Greg Wood
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Articles by Greg Wood
Daryz makes history with back-to-back Arc de Triomphe triumphs
Greg Wood at Longchamp It was a very different, distinctly brutalist Longchamp that last saw a colt go back-to-back in the Arc, and 48 years on from Alleged's second victory in 1978 with Lester Piggott holding the reins, the uber-modernist new grandstand rose to acclaim its first legend here on Sunday as Daryz produced the same, overwhelming turn of finishing speed down the straight that had carried him to victory in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe 12 months ago.
Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe 2026: horse-by-horse guide to all the runners
Updated Sat, October 3, 2026 at 7:54 AM UTC Clockwise from top left: Maltese Cross, Daryz and Thundering On.Composite: Getty Images, Reuters A rare repeat success could be on the cards with Daryz well fancied, while O’Brien Jr and Sr go head-to-head in Paris Trainer: Francis-Henri Graffard. Jockey: Mickael Barzalona. Draw: 5. Pedigree: Sea The Stars x Daryakana (by Selkirk). Age: 4. Odds: 7-4.
Paris magic and tradition keep the Arc in a class of its own above the latest gimmicks
When France-Galop announced in June that geldings will be allowed to run in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe from 2027, there was an underlying sense that action was needed to maintain the race’s status as Europe’s showpiece event.
‘I want to be seen as a bloody good trainer’: Gihan Arnolda’s journey from sleeping rough to beating Britain’s top stables
“It’s just unbelievable, isn’t it?” Gihan Arnolda says as he reflects on his first three months as a trainer: five winners from 33 runners, £50,000 prize money banked and a string that is, according to the much-respected Timeformoperation’s “run to form” statistic, outperforming every other Flat yard in Britain. But it could equally apply to the story of Arnolda’s journey from the east end of London to Cadland Cottage Stables at the bottom of Warren Hill in Newmarket.
‘Nothing ever seemed to faze him’: Ken Oliver, former racing editor of the Guardian, dies aged 86
Ken Oliver, who has died at the age of 86, was the Guardian’s racing editor for many years until his retirement in 2004, at the end of a lifetime in racing journalism at publications including the London Evening News, the Sporting Life, the Sun, the London Daily News, the Sunday People – where he tipped as Larry Lynx – and as the editor of Ruff’s Guide to the Turf, the racing equivalent of Wisden.
‘He was all fire’: brilliant Bacio blasts to Nunthorpe Stakes success at York
His name is the Italian for a kiss but there is little delicacy or tenderness about Bacio, the front-running winner of the Nunthorpe Stakes here on Friday. He was headstrong and belligerent on the way to post and simply brutal once the race was under way, tearing down the five-furlong strip without seeing a rival on the way to a one-and-a-quarter length success.
York Ebor meeting: Yorkshire Oaks and more on day two – horse racing live
Queen Camilla, the patron of York Racecourse, watches the Falcons display team come in to land. Photograph: Chris Jackson/Getty Images That was a remarkable ride by Billy Loughnane on Libertango, dropping in from a high draw and working his way across towards the far rail before launching the final challenge to Star Of State.
York Ebor meeting: International Stakes and more on day one – horse racing live
Constitution River is in good shape for the International Stakes. Photograph: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images 1.50 YORK, HANDICAP, 5F 89YD A maximum field of 22 runners is heading to post for the opening race of the day, and while they will be stretched right across the track, both the draw and pace angles on the straight course at the Knavesmire could help to narrow the field down to a manageable shortlist.
Constitution River gets immediate chance to fill Bow Echo void at York
Ryan Moore drives Constitution River to Group One success in the Eclipse at Sandown. Photograph: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images For the moment at least, there is a Bow Echo-shaped hole in the remainder of the 2026 Flat season, after the news last week that George Boughey’s unbeaten colt has been retired to stud after suffering a training setback.
Roxby all set to lord it over Great St Wilfrid rivals at Ripon
The well-travelled Dubai Honour (front) is in his seventh season but is still capable of top-class form.
