Advice

The Chester Vase

It’s the start of the Chester Boodles festival today, and the feature race is the 15:35 Chester Vase run over one mile and four furlongs. There are eight declared runners, and I’m going to take a look at the race and break it down into the selections that I’m going to personally be betting on. The first thing to note,…

Read More »

The Flat is Definitely Back!

There’s no doubt the flat season is with us now. I’m writing this just after the finish of the first colts classic, the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, with the first fillies classic the 1,000 Guineas to come on Sunday. This week’s post concentrates on Saturday’s action from Newmarket, but there is time at the end to take a quick look…

Read More »

Inside the Rails – The “Value” of Inside Information

It is often assumed that being an owner means you will immediately have access to profitable information for gambling purposes, but is that really the case? In my regular articles, I have been looking at racehorse ownership to try to provide a peak behind the scenes at what goes into getting the horses that we watch and bet on, ready…

Read More »

Dream Horse

The moving true story of an ordinary Welsh woman who dreamed of breeding a race horse, and Dream Alliance, who defied the odds to become a champion and brought a community together. Janet Vokes was running the bar in her local working men’s club in the small Welsh mining community of Cefn Fforest when she fixed upon the idea of…

Read More »

Goodbye to Jumps

Just over a week ago I had my right kidney removed so it’s hard to believe that I’m able to write this week’s Monday blog post. The pain and soreness are still there and, although each day I feel better, I’m pacing my way back to full fitness. It was the final day of the British jumps season on Saturday…

Read More »

The History of Horse Racing

“There are few more stirring sights in sport, than to witness the finish of a prestigious horse race. The bright blur of horses racing toward the winning post, with jockeys pushing their mounts forward, urged on by the encouragement of the racegoers. This book celebrates the great characters and performers, both human and equine, who have been involved in such…

Read More »

Inside The Rails – Race Planning

In my regular articles, I have been taking a look at racehorse ownership to try to provide a peak behind the scenes at what goes into getting the horses that we watch and bet on, ready to take the chance on the racecourse. In earlier articles, I have looked at purchasing horses, the owner’s day at the races, what different…

Read More »

Winner – My Racing Life

When Tony McCoy announced his retirement from racing, the shockwaves reverberated a cross the world of sport. With more than 4,300 winners to his name, McCoy seemed to be at the peak of his powers, when he suddenly brought down the curtain on an extraordinary career. But then McCoy has always done things his way! WINNER, My Racing Life is an exceptional…

Read More »

Inside The Rails – At the Stables

Last week we looked at the ownership experience at the racecourse, but this is only a small part of the ownership experience.  Even a sprinter will only probably run around 20 races a year and this leaves at least 345 days where owners are not racing with their horse.  There is plenty to experience away from the racecourse however and…

Read More »

The Jumping Game

As a woman who trained the great Best Mate to win three consecutive Cheltenham Gold Cups, no one could be better qualified than Henrietta Knight to discover what makes today’s top jumps trainers succeed. From eccentric, outspoken Yorkshireman Mick Easterby, to elegant, aristocratic Venetia Williams, from Irish wizard, Willie Mullins, to perfectionist champion trainer, Paul Nicholls and young pretender, Dan…

Read More »

Betting in the 21st Century

Horse racing maybe one of the oldest of all sports, and in its essentials it would appear to have undergone virtually no change over the centuries – it is still about thoroughbreds racing across a large field – but in so many other ways it is constantly evolving and the pace of change has accelerated considerably in the 21st century.…

Read More »

Tiger Rolls into History

Tiger Roll became a Grand National legend on Saturday. As he became the first horse since Red Rum to win the race two years on the trot. Like Red Rum, Tiger Roll is bred to be a flat horse, and he’s not exactly built to jump a fence either. But like “Rummy”, he’s just a freak of horse. Travelling powerfully…

Read More »

Three Standout Races at the Aintree Festival

The Aintree Festival is one of the most-anticipated National Hunt events on the racing calendar. The three-day extravaganza always delivers plenty of passion, entertainment and drama. The Merseyside track is a superb venue, and thousands of spectators descend on the course each and every year. The competitive racing attracts a plethora of top trainers and jockeys to the north west, and despite taking place…

Read More »

Inside the Rails – At the Stables

If you follow racing at all, you will have probably heard of syndicates and racing clubs and these vehicles allow people to come together to share the costs of ownership.  There may not actually be too much difference between a syndicate and a racing club, but then again one syndicate or racing club can be very different from another, so…

Read More »

Winning Horse Race Betting Systems

Winning Horse Race Betting Systems, does exactly what is says on the tin! It gives you loads of winning systems to use, straight off the bat. The book introduces the best winnings ways, presented simply, and in plain English, for you to use yourself. Winning Horse Race Betting Systems was written 10 years ago. The fact that it still ranks…

Read More »

Is Your Staking Costing You A Fortune?

Staking is an often under-discussed element of betting, yet it can make or break you. More often than not, it’s bad staking that causes bettors to lose their entire bankroll. And here’s why… Gamblers Ruin Yes, it’s a pretty descriptive name!  But what the heck is it? It’s when you’re betting with stakes larger than your bankroll can statistically sustain during a losing period. Usually it…

Read More »

Sean Bowen: A Future Champion Jockey?

I am big fan of Sean Bowen, the son of trainer Peter Bowen, and brother of James. Indeed, I have praised his riding a few times this jumps season. Well there is no doubt he’s riding at the very top of his game now. At Kelso on Saturday, Sean’s talents were once again showcased. Bowen won the first two races…

Read More »

The Definitive Guide to Betting on Horses

From small beginnings in 2000, with matched bets of just £3,462 on the Oaks and Derby, to more than £23 million traded on a cricket match in January 2005, Betfair, the dominant exchange, can now arguably be called the world’s largest internet betting site. Punters, professional and casual, love it. And what’s more, bookmakers hate it! The Definitive Guide To…

Read More »

The Good, the Sad and the Ugly

It’s just 359 days to the start of the 2020 Cheltenham Festival! And for some the countdown has already began, with a few bookmakers having already opened books on next year’s major races. I don’t know about you, but I find the few days after the end of festival hard to come to terms with. Suddenly you have that empty…

Read More »

Winning It Back!

This book is about one of the biggest gamblers of all time – Gary Wiltshire. The compelling rags-to-riches story of the larger than life punter, bookmaker and BBC television pundit. The imposing presence of Gary Wiltshire has long been one of the familiar and colourful sights on the racecourses and dog tracks of Britain. “In the fifth race, the Rosemary…

Read More »