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Raleigh Gilbert
Walter Raleigh Willock Gilbert, known as Raleigh Gilbert (28 February 1936 – c. February 1998) was a British horse racing commentator active for 40 years. Early life Born in Devon and educated at Sherborne School, Gilbert rode as an amateur while living in Kenya in the mid-1950s, and began his journalistic career as racing correspondent for the East African Field and Farm in 1956 before returning to Britain and writing for the Sunday Post in Scotland. Commentary career Gilbert began his career as a racecourse commentator in 1958, and eventually became the first person to commentate at every racecourse in the UK. In the early 1970s he worked briefly for the BBC, commentating on the 1971 Grand National for BBC Television, but the dominance of Peter O'Sullevan and Julian Wilson on TV and Peter Bromley and Michael Seth-Smith on radio blocked his way, and in January 1972 he joined ITV as a commentator. From that year until the end of 1980 he was one of the commercial channel's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Horse Racing
Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic premise – to identify which of two or more horses is the fastest over a set course or distance – has been mostly unchanged since at least classical antiquity. Horse races vary widely in format, and many countries have developed their own particular traditions around the sport. Variations include restricting races to particular breeds, running over obstacles, running over different distances, running on different track surfaces, and running in different gaits. In some races, horses are assigned different weights to carry to reflect differences in ability, a process known as handicapping. While horses are sometimes raced purely for sport, a major part of horse racing's interest and economic importance is in the gambling associated ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Epsom Oaks
The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2,420 metres), about 1½ miles, and it is scheduled to take place each year in late May or early June. It is the second-oldest of the five Classic races, after the St Leger. Officially the Betfred Oaks, it is also popularly known as simply The Oaks. It has increasingly come to be referred to as the Epsom Oaks in both the UK and overseas countries, although 'Epsom' is not part of the official title of the race. It is the third of Britain's five Classic races to be held during the season, and the second of two restricted to fillies. It can also serve as the middle leg of the Fillies' Triple Crown, preceded by the 1000 Guineas and followed by the St Leger, although the feat of winning all three is rarely attempted. History T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chester Cup
The Chester Cup is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 2 miles, 2 furlongs and 140 yards () at Chester in May. History The event was established in 1824, and it was originally called the Tradesmen's Cup. It was initially a limited handicap with a minimum weight of . For a period the race was known as the Tradesmen's Plate. During this time it was open to horses aged three or older. The race was renamed the Chester Trades' Cup in 1874. From this point it was often referred to as the Chester Cup, and that became its usual title in 1884. The Chester Cup was formerly contested over 2 miles, 2 furlongs and 77 yards. It was abandoned in 1969, and extended by 20 yards in 1970. The distance of the race was changed to 2 miles, 2 furlongs and 117 yards in 1992. It was increased to its present length in 1994. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Satellite Information Services
Sports Information Services (SIS) is a company which provides content and production services to the betting industry; such as horse racing and greyhound racing, to betting shops in the United Kingdom and Ireland and other worldwide destinations. Previously, they provided news gathering services and specialised broadcast solutions to clients beyond betting industry. It was formed in 1986 as Satellite Information Service, when bookmakers took the opportunity to broadcast live racing in their shops for the first time – previously only live audio commentary was broadcast to licensed betting offices (LBOs) and a 'whiteboard' man transcribed the shows and results in the LBOs. The service was launched initially in Bristol on 5 May 1987 and subsequently rolled out to approximately 10,400 bookmakers in the UK and Ireland. SIS is owned by Ladbrokes 23%, Caledonia Investments 22.5%, Alternateport Limited 20.5%, William Hill Organisation 19.5%, Fred Done (co-owner of Betfred boo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Newmarket Racecourse
Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of Horse racing in the United Kingdom, British horseracing and is home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and many key horse racing organisations, including Tattersalls, the National Horseracing Museum and the National Stud. Newmarket hosts two of the country's five British Classic Races, Classic Races – the 1,000 Guineas and 2,000 Guineas, and numerous other Group races. In total, it hosts 9 of British racing's List of British flat horse races#Group 1, 36 annual Group One, Group 1 races. History Racing in Newmarket was recorded in the time of James VI and I, James I. The racecourse itself was founded in 1636. Around 1665, Charles II of England, Charles II inaugurated the Newmarket Town Plate and in 1671 became the fi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Channel 4 Racing
