The Yard Report

The Yard Report,

What the yards know, before the market does. The conversations behind the form book. And when the word is strong, we strike.

For the last eighteen years, I’ve been on the inside of British racing. Not watching from a distance. Not guessing from data. Inside. In the press rooms, the tack rooms, the gallops at first light, and the corners of stable yards where the real conversations happen.

I’ve spent most mornings of my life with trainers, assistants, work riders, travelling staff, owners and agents the people who actually know when a horse is ready, when the plan is today, and when it isn’t. I learned quickly that what the public sees in the form book is only half the truth. The rest is spoken quietly. And almost always before the market knows.

The Yard Report is simply me sharing those conversations, directly, once a day.

No guesswork. No “every race covered” nonsense.

Just what is solid. What is confident. What is running to win.

You’ll hear from me late morning, once the gallops are finished and the real word is in. Some days there will be one bet. Occasionally two, three at most. Some days I’ll simply say nothing Today because the word isn’t good enough to bet. That discipline is the edge.

When we do play, you’ll receive the selection, the expected price range, and the yard context behind the horse. Short, clear, and direct. You’ll know why we’re backing it: fitness, sharpness, schooling intent, change of headgear, travel plan, rider feedback, stable confidence.

The things the market discovers late, when it's too late.

You get the conversation before the price moves.

Every day starts with calls. Quiet checking. Quiet listening.

What worked well on Tuesday. Who came out of their last run better than expected. Who moved sharper on grass than on the Polytrack. Who is being aimed for today and who is simply taking the run. Which jockey was told “this is the one.”

It’s not always loud. The real information rarely is.

Once I’ve got the shape of the day, I check it against my own eyes, my notebooks, my form history, ground patterns, yard trends and stable intent cycles. If it lines up, you’ll hear about it. If it doesn’t, we leave it alone.

There is no scoreboard in guessing. There is one in patience.