A reminder of the ancient ties of the crown to the City June 5, 2012 IT WAS a magnificent spectacle on the river in 1662. On Saturday 23 August, Samuel Pepys records in his diary that King Charles II brought his new Queen, Catherine of Braganza, to London in a celebratory flotilla that almost paved the surface of the Thames: “Anon come the King and Queen in a barge under [...]
Jubilee weekend highlight: the ultimate Royal pageant May 29, 2012 Without doubt, the focus of the weekend is the Jubilee Pageant flotilla on Sunday 3 June, running from Putney past Tower Bridge. The procession will be led by the Gloriana, a £1m barge built for the occasion, with 18 oarsman including Olympic athletes Sir Steve Redgrave and Sir Matthew Pinsent. The flotilla is so grand [...]
Course specialist Merigo can claim his second Coral Scottish Grand National April 19, 2012 PAUL Nicholls had possibly the greatest day of his racing career last Saturday when Neptune Collonges finally broke his Grand National hoodoo, and Team Ditcheat will be confident of notching another big win tomorrow as Harry The Viking looks to hold strong claims in the Coral Scottish Grand National (3.25pm). The seven-year-old, part-owned by Sir [...]
A right royal coronation for the next generation of Pearly kings April 15, 2012 DESCENDANTS of one of the original families to adopt the tradition will be among those crowned as Pearly kings and queens next month. The new royalty of the City of London, the City of Westminster and the London boroughs will be crowned at the Carpenters Arms, a classic East End pub, on 6 May. The [...]
Star Witness can finish with a bang July 7, 2011 NO Australian-trained horse has ever won tomorrow’s Group One Darley July Cup (3.35pm), but I expect that to change thanks to Aussie raider STAR WITNESS. Danny O’Brien’s four-year-old ran two absolute crackers at Royal Ascot and this will be his last ever race, as he is due to go back to stud in his homeland. [...]
Nova Hawk to land the Coronation for France June 16, 2011 WITH plenty more rain expected to fall at Ascot, it’s extremely hard to confidently predict what the official going description will be come race time this afternoon. I’m working on the basis that the ground will be good to soft, but you can monitor the situation by following me live from Ascot on Twitter @BillEsdaile. [...]
Celebrate Mother’s Day with a luxurious high tea March 30, 2011 LANDMARK LONDON The grand Marylebone hotel is well-known for its splendidly lavish Sunday brunch buffet served in the vast atrium of the Winter Garden, with everything from pastries and salads to roast dishes, and a sweeping array of desserts topped off with a chocolate fountain. As an added treat for Mother’s Day, you can mix [...]
Twin imposters triumph and disaster lurking December 5, 2010 So here we are just a few weeks before Christmas and those twin imposters triumph and disaster lurk behind every corner. England lose a brilliant World Cup bid that they could never win, only for the cricket team to comprehensively outplay Australia and take control in the Ashes. On Coronation Street four actors will lose [...]
Lillie Langtry all set to be crowned Ascot Queen in Coronation Stakes June 17, 2010 YOU would have got a big price about Aidan O’Brien not training a single Royal Ascot winner, but the Ballydoyle maestro will arrive at the Berkshire course today without a winner on the board after three days of racing. However, I expect him to have a cracking afternoon and his LILLIE LANGTRY can land the [...]
the INSIDER June 17, 2010 Henry Cecil had a winner on Wednesday, but his Bullet Train ran terribly in the Derby. He may come back today and run a blinder but I can’t put my money on him until he proves it was a one off. Green Moon has proved that he is a good horse in the making with [...]