logo
Horse racing: Lingfield Classic trials, Ascot updates and more

Horse racing: Lingfield Classic trials, Ascot updates and more

The Guardian10-05-2025

1.15 LINGFIELD, OAKS TRIAL FILLIES' STAKES, 3YO, 1M 3F 133YD
The three-runner Oaks Trial revolves around Aidan O'Brien's Giselle, who is bred in the purple – by Frankel out of Newspaperofrecord, a Breeders' Cup winner on turf as a juvenile – and looked unlucky to be denied a Group Three win behind her stable companion, Whirl, on her final start at two at the Curragh last October. She's in green colours on the outside, rather than the orange and blue she will be wearing today. Giselle
She was fourth across the line and subsequently promoted to third, and it seems as certain as these things can ever be that she will be much better over middle distances this season. Giselle is already no bigger than 20-1 for the Oaks next month, will go off at around 1-4 today and anything other than a comfortable success will be seen as a disappointment.
SELECTION: GISELLE Share
Good afternoon from Lingfield Park in the leafy Surrey commuter belt, the latest stop on Flat racing's long and winding road through the traditional Epsom Classic trials before attention turns to Leopardstown's Derby Trial card on Sunday.
Lingfield's Derby Trial, due off at 3.00, has been won by just two subsequent Epsom Classic winners this century, but Adayar, the 2021 Derby (and King George) winner finished second here, while Ambiente Friendly, an impressive winner of this trial 12 months ago, set off as the 9-2 second-favourite and was beaten only by a resurgent City Of Troy.
This year's race has attracted a seven-strong field headed by two runners from Aidan O'Brien's stable – Puppet Master and Stay True - and an interesting, lightly-raced colt from Ralph Beckett's yard, Prince Of The Seas. Season-by-season, Beckett has been working his way towards the very top of the mountain in British Flat racing and he saddled two Oaks winners in six years between 2008 and 2013, but he has had just four runners in the Derby, all at double-figure odds, with Westover's third place in 2022 currently as close as he has been to winner.
The Oaks Trial at 1.15, meanwhile, is all about O'Brien's runner, Giselle, the 1-4 favourite in a field of just three runners. She is already top-priced at 20-1 for the Oaks already, will set off at around 1-4 and could well be at single-figure odds if she comes up with a performance to match the pre-publicity.
Elsewhere around the country today, the Victoria Cup Handicap at Ascot (2.40) will be the key race in many punters' Yankees and Lucky 15s, and while the field of 18 – down from 19 at the final declarations – will be the smallest for 20 years, the bookies were still going 6-1 the field overnight.
And at Haydock, the annual mixed meeting – featuring races both on the Flat and over jumps – includes the Swinton Handicap Hurdle, a last hurrah for some useful two-mile handicap hurdlers before a well-deserved rest over the summer.
With seven meetings spread around the country and nine races in all on the ITV Racing schedule – picks for which are here, along with a recap on yesterday's Chester Cup card. It is going to be a busy afternoon and you can follow the main action at Lingfield, Ascot, Haydock and elsewhere right here on the Guardian's Saturday live blog. Share

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Huddersfield bring in three assistant coaches
Huddersfield bring in three assistant coaches

BBC News

time19 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Huddersfield bring in three assistant coaches

Huddersfield Town have appointed Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, Paul McShane and Jonathan Robinson as assistant trio will support new Town boss Lee Grant after he took over at the League One side last who had spells with Port Vale, Bradford and Carlisle as a player, has spent the past 10 years coaching in the Liverpool Republic of Ireland international McShane joins from Manchester United, while Robinson has worked at Liverpool and Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq."Their diverse backgrounds, dedication and commitment to excellence will be invaluable to us as we continue to grow and build something special at this club," Grant told the club website, external."Each brings a unique outlook and energy that aligns with our values and future aspirations."