Roxby all set to lord it over Great St Wilfrid rivals at Ripon
Greg Wood Frontrunners and prominent racers enjoy a significant edge at Ripon and Nigel Tinkler's Lord Roxby, a winner over course and distance this month, has a fine chance to follow up that success in the Great St Wilfrid Handicap at the Yorkshire track on Saturday.
Chepstow centenary highlights storied history of Welsh horse racing
Greyhound racing in Wales may be facing a total ban but the equine equivalent is enjoying a boom and the country's most famous track at Chepstow celebrated its centenary this week. Conca D'Oro won the first race run there on 6 August, 1926, and since then the racecourse has hosted many great days, and not just over fences since National Hunt racing arrived in 1927 just months after the 370-acre estate had opened for business.
Chepstow centenary highlights storied history of Welsh horse racing
Greyhound racing in Wales may be facing a total ban but the equine equivalent is enjoying a boom and the country’s most famous track at Chepstow celebrated its centenary this week. Conca D’Oro won the first race run there on 6 August, 1926, and since then the racecourse has hosted many great days, and not just over fences since National Hunt racing arrived in 1927 just months after the 370-acre estate had opened for business.
Jockey Club rocks British horse racing by quitting Racecourse Association
Greg Wood The Jockey Club, which owns 15 British racecourses including Cheltenham, Aintree, Epsom and Newmarket, said on Monday it will join Ascot in resigning from the Racecourse Association (RCA), the trade body that represents all but one of the country's 59 tracks, at the end of the year.
Glorious Goodwood 2026: Stewards’ Cup and more on final day of meeting – live
A view of racing labels at the Glorious Goodwood festival. Photograph: Matt Alexander Media Assignments/PA Preamble Welcome to Sussex for the final day of Glorious Goodwood 2026, and it’s an afternoon when it’s all about the betting as a 28-strong field goes to post for the Stewards’ Cup at 3.35.
Asfoora retirement on hold after popular sprinter’s gallant defeat at Goodwood
This was expected to be the day when Asfoora, one of the most popular sprinters of recent seasons, ran her last race before heading home to Australia and the breeding paddocks, but the seven-year-old mare could yet have a final outing at Group One level after running a close fourth behind American Affair in a blanket finish to the King George Stakes here on Friday.
Arc on horizon for Diamond Necklace after dazzling Goodwood success
The high summer sun was still beating down on Glorious Goodwood on Thursday but thoughts were beginning to turn towards the autumn’s showpiece events in France and the US after Diamond Necklace extended her unbeaten record to six races with an effortless success in the Nassau Stakes.
Goodwood great escape makes Billy ‘the Kid’ and Bow Echo public favourites
Billy Loughnane threw his goggles towards an ecstatic crowd packed around the winner’s enclosure as he returned after a thrilling, unforgettable success on Bow Echo in the Sussex Stakes on Wednesday. He missed, but it was the only mistake he made all day. Technically at least, Billy “the Kid” is still a fair nickname for Bow Echo’s 20-year-old jockey. This, though, was a coming-of-age moment for horse and rider that should see the pair of them graduate to the turf’s established elite.
Moore stays ice cool on Scandinavia to lift Goodwood Cup after loose horse drama
Greg Wood at Goodwood Scandinavia confirmed the form of his Ascot Gold Cup defeat of Trawlerman with a wide-margin win in the Group One Goodwood Cup on Tuesday, but the bare result does not tell the full story of a race in which a riderless horse led the field for much of the way and veered across the leaders with three furlongs to run. The drama began at the start, where Hector Crouch was unshipped from Amiloc, the jockey catching his foot on the stalls as the horse jinked to the right.
Jockey Club staff cull leaves Derby feeling flat with Ascot and Goodwood riding high
Greg Wood The King George card at Ascot on Saturday was an day that showcased Flat racing at its best, and the sense of optimism at the end of the afternoon was only enhanced by the imminent prospect of five days at Glorious Goodwood this week. Scandinavia and Trawlerman will reprise their Ascot Gold Cup rivalry in Tuesday's Goodwood Cup. The “big three” of Bow Echo, Gstaad and Opera Ballo have all been declared for Wednesday's £1.5m Sussex Stakes.
