RACING & WAGERING

Horse Racing

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On the 16 March, a quiet Cheltenham Festival is on the cards, but just because the government is still hesitant to allow mass ticket sales despite the mass roll out of COVID-19 vaccines. That said, ITV and other channels following the action live will still use the world famous ‘cheers’ as a sound over when the first race begins.

That first race will be the Supreme Novices’ hurdle 2-mile race at 1.20pm on 16 March. Currently, there are 11 confirmed horses in the race with the bookies putting Irascible at 20-1 with some odds as high as 40-1 while the clear favourite is Appreciate It at 11-9, 5-5 and 6-4. Metier is also a good bet for this race at 5-1 and 9-2. The first race is always the toughest to predict!

Then those that are looking to get their money down on the 3-mile Chase’s, if you are an expert at spotting the long-distance racers and jockeys that is, below we look at the 3-mile 6 furlong races and how the favourites are fairing up with their current odds!

Longest Race of the First Day

The National Hunt Chase is the race of day 1 with 3 miles and 6 furlongs, which cuts pretty close to the Champion Hurdle earlier in the day with the same distance and a single furlong. Royale Pagaille is favourite to win the National Hunt Chase with 11-8, 6-4, and 5-4 the current odds touted.

For sports fans up and down the country, the month of March is saved for the Cheltenham Festival and although the Grand National might be the most famous horse race on the planet, the Festival at Cheltenham is often regarded as the World Cup of National Hunt racing.

Fans normally flock to the venue in their thousands, with a 70,000 capacity crowd regularly selling out Gold Cup day as spectators from across the UK and Ireland make the annual pilgrimage to Prestbury Park for four days of sporting drama.

However, if you’re the kind of person that thinks reins are something that come out the sky or that jockeys are somebody who spin discs in a nightclub, then we are here to help.

From talking you through what happens on each day of the meeting to where you can tune into the action from home, here is our guide to the Cheltenham Festival 2021, including some helping hints on how to have a flutter.

The Races

Although the schedule has been modified over the years, in recent times there have been four days of action at the Cheltenham Festival, with this year's renewal set to take place from Tuesday 16th March until Friday 19th March.

Across the four days, racing fans are treated to no less than 28 races, which create a seven race card each day. Each race is slightly different in quality, but just as much entertainment, with everything from Grade One affairs to the ultra-competitive handicaps all happening throughout the week.

By Carine06 from UK - Winners Enclosure, CC BY-SA 2.0

The Ryanair Chase is a race that has grown in prestige and stature since being added to the Cheltenham Festival schedule in 2005. At first, there was skepticism about this event.

Would running in the Festival Trophy, the name that the Ryanair Chase is registered under, ever be racehorse trainers and owners’ first-choice? There is greater history attached to the Queen Mother Champion Chase and Cheltenham Gold Cup after all.

A middle-distance event between those has always made sense. After 15 years of the Ryanair Chase, we are now at the stage where it can hold its own compared to more storied Festival races.

That is certainly the impression you get based on early closing entries this year. There are a number of Cheltenham day 3 betting tips and predictions on offer for the Ryanair Chase, and that suggests we have a hugely competitive race to look forward to on Thursday, 18 March.

It has the makings of a show-stealer, the pot of the gold at the end of the rainbow on St Patrick’s Thursday. Speaking of the luck of the Irish, horses trained in the Emerald Isle have won four of the last five renewals of the Ryanair Chase.

"Cheltenham Gold Cup" (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Carine06

As steeplechasers go, Al Boum Photo already has his place in history as a past multiple winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup. One of the great things about jumps horse racing, however, is that new challengers emerge each and every season.

It's not a case of one campaign and done like with so many American Flat thoroughbreds who run on the dirt. Year after year, horses return to Cheltenham for the premier National Hunt Festival held over four days in March.

Al Boum Photo faces fresh faces in the blue riband event of the Festival, so it's well worth knowing who the 3.50 favorite has to worry about. These are some of the pretenders to his Cheltenham crown.

A Plus Tard

The main danger, according to the latest Gold Cup odds available with Irish bookmakers Paddy Power, is A Plus Tard at 7.00. Unexposed as a stayer, this horse owned by Cheveley Park Stud is a previous Festival winner two seasons ago when he routed the opposition in a Listed handicap.

