It's a crazy time of year with the weather as to and fro as the racing. Today, for example, sees the continuation of the Punchestown Festival in Ireland, the hunter chase season finale at Cheltenham, and the start of the Guineas Festival at Newmarket. Truly something for everyone! In that spirit, and sneaking in before […]
As has become somewhat customary, I've taken a few moments to publicly critique the wagering positions from which I stood to gain or lose during that marvellous week of racing action, the 2024 Cheltenham Festival. It won't be interesting to everyone, perhaps only to very few, and I publish not to boast/wallow (*delete annually as […]
Cheltenham Festival 2024: Day Four Preview, Tips It's been a weird, and occasionally unsatisfying, week with the abandonment of the Cross Country Chase and the lamentable early showings - and subsequent withdrawals - of Nicky Henderson's star players. But here we are, three down one to go and buoyed for a crack at the Foxhunters […]
Cheltenham Festival 2024: Day 3 Preview, Tips Day Three, Thursday, and it's out with the Old (Course) and in with the New (Course). Fresh ground then, but plenty of precipitation has tumbled over it so mud lovers aforethought perhaps... 1.30 Turners Novices' Chase (Grade 1, 2m 4f) Previewed by Matt Bisogno. The Turners is an […]
Cheltenham Festival 2024: Day Two Preview, Trends, Tips Day Two. Wednesday. The second half of the first half and a day when, seemingly, it has rained since time immemorial. After a full on drenching last year, the action may again be played out under sullen skies and over sodden swards. Be that as it may, […]
Cheltenham Festival 2024: Day One Preview, Tips We're back! The 2024 Cheltenham Festival is here, and I can't wait! Finding winners will, in the main, be tricky; though value is lurking everywhere. The job of our race previews will be to combine those two challenges to try to give you something to cheer and something […]
In front of a packed and enthralled gathering at the Kensington Holiday Inn last night, a panel comprised of some of the shrewdest judges in the racing game assemble to share their wisdom. They were Matt Tombs (MT), Festival stats man extraordinaire, Lydia Hislop (LH), multi-racing broadcaster of the year and presenter/writer of different versions […]
In the first half of this two-part mini-course we looked at the basics of multi-race bets, as well as the key area of staking. In this concluding part the focus will be on strategy and tactics: what to consider when framing your bets, and how to manage your position once your tickets are 'live'. You'll […]
There are lots of ways to bet on horses. Win, place and each way are just the beginning: such bets involve a reliance on one horse winning or nearly winning, the outcome of which provides players with a (usually) known return. I've long mixed up my 'singles' betting with more elaborate plays. Known as exotics […]
The new year is well upon us now and, on this fourth day of January, a few resolutions may remain intact. Chocolate, biscuits, cakes (and especially chocolate biscuit cakes) and beer are largely off the agenda for a bit here - yes, life is currently very dull - but, on a much more interesting note, […]
In November 2017, when we were all younger and many of us were better looking, I embarked on a jolly boys’ outing to northern France. But this wasn’t your average lads’ weekend away; no, this was a sortie to the sales – a half-cooked fantasy gaining momentum through peer group pressure! The innocence of (relative) […]
Throughout this site, in editorial content and on our award-winning Gold reports and racecards, there are references to various measures of performance or utility: horse racing metrics. Although some of the concepts may be new, their application – and therefore your understanding of them – is generally straightforward. This article offers a brief run down […]
The 40th renewal of the Breeders' Cup in gorgeous Santa Anita was an intense cauldron of high-class action. It always is. But there were differences between the 2023 version and those that went before, as outlined in my five takeaways below... Scratch That There was a swathe of non-runners, or scratches as they're known across […]
This affects you. And me. It affects all of us, either directly or indirectly. So we need to take action. At this stage, the action is very small but will make a difference. I am talking about the impact of affordability checks on the sport of horseracing. And specifically about a petition that needs your support […]
It's 1st September, the kids are about to go back to school, the nights are drawing in, and those hot balmy evenings are soon to be a thing of the past. OK, so point one may not be applicable to you, and point three wasn't applicable to any of us (!) but, nevertheless, the month […]
