars Friday in Cheveley Park and Moyglare heroine Sun Goddess. Ethical Diamond and Notable Speech defend their crowns in the Turf and the Mile on Saturday, and Matty Sutcliffe has picked out four to watch on Friday, while history suggests the British and Irish raiders are best followed on turf.
Closer to home, ten remain in Saturday’s Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby, where the ground is good, good to firm in places. Harry Skelton is booked for Pic d’Orhy, who makes his debut for Dan Skelton 12 months after finishing a length second in the race, and Paul Nicholls’ Hitman and Twinjets, The Real Whacker and Blow Your Wad all stand in his way.
Racing today
Bath — first race: 12:42 · last race: 16:12
Punchestown — first race: 13:05 · last race: 16:05
Stratford — first race: 13:20 · last race: 16:20
Ffos Las — first race: 13:30 · last race: 16:30
Southwell — first race: 16:25 · last race: 20:30
[View today’s racecards] · [Latest non-runners] · [Today’s results]