What a race! A Plus Tard wins a thoroughly absorbing and dramatic Savills Chase #RTEracing pic.twitter.com/LYCmiKZUZv
— RTÉ Racing (@RTEracing) December 28, 2020

A Plus Tard took his form to new heights when showing superb stamina to overhaul subsequent Irish Gold Cup hero Kemboy in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas. He comes into Cheltenham fresh and could give trainer Henry De Bromhead his first-ever win in the Festival feature.

The year 2021 is full of exciting horse racing events, with the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Preakness Stakes all set to happen during this term. With 4njbets, punters are all ready to enjoy the betting opportunities that these amazing races give to everyone. For these racing enthusiasts, preparations start with searching for the best offers and promotions, while keeping an eye on the latest updates and betting tips are also very important for them.

1- Jenny Pitman: The Autobiography

Jenny Pitman is one of the biggest names in the horse racing world. As a racehorse trainer, she won the 1983 Grand National through Corbiere and thus became the first woman to pull off such a feat.

Cheltenham Racecourse — Image provided by https://www.horseracingphoto.co.uk and is licensed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

January and February are always exciting months for horse racing fans in the British Isles. The jumps racing fixtures come thick and fast (weather permitting, of course). But while there are some great events and top-class races, it’s all a warm-up act. There is one event on the minds of trainers, jockeys, fans and punters – The Cheltenham Festival.

That has remained the case in 2021, despite the restrictions on fan attendances at racecourses across the UK and Ireland. The show must go on, and there is a palpable sense of excitement over this year’s event. The four-day racing extravaganza will take place from 16th-19th March at the iconic Cheltenham Racecourse. But who are the horses making the headlines in the lead up to the festival, the so-called road to Cheltenham? Below we pick out five names who are likely to be on everyone’s lips before, during and after the 2021 Cheltenham Festival:

Al Boum Photo

History beckons for this nine-year-old trained by Willie Mullins. Al Boum Photo won the Gold Cup – the most prestigious of Cheltenham’s 28 races – in 2019 and 2020, and he is favourite to win a third in 2021. Such a feat will put him on a par with modern greats like Best Mate and past heroes like the legendary Arkle. It’s a tall order, of course, but Mullins is arguably the greatest jumps racing trainer of this century, and he has used Al Boum Photo both wisely and sparingly. Team Mullins is gunning for this historic hat-trick, and few will be surprised if they pull it off.

Everyone is anxiously waiting for the Grand National 2021 which is set to take place in April this year. This is especially true for racing enthusiasts who plan to mix their sporting experience with betting, as the Grand National gives so many opportunities for punters.

1- Caughoo (1947)

Caughoo was an obscure name in horse racing before he entered the 1947 Grand National. He had won the Ulster National twice but that was not enough to be rated favourably in the prestigious British race. However, the 100/1 runner got the best of all his rivals to claim a memorable victory.

Although Caughoo’s victory did cause some controversy as the runner up jockey Daniel McCann alleged Eddie Dempsey had not run the course. These claims were proved to be false as photographs later showed Dempsey completing the course on Caughoo.

2- Foinavon (1967)

Foinavon had claimed no major titles to suggest that he could pull off a victory at the 1947 Grand National. But the 100/1 runner’s chances dramatically improved when a riderless horse named Popham Down caused a melee at the 23rd fence. This chaos affected almost all the horses, and only Foinavon could avoid the melee as he was too far behind.

And as the others started remounting and giving chase, they were shocked to realize that John Buckingham had established an insurmountable 30 lengths lead with just six fences remaining. It was a lost cause for the other competitors as Buckingham easily steered his horse to victory by 20 lengths. It became so famous that the 23rd fence was officially named after Foinavon in 1984.

Foinavon tried his luck again at Aintree the following year, but there was no repeat of such a fairytale success again as he fell at the 16th.

The Cheltenham Festival is world-famous for its atmosphere, quality of racing, and prize money. The four-day festival is one of the most anticipated events for punters, who get so many betting opportunities for their fun and amusement. As a preparation, these punters compare the best odds and search for the best offers long before the actual racing starts.

1- Kauto Star

There have been many great horses in the long history of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, with Golden Miller, Arkle, and Best Mate as some of its best winners. Kauto Star also belongs in that elite category, for he regained the prestigious Gold Cup after losing it.

The Paul Nicholls trained racehorse entered the 2007 edition as a hot favourite and beat Exotic Dancer to the title. However, his biggest rival and stablemate Denman staged an emphatic display the following year and emerged victorious at Cheltenham.