Jockey Club staff cull leaves Derby feeling flat with Ascot and Goodwood riding high
The Qatar Goodwood festival runs from Tuesday to Saturday this week.Photograph: Kieran Cleeves/PA Media Assignments/PA The King George card at Ascot on Saturday was an day that showcased Flat racing at its best, and the sense of optimism at the end of the afternoon was only enhanced by the imminent prospect of five days at Glorious Goodwood this week. Scandinavia and Trawlerman will reprise their Ascot Gold Cup rivalry in Tuesday’s Goodwood Cup.
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot: horse racing – live
It’s hotting up at Ascot. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/Reuters Preamble Welcome to Ascot for one of the grand occasions of the racing year – King George day, featuring the most valuable and prestigious all-aged Group One of the British season. The King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, to give it its full title, is a relative youngster on the Ascot programme, having been first staged in 1951 (all of 144 years after the first Gold Cup in 1807).
King George glory days are back and Ascot has Europe’s top racing prize in sight
Amid fears in the wider racing industry that affordability checks, tax raids and falling attendance will be the end of us, Ascot sails serenely on towards an exceptional renewal of the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Saturday. The crowds for last month’s Royal meeting were up on all five days to set a new post-Covid record. The track is debt-free, having paid off the final £3m of the loan taken out to build its statement grandstand back in 2006.
Racing fearful Burnham and new government may have gambling in sights
Andy Burnham, born jist over a mile away, went racing for the first time at Aintree, above, earlier this year. Andy Burnham, born jist over a mile away, went racing for the first time at Aintree, above, earlier this year. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA Seven prime ministers in the space of 10 years is a churn rate that even the British Horseracing Authority – which has had five full-time leaders in the same period, or six if you count the two-time “interim” chair, David Jones – cannot match.
Cheltenham Festival crackdown aimed at stalling significant rise in false starts
Greg Wood The British Horseracing Authority said on Thursday that it aims to introduce a series of measures ahead of next year's Cheltenham festival to tackle a significant rise in the number of false starts at National Hunt's showpiece meeting in recent seasons. The percentage of festival races that had a false start has climbed steadily over the last five years, from 18% in 2022 to nearly 40% at the 2026 meeting four months ago.
New twist in affordability checks row demands answers from Gambling Commission
Greg Wood Last Tuesday's announcement by the Gambling Commission that it planned to introduce “financial risk assessments” – or affordability checks – for gambling customers seemed to mark the end of racing's fierce, five-and-a-half-year campaign against the policy, but there has been a further twist to the extended tale after it emerged that the House of Commons' culture, media and sport committee (CMSC) has written to the commission, requesting answers to a series of questions on the checks...
July Festival 2026 at Newmarket and updates from York and Ascot: horse racing – live
The July Festival returns to Newmarket. Photograph: Doug Peters for The Jockey Club/PA 1.40 NEWMARKET, MAIDEN STAKES, 2YO, 7F A rare appearance for a maiden event on the ITV schedule and while it’s not a race to be betting in, it has a strong back-catalogue of winners and runners that went on to better things.
Odds-on favourite Precise struck down by Blue Bolt in Falmouth Stakes
The Group One Falmouth Stakes has proved a tough assignment for favourites in recent years and Precise, at 4-5, was the fifth of the last seven odds-on shots to let the punters down, as she could finish only a two-length second behind Andrew Balding’s year-older Blue Bolt here on Friday. Precise arrived at Newmarket with two Group One wins to her name already this season, while Blue Bolt had finished second in last October’s Sun Chariot Stakes on her only previous start at the highest level.