Emma Raducanu cruises to first-round win at Queen's – but greater test lies ahead
Emma Raducanu cruises to first-round win at Queen's – but greater test lies ahead

The Independent

time40 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Emma Raducanu cruises to first-round win at Queen's – but greater test lies ahead

As starts to the British summer go, it doesn't get much better than an hour in-and-out under the west London sun. Refreshed and rejuvenated after a two-week break following the French Open – and a thrashing at the hands of Iga Swiatek – Emma Raducanu has all her sights set on a prosperous month with the pristine grass under her feet. And here at Queen's Club, sporting a claret outfit, she did not let slip a purple patch on court. Will there be bigger tests than world No 112 Cristina Bucsa? Of course. A fortuitous draw still needs capitalising on, though, and Raducanu excelled and looked supremely at home in a 6-1, 6-2 demolition job. Yet, most strikingly of all, in a year which included a horrendous stalking ordeal, was how much she seemed to enjoy the limelight once again. 'I must say I was quite locked in today,' Raducanu said on-court afterwards. 'I'm still trying to find my groove on this surface. I actually lost to Cristina earlier in the year, so I was really trying to fight and get into the second round. 'It's incredibly special [to play at Queen's]. For us girls to have a tournament here, instead of watching on TV and seeing the men play, is really nice.' It's a noteworthy fortnight for Raducanu, ahead of the habitual significance of a Wimbledon fortnight as a British player. Currently ranked 37 in the world, the 22-year-old is five spots away from a seeding at SW19, which would effectively hand her an easier route on paper to the third round. It is a benefit she has not exhibited since her 2022 season, when she was seeded at the Grand Slams purely as a result of her unfathomable 2021 US Open triumph. As such, she's opted not to play at home in Nottingham (WTA 250) next week and has instead accepted a wild card at the higher-rated Berlin Open (WTA 500). The hope is that a strong run – likely semi-finals or further – either here at Queen's or next week in Germany, could be enough to crack that highly-coveted top-32. Intriguingly, compatriot and doubles partner this week, Katie Boulter, is similarly eyeing a seeding at Wimbledon. Yet where Boulter toiled and stumbled to a tense first-round win in three sets earlier, Raducanu oozed composure and class. From the off, the 22-year-old was lasered in here. She made her move early. With new coach Mark Petchey watching on, having hopped over quickly from Paris after commentary duties at Roland Garros, alongside old coach Nick Cavaday, the Briton dominated her opponent in the back-of-the-court exchanges, with her forehand cross-court thriving in particular. An early break at 2-1 was secured with an old-school slice approach and volley put-away on the backhand side, triggering a Raducanu smile that was so endearing on that memorable run in New York. A second break soon followed, Raducanu cracking her groundstrokes with venom and accuracy hand-in-hand, to the delight of a near-full Andy Murray Arena. Twenty-four minutes is all she needed to clinch the opening set. She started the second set as she finished the first, buoyantly smashing two forehand winners off Bucsa's serve to set up an immediate break. The Spaniard, who admirably came through two rounds of qualifying, had little to no answers to Raducanu's consistency. A double break soon followed with a forehand volley put-away, before the Brit closed it out with a sumptuous cross-court backhand passing shot. A greater test lies ahead, likely in the form of defending Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova in round two on Thursday. That will give the biggest indication of where Raducanu's game is on the grass and whether a seeding is tangible for Wimbledon. But on a positive day for the unseeded Brits as women's tennis returns to Queen's for the first time in 52 years – Heather Watson joined Boulter and Sonay Kartal in round two – Raducanu made the firmest impression. Her road to Wimbledon is off to a flier.

Stylish Emma Raducanu gets revenge on Cristina Bucsa to reach Queen's second round
Stylish Emma Raducanu gets revenge on Cristina Bucsa to reach Queen's second round

Telegraph

time40 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

Stylish Emma Raducanu gets revenge on Cristina Bucsa to reach Queen's second round

