The flat season continues to build momentum this weekend with the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury, while there is also top-level jumping action from Auteuil in France and the latest leg of the American Triple Crown with the Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park. Further afield, there’s Group 1 racing from Australia and Japan, along with another busy week of racing across Britain and Ireland.
Big races this week
7:02am Doomben, Saturday (SKY)
Ladbrokes Doomben 10,000 (Group 1)
6f, Turf
2:35pm Newbury, Saturday (ITV)
BoyleSports Lockinge Stakes (Group 1)
1m, Turf
3:25pm Auteuil, Saturday (SKY)
Grande Course de Haies d'Auteuil (Grade 1)
3m1½f, Hurdle
12:01am Laurel Park, Sunday (SKY)
Preakness Stakes (Grade 1)
1m1½f, Dirt
7:40am Tokyo, Sunday
Victoria Mile (Grade 1)
1m, Turf
3:05pm Auteuil, Sunday
Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris (Grade 1)
3m6f, Turf
*All races above are listed in UK time.
Featured races
The feature race on the British card this weekend is the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury, one of the first major mile races of the flat season and often a key stepping stone towards Royal Ascot. The Newbury meeting itself looks strong from top to bottom and should give a clearer picture of the older miling division.
Over in France, the staying hurdlers take centre stage in the Grande Course de Haies d'Auteuil, with Home By The Lee heading the Irish challenge for the £140,000 prize. Sunday’s Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris is another of the great French jumping prizes and always worth a watch for fans of staying chasers.
In America, the focus turns to the Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park. The second leg of the Triple Crown, unfortunately, Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo skips the race. Incredibolt heads the betting at 5/1.
Down under there is Group 1 action from Australia with the Doomben 10,000, while Sunday morning brings the Victoria Mile from Tokyo, one of Japan’s top races for fillies and mares.
Other meetings to note
Saturday brings flat cards from Newbury and Newmarket, jumps racing at Bangor-on-Dee, and an evening meeting from Uttoxeter. In Ireland there is jumping from Wexford and flat racing at Navan.
Sunday sees a decent flat card at Naas, while Sha Tin stages another Hong Kong meeting.
The week ahead is quieter but still busy enough, with racing from Carlisle, Redcar, Lingfield, and Windsor on Monday, jumps action from Hexham and Huntingdon on Tuesday, and meetings including Warwick, Ayr, Yarmouth, and Ffos Las on Wednesday. Thursday’s cards include Limerick, Haydock, and Musselburgh.
Looking ahead
Next weekend’s headline race is the Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh on Saturday, one of the major contests of the Irish flat season and a race that often reshapes the Classic picture heading towards Royal Ascot.
Race Notes
12:01 Preakness Stakes (Grade 1) - Laurel Park (USA)
The second leg of American racing’s Triple Crown takes place this weekend, with 14 runners set to line up for the 2026 Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park. Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo will not be among them, leaving the race wide open heading into Saturday night.
Three horses currently share favouritism at 5/1, Incredibolt, Chip Honcho and Taj Mahal.
Taj Mahal heads into the race with a strong local record, having already won three times at Laurel Park. That experience around the track could prove valuable in a race where positioning and rhythm often matter just as much as outright speed.
Chip Honcho looks another major player and will have Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Jose Ortiz in the saddle. His stalking style should suit the likely pace of the race and many in the US racing press see him as one of the horses to beat.
Incredibolt also comes here after running in the Kentucky Derby and will be partnered by Jaime Torres, who won the Preakness back in 2024.
The latest betting sees Taj Mahal, Incredibolt and Chip Honcho all at 5/1, followed by Ocelli at 6/1 and Napoleon Solo at 8/1. Iron Honor sits just behind the market leaders, while several outsiders such as Great White, Pretty Boy Miah and The Hell We Did are available at 15/1.
A major talking point ahead of the race remains the absence of Golden Tempo. After winning the Kentucky Derby, many hoped he would attempt to keep the Triple Crown dream alive, but his connections confirmed last week that he would bypass the Preakness and instead target the Belmont Stakes.
In a statement, the team explained that Golden Tempo had given “the race of a lifetime” in the Derby and that they felt giving him extra recovery time was the right move. They added that his long-term wellbeing would always come first.
The quick two-week gap between the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness has often caused problems for trainers. Golden Tempo now joins recent Derby winners Rich Strike and Sovereignty as horses who skipped the middle leg of the Triple Crown after winning at Churchill Downs.
Selection: Taj Mahal (win)
Antepost Watch
Felicitas shortened dramatically for the Betfred Oaks after running a big race in defeat behind Legacy Link in the Musidora Stakes at York this week. The performance saw her cut from 66/1 into 20/1 for the Epsom Classic on 5 June, and she now looks a much more serious player in the fillies’ middle-distance picture.
Racing Syndicates
Emris Racing are a new name in the syndicate space, and their latest addition, the filly Ellie, looks a really interesting prospect for anyone keen to get involved early with a National Hunt horse. Trained by Fergal O'Brien, she is by Passing Glance and comes from a proper staying family, with depth that includes Numbersixvalverde, who won the 2005 Irish Grand National and the 2006 Aintree Grand National.
The set-up at Emris Racing focuses on giving members a clear, behind-the-scenes view of a horse’s progress, from early education through to the racecourse. Ellie is still at the early stages, but she looks the type who could give her owners a lot to look forward to as she develops.
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Racing News
Here are a few racing updates that caught the eye this week.
Racing Legends - Ouija Board
Ouija Board’s story is the tale of a mare who refused to recognise borders, time zones or expectations. In doing so she altered the shape of modern turf racing and breeding.
Born in 2001, she became a true international superstar. She carried the famous Lord Derby silks to Classic glory and then far beyond.
Thanks for reading! Let’s catch up again next week.
Regards
The Newsletter Team
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