Cheltenham

Former Cheltenham racecourse chairman Lord Vestey has died at the age of 79. Samuel Vestey, 3rd Baron Vestey, whose wife Celia, the sister of Gold Cup-winning trainer Henrietta Knight, died last year, aged 71, had a long association with the sport. Sporting his familiar blue silks, his runners enjoyed success over jumps and on the Flat. Jamie Osborne, now a successful trainer, was in the irons when the Knight-trained Karshi (GB) (Persian Bold {Ire}) delivered one of Vestey's biggest wins. Owned and bred by Vestey himself, he won the 1997...

Racing Welfare marks its jumps season return with a 'Virtual West Open Day' Sunday, Nov. 8.  Sponsored by Sporting Life, the Virtual West Open Day will offer video content from the region's racehorse trainers as well as footage of racing's premier horses, jockeys and personalities. Also featuring a jumps schooling session and insights from a vet and farrier on Instagram, the Virtual West Open Day will present a live point-to-point Facebook demo with Derek 'Tommo' Thompson from Chaddesley Corbett. For more information on the Virtual West Open Day, visit www.racingwelfare.co.uk/westopenday/....

There was a significant spike in the total of confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK on Sunday--less than 10 days before the scheduled start of the Cheltenham Festival. Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty, reported that the number of positive tests for the virus has risen to 35 after 12 new patients were identified in England. Whitty said three patients were close contacts of a known Covid-19 case that was transmitted within the UK--believed to be a Surrey resident--while another new patient, from Essex, has no relevant international travel to...