Racing warrior Rebel’s Romance continues world tour with Newmarket victory
One of the sport’s great warriors returned to the front line for the 32nd time in a remarkable career on Thursday, with £12.12m in prize money already banked and the all-time record for a European-trained horse of £12.7m now within reach. Jumping fans often complain that Flat horses are rarely around long enough to become heroes, but Rebel’s Romance is a cast-iron case for the defence.
Kempton’s future uncertain with new rules bringing wrecking ball closer
The “future of British horse racing” – and perhaps most immediately, the future of Kempton Park – will be the subject of a debate in Westminster Hall on Tuesday afternoon after Lincoln Jopp, the Conservative member for Spelthorne, secured parliamentary time for MPs to discuss the potential impact of the government’s recent relaxation of planning regulations on the country’s second-biggest spectator sport.
Eclipse Stakes day: horse racing from Sandown – live
LIVE – Updated at 13:40 Join Greg Wood at Sandown for all the latest action on Eclipse Stakes day. Eclipse contender: Constitution River Age: Career: 5 races, 4 wins. Group One wins: Trainer: Aidan O'Brien. Timeform rating: 124p. The favourite for today's big race has been beaten just once, on his first trip to the track, when he was short-headed in a hot maiden at Newmarket's July meeting a year ago.
Confusion on Kempton future after denials course to be bulldozed over for houses
Barratt Redrow, the housebuilding company that holds an option to redevelop the site of Kempton Park racecourse in Surrey, has denied a claim by a local MP that an application to bulldoze the historic home of the King George VI Chase to build more than 2,000 new homes on the site will be submitted this year.
Fery defies nosebleed to carry British hopes into round three but Swan bows out
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Fery defies nosebleed to carry British hopes into round three but Swan bows out
The Princess of Wales was on a roving mission to follow the fortunes of the British players here on Thursday and, though she was not long detained on No 1 Court, where Katie Swan went down in straight sets to Madison Keys, there was more to cheer on court 18 as Arthur Fery – born in France but raised a stone’s throw from the All England Club – reached the third round for the first time with a four-set defeat of Otto Virtanen.
Wimbledon diary: tech bunkers, birds stop play and safe serve records
More than half a million spectators will pour through the turnstiles in south-west London this week, but that is just a small fraction of the number who will follow the action via the Wimbledon app, where point-by-point scores from every match on every court are available within seconds.
Mirra Andreeva’s Wimbledon hopes dashed by resurgent Krejcikova
Just four women in the post-1968 Open era have won singles titles on the slow red clay of Roland Garros and Wimbledon’s lightning-fast grass before their 20th birthdays. And as Mirra Andreeva, the 19-year-old winner of last month’s French Open, walked on to Centre Court here on Wednesday to face Barbora Krejcikova – herself already a winner of both European grand slams – she had fair hopes of joining Maureen Connolly, Evonne Goolagong, Chris Evert and Steffi Graf as the fifth name on the list.
Zverev overcomes grass allergy and Blockx to advance to Wimbledon’s second round
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Alexander Zverev’s big serve breaks down Blockx to advance to second round
Alexander Zverev’s serve is at once among the most potent and also the most perplexing weapons in tennis. When it is working as it should, which is about 98% of the time, the German feels all but unbreakable. And in whatever time is left, it can all fall apart.
Wimbledon diary: Sinner’s mental metrics, elite queuing and gin-scented candles
While thousands of fans shuffle around the grounds and soak up Wimbledon’s familiar mood of British unflappability, behind the scenes there is a hive of activity to keep the show on the road. Nowhere more so than at the restringing facility, which processed a record 6,565 rackets at last year’s tournament – an average of nearly 500 per day. “The balls change slightly every year,” says Josh Sillick, on the stall run by the tournament’s official “restringing partner” Babolat.
Royal Ascot draw bias left too many with raw deal in otherwise stellar week
The first 11 horses across the line in the Britannia Stakes were from the stands’ side group and nine of those were drawn 22 or above. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA Big numbers were something of a theme at Royal Ascot this year. Aidan O’Brien became the first trainer to saddle 100 winners at the meeting when Scandinavia took the Gold Cup on Thursday.
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