''Channel 4 Racing'' is the name given to the horse racing coverage on the British television stations Channel 4 and More4. History The first transmission of racing on the channel was on 22 March 1984 from Doncaster, as it took over midweek coverage that had previously been on ITV. On 5 October 1985, the week after '' World of Sport'' ended, Channel 4 took over ITV's Saturday afternoon coverage. From the beginning of 1986, however, the amount of racing covered, especially on Saturday afternoons, was substantially reduced with coverage focussing on Newmarket, Epsom, Doncaster, York, Sandown Park, Kempton alongside visits to Ayr for the Scottish Grand National and Ayr Gold Cup meetings and Newcastle for the Eider Chase, Northumberland Plate and Fighting Fifth Hurdle. Race meetings dropped would be the small/medium tracks that were covered by World Of Sport Warwick, Nottingham, Market Rasen, Ripon, Beverley, Towcester, Stratford, Catterick, Fakenham, Fontwell, Sedgefie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Racecourse in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. It usually coincides with Saint Patrick's Day and is particularly popular with Irish visitors. The meeting features several Grade I races including the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase and Stayers' Hurdle. Large amounts of money are gambled; hundreds of millions of pounds are bet over the course of the week. Cheltenham is noted for its atmosphere, including the "Cheltenham roar", which refers to the enormous amount of noise that the crowd generates as the starter raises the tape for the first race of the festival. Cheltenham Festival was not held between 1941 and 1945 because of World War II and in 2001 due to the foot-and-mouth disease crisis. History Origins The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Ascot
Ascot Racecourse is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, about 25 miles west of London. Ascot is used for thoroughbred horse racing, and it hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 races and three Grade 1 Jumps races. The racetrack's current grandstand was completed in 2006. Ascot Racecourse is visited by approximately 600,000 people a year, accounting for 10% of all UK racegoers. The racecourse covers leased from the Crown Estate, and enjoys close association with the British Royal Family. Ascot was founded in 1711 by Queen Anne and is about from Windsor Castle. Royal stands have been in use at the sports venue since the late 18th century. The main grandstand has been demolished and rebuilt on many occasions. The first public grandstand was built in 1839 and has been redeveloped over the centuries. Queen Elizabeth II visited the racecourse quite frequently. The seating area was reconstructed in 1961 and named in her honour, but t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polo
Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient Iran, dating back over 2,000 years. Initially played by Persian nobility as a training exercise for cavalry units, polo eventually spread to other parts of the world. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ball through the opposing team's goal. Each team has four mounted riders, and the game usually lasts one to two hours, divided into periods called ''chukkas'' or ''chukkers.'' Polo has been called "The Sport of Kings" and has become a spectator sport for equestrians and high society, often supported by sponsorship. The progenitor of polo and its variants existed from the 6th century BC to the 1st century AD, as an equestrian game played by the Ira ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Greyhound Racing
Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around an oval track. The sport originates from Hare coursing, coursing. Track racing uses an artificial lure (usually a form of windsock) that travels ahead of the greyhounds on a rail until the greyhounds cross the Racing, finish line. As with horse racing, greyhound races often allow the public to Gambling, bet on the outcome. Animal rights and animal welfare groups have been critical of the animal welfare, welfare of greyhounds in the commercial racing industry for many years which has contributed to the reforms of the industries in recent times. A greyhound adoption movement spearheaded by kennel owners has arisen to assist retired racing dogs in finding homes as pets, with an estimated adoption rate of over 95% in the United States. In the UK, under the Greyhound Board of Great Britain retirement scheme (introduced in 2020) greyhounds are ensured an approved GRS (greyhound retirement scheme) h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eclipse Stakes
The Eclipse Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Sandown Park Racecourse, Sandown Park over a distance of 1 mile, 1 furlong and 209 yards (2,002 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in early July. History The event is named after Eclipse (horse), Eclipse, a celebrated 18th-century racehorse. It was established in 1886, and the inaugural running was won by Bendigo (horse), Bendigo. At that time, it was Britain's richest ever race. The prize fund of £10,000 was donated by Leopold de Rothschild at the request of General Owen Williams (British Army officer), Owen Williams, a co-founder of Sandown Park. The Eclipse Stakes was contested by high-quality fields from its inception. It was won by Ayrshire, the previous year's Epsom Derby, Derby winner, in 1889. The first three finisher ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Irish Oaks
The Irish Oaks is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs (2,414 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in July. It is Ireland's equivalent of The Oaks, a famous race in England. History The event was established in 1895, and it was originally contested over a mile. It was extended to its present length in 1915. The field usually includes fillies which ran previously in the Epsom Oaks, and several have won both races. The first was Masaka in 1948, and the most recent was Snowfall in 2021. The leading participants from the Irish Oaks sometimes go on to compete in the following month's Yorkshire Oaks. The last to achieve victory in both events was Snowfall in 2021. Records Leading jockey (6 wins): * Johnny Murtagh – ''Ebadiyla (1997), Winona (1998), Petrushka (2000), Peeping Fawn (2007), Moonstone ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