Latest updates live updates 10 June 2025 5:04pm 5:03PM 'I was locked in' - Raducanu on first-round victory Discussing her performance, Raducanu said on court: 'I must say I was quite locked in today, so I'm very pleased with my performance. I was a little bit nervous in the beginning, it's my first time playing on this court at Queen's in London. The support was incredible. On switching from clay to grass, she said: 'I would say I'm still trying to find my groove on this surface, there are certain shots that I feel like I'm still a little bit late on, so I'm working on that. 'I knew today was going to be a really difficult match, I actually lost to Kristina earlier on this year, so I was trying to make sure that didn't happen again. 'I was trying to fight and get into the second round because I just want to stay here playing at Queen's, playing as many matches as I possibly can.' 4:55PM Raducanu seals victory in routine fashion So can Raducanu hold her serve once again to wrap up this match in little over an hour? Bucsa hammers her first return into the net to give the Brit a 15-0 lead. The same again on the second point so it's 30-0 to the home favourite. Raducanu sends a wonderful forehand into the corner to set up three match points but is forced to wait a little longer after a powerful return of serve from Bucsa. The Spaniard comes into the net on the next point but a superb passing backhand seals victory for Raducanu. A truly dominant performance from the British No 2 and she progresses into the second round. 4:50PM Raducanu 6-1, 5-2 Bucsa* Bucsa comes out on top of the first couple of points of this next game, as she serves to stay in the match, sending a forehand into the corner on the latter. She then buries a pair of aces to wrap this game up in incredibly quick fashion. 4:48PM Raducanu playing well In the break between games a man carrying four drinks just stumbled down the stairs - miraculously not spilling anything - to cheers from those in the nearby stands. On court, Emma Raducanu is playing well and not looking overly troubled by her Spanish opponent. 4:48PM Raducanu* 6-1, 5-1 Bucsa Bucsa goes long with a backhand to give Raducanu the lead at the start of the sixth game of this set. But the Spaniard draws Raducanu to the net with a tidy drop shot before volleying home into the empty court to level things up, that's much more like it. The British No 2 responds, though, with a powerful serve that can only be returned into the net by Bucsa and it's 30-15. But things do feel much more even now and after working Raducanu out wide, Bucsa finishes off the point with another sliced backhand drop shot. Raducanu dispatches an excellent backhand into the corner from the baseline, though, and it's up to 40-30. The Brit goes long from a similar position on the next point so we're up to deuce. After a slight slip from Raducanu, Bucsa can send a forehand into the corner so she has her first break point of the match. Raducanu goes big with the second serve, though, sending her opponent out wide before burying the forehand into the opposite corner so the break saved for now. The Spaniard slices a defensive forehand long but Raducanu sends an attempted winner wide so it's back to deuce. It felt like there was much more space to go the other way there. Bucsa pushes her next return of serve wide before sending the next one into the net and it's a well-fought hold from Raducanu. 4:37PM Raducanu 6-1, 4-1 Bucsa* It's an unforced error at the start of this game from Bucsa as she finds the net, but she forces the wayward return on the next point before burying a forehand to take a 30-15 lead. She then works Raducanu out wide and can finish it off at the net to go within a point of the game but from a similar position, she slices wide before a slice into the net takes the game to deuce. She comes out on top of the next point for the advantage before finishing the game off with an ace. 4:33PM Raducanu* 6-1, 4-0 Bucsa Bucsa has been able to get a foothold in the opening two points of Raducanu's service game and she comes out on top to take a 0-30 lead. Raducanu produces another powerful second serve, though, and the Spaniard's forehand down the line goes wide. A big serve down the middle forces the return into the net so it's all square again in this game. Raducanu continues to make it count with the serve as another return finds the net, before the next one drops just beyond the net allowing the Brit to tuck it away into an empty court. 4:28PM Raducanu 6-1, 3-0 Bucsa* Bucsa dominates the opening point of her next service game but catches the top of the net while on top of the next point so it's back to 15-15. Raducanu catches the line during the next rally and Bucsa is thrown off by the bounce so it's 15-30 to the Brit. Bucsa can level things but she is unable to return a crushing crosscourt backhand from Raducanu, though, so it's another break point for the 22-year-old. She gobbles up the second serve before putting the point away at the net so she has the double-break! 4:25PM Raducanu* 6-1, 2-0 Bucsa Bucsa shows some good character to bury a forehand into the corner at the start of this next game, before dominating the next point to set up a smash at the net and go 0-30 up. The first real test for Raducanu's serve now and she responds well, forcing the wide return of serve from the Spaniard. Bucsa's strings go on her racket on the next point and Raducanu keeps the point alive for long enough to force the mistake and it's back to 30-30. Following a change of rackets for the Spaniard, Bucsa's return of serve goes long so Raducanu has done well to turn this game around. An ace down the middle and that will be a confidence-boosting hold for the Brit.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store