Introduction
The
Cheltenham Festival is undoubtedly the major highlight
of the UK National Hunt Calendar.
For
three days each March, thousands of people descend
upon a town in Gloucestershire to witness the marvel
which is the Cheltenham Festival.
Many
of the people who attend are serious horseracing fans
or those connected with the horseracing industry. On
the other hand, there are many like me who have a
moderate interest in the sport and who love the
atmosphere of Cheltenham and to watch the best of the
best compete with each other over this shrine to
National Hunt racing. The racing is very competitive and it can be difficult to get
a winner. However, the sense of satisfaction when you
do is something that should not be underestimated. If
you don’t get a winner at Cheltenham – don’t
worry. You’ve chosen a very difficult meeting to
attempt it at, and you might find more success at less
competitive meetings later in the week.
I had four in a row at Ludlow last year.
Some
of you may be saying “ I’ve recently started going
racing and I love it, but I haven’t a clue how to place
a bet”.
Betting
may seem complex to the outsider, but I hope to
explain to you here how betting works.
WHY
AM I BETTING ?
This
sounds very odd, but is worth considering from the
outset.
 |
Are
you trying to make your fortune, or simply out
to have a bit of fun. |
|
How
much do you want to make?, are there ulterior
motives for your wagering? |
|
How
much money (assuming you lost) would ruin your
enjoyment? |
|
Am
I betting on all the races, or just a few? |
All
these factors should be considered before the first
day, because at the very least, they should aid your
enjoyment of the day's racing
PICKING
THE HORSES
It
goes without saying that you will need to select a
horse with a suitable chance of winning or getting
placed (coming 2nd, 3rd and
sometimes 4th). I’m not going to go too
much into detail about this but I will make some basic
points.
|
There
is no such thing as a “get-rich-quick”
scheme |
The
only true way to determine which horse is the most
likely to win a race is by regular study of form and
performance. The
racing newspapers are a very good source of
information and opinions and, these, or an experienced
friend may be prepared to share his/her views with
you. There are "specialists" who offer their
services, most of them are for a fee, however remember
that all they are offering is their opinion, and
not a guarantee. Therefore if you choose
to use one, it is imperative that you check them out,
see if they keep records of previous results, … or
simply ask your friends. Alternatively, there are some
websites that offer free advice.
|
Remember:
there is
no such thing as a guaranteed winner. |
Many unexpected factors can affect the performance of
a horse during a race and cause it not to win. Horses
are not machines and are prone to injuries like the
rest of us – try to think of them as Olympic
athletes. With steeplechasing,
the risk of horses falling, scrambling to their feet
and running off without their jockeys means that the
risk of interference by loose horses has to be
acknowledged.
For
sake of example, In the Gold Cup, 3 years ago, I had
to deal with the frustration of my 'horse', See
More Business having his chances of winning ruined
by being carried out (i.e. forced off of the track) by
Cyborgo
that had just gone lame and was in the process of
being pulled up.
See
More Business
went on to win the Gold Cup the following year. It’s
impossible to say whether he would have won on that
previous occasion, but remember that it CAN happen
to you and if it does, that’s steeplechasing for
you!
|
Don't
be afraid to seek opinions from more than one
source
|
You
should listen to opinions from more than one source to
help make your decision.
I recommend that you listen to TV and radio
information and to read the newspapers. Preparation
for this should ideally be done in advance of the
Festival week as the races will usually have a large
number of runners and there is little point in trying
to swot-up on the form in 15 minutes, the night before
the meeting.
If
you’re lucky enough to have a friend who’ll give
you his/her opinion, ask them to explain the reason
behind their choice. Someone who knows what they’re
talking about will happily discuss their selection’s
chance in the context of the other runners, and
possibly mention other horses who should be prominent
in the race. An undetailed or hesitant answer may
imply a lack of thought behind a particular selection.
Bearing
in mind the above advice, NEVER blame someone if the horse you decide to back on their advice
does not win. Any bet you will ever have is always entirely at your own
risk. Your friend probably doesn’t possess a crystal
ball and can only advise which horse they think is the
most likely
to win rather than which horse will win. If they could, they’d probably be an extremely
wealthy person. Get stroppy, and you may lose a useful
source of racing information which may work in your
favour on another occasion.
|