To the delight of racing enthusiasts, the two finest horses locked horns again in 2009. But that time, Kauto Star was at his destructive best and all the other horses looked no match for him. He easily defeated Denman by an incredible 13 lengths, thus becoming the first horse to regain National Hunt’s blue-riband race.

Besides his Cheltenham successes, he also claimed five victories at King George VI Chase. He was given a Timeform rating of 191.

2- Desert Orchid

Desert Orchid captured the imagination of the public during the late 1980s and early 1990s with his breathtaking performances. He had claimed many prestigious races, including King George VI Chase, Whitbread Gold Cup, and Tingle Creek Chase. However, he had yet to produce his best at the Cheltenham Festival.

That all changed in 1989 when he won the prestigious Gold Cup by providing his best performance. On the ground that had turned heavy due to snow and rain, Desert Orchid pulled off an outstanding feat to claim his place among horse racing’s immortals. The much-loved English racehorse ended his career after claiming 34 victories out of 71 races.

Campaign to end race-day doping in Thoroughbred racing sees tremendous success.

Washington, D.C. – In the biggest gain for animal welfare in 2020, and in the $900 billion year-end spending bill, President Donald J. Trump signed into law the Horseracing Integrity and Safety (HISA) Safety Act, H.R. 1754/S. 4547 last night, concluding an eight-year campaign to end medication abuses leading to breakdowns and injuries and deaths on tracks across the nation. The House passed H.R. 1754, led by U.S. Reps. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y., and Andy Barr, R-Ky. by a voice vote in September, but the Senate had not taken up S. 4547 introduced by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. that promises to end the era of widespread doping of horses in Thoroughbred racing in America.

“We don’t allow doping of athletes in cycling, baseball, and other professional sports,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action. “It’s should be a no-brainer to forbid this form of cheating and dangerous treatment of horses in American Thoroughbred racing, too.”

“The signing of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act is the greatest gain for horse protection in half a century, will put the welfare of the horses at the center of the enterprise, and put the sport on a level playing field that aligns with the rest of the world,” said Marty Irby, executive director at Animal Wellness Action, who was named as one of The Hill’s Top Lobbyists for 2020, was recently recognized by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, II for his work to protect horses, and testified before Congress in support of HISA in January. “We applaud Senators Mitch McConnell, Kirsten Gillibrand, Diane Feinstein, and Reps. Paul Tonko and Andy Barr for saddling up and pushing the ban on doping in Thoroughbred horse racing over the finish line.”

“Kentucky’s cherished horseracing traditions deserve to be protected. I’m proud the Senate agreed to my legislation to preserve our signature racing industry and the 24,000 workers who support it,” said Senator Mitch McConnell. “With the leadership of Congressman Andy Barr and the partnership of sport leaders, horse advocates, and fans, we’re one step closer to promoting fairness and safety across Thoroughbred racing. As Majority Leader, I made this Kentucky-focused legislation a top priority in the Senate. I look forward to this major advancement for our beloved sport becoming law.”

Tennessee is a state with a rich history in horse breeding and racing and is known to have produced some of the finest racing and trotting horses from the 19th century and still today. Yet there have been a number of stumbling blocks along the way that have meant the state has dropped off the map when it comes to professional horse racing, in which Tennessee is currently little know for none over than their fine breeding of horses. After stringent rules have been in place for a number of years, subsequently there’s also been a lack of development of the available facilities to grow their horse racing reputation. So will Tennessee’s horse racing potential ever develop to be more than just potential?

A history of thoroughbred breeding

As a state with a rich plantation history, Tennessee is hope to some of the finest racing and trotting horses in the United States. In fact today, there are more than 3 million acres of farmland in the state that are used for horse rearing and other horse related activities and over 135 equine facilities.

The most popular type of horse to be bred in the state is the Tennessee Walking Horse; a galted horse breed that are known for their four-beat running walk and striding movements that make them so ideal for horse racing. The Tennessee walking horse is also the most popular type of riding horse, thanks to its gentle nature, smooth gaits, calm disposition and stability. Most often used as trail riding horses, this breed is also the most popular type to be featured in television shows and movies.

During the early years of the nineteenth century, more and more farms were breeding thoroughbred horses, from East Tennessee to Memphis, in which the competition was growing. Due to the nature of competition in the area, racing tracks began to pop up frequently with local owners developing rivalries in the east and west of the state. By the third decade, two major race tracks became prominently known; the Nashville Racecourse and the Walnut Course, with a rivalry growing between the owners.