UK Horse Racing Tips

Archive for the ‘Musings’ Category

I had something of  a ‘lazy one’ last week, though you might not know it due to the amount of walking I did. A group of us went on our yearly trip together to Great Yamouth to watch the races, go to the casino, and soak up a few rays (an optimistic way of stating ‘avoid the rain!’). On this occasion we decided to book a caravan for a more ‘authentic’ experience, though the beds were about as wide as a plank of wood so in future we’ll likely stay at one of the countless hotels in the area instead.

While we were there, we ate in a lovely restaurant called Pamela’s, and spotted a few seals bobbing up and down in the sea during a beach walk. We also chatted to a good few taxi drivers who all seemed to be local characters with stories to tell, it was a bit like being plunged into the a sitcom scene once some of them got started with their stories! The only down side perhaps was the on-site entertainment, which was anything but entertaining. We have declared that if we return, we’ll have to have drink ourselves to the point where it becomes amusing. I’m not sure if that’s humanly possible though!

The restaurant is a stones throw away from the local casino, which can be good or bad depending on your perspective! They certainly have their fair share of characters in there too, especially at the roulette wheel. Sometimes it’s easier to spot what numbers people haven’t bet on, than have! I tend to set myself a limit and just stick with that, so even in a worst case scenario things can’t go far wrong. As it turns out, due to a bit of early luck on single numbers, I more than doubled my money, so not bad going at all. One member of our group had a rather memorable run of wins while betting on red and black. Another One had a decent win on a fruit machine too, a fruits gone wild online type game. That was on the first day – it’s nice to have things go your way  from the off!

Our time at the races was eventful too. We managed to pick the odd decent priced winner between us, and also lumped on the odd favourite or two, which turned out to be a decent idea since it’s known as a good track for favourites, and that was certainly the case the three days we were there. At an eye watering £24 a ticket to get in each day (premier badge price), I’m glad I managed to get the odd winner ;).

There is still plenty of top racing to get stuck into during the rest of 2017 and it will be to the north of England that attention turns later in August.

York’s prestigious Ebor Meeting gets under way on Wednesday, August 23, with the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes the undoubted centrepiece of the four-day meeting.

Run over a mile-and-a-quarter on the Knavesmire, it attracts some of the best Flat horses around and could well see Churchill, Barney Roy and Ulysses go head to head.

Barney Roy heads the ante-post market at 11/4 and Richard Hannon will be looking for some payback after losing by a nose to Ulysses (3/1) in the Coral-Eclipse.

A repeats of his display in taking the St James’s Palace Stakes would go down well for connections but Churchill (9/1) might also have say in proceedings especially if he can bounce back to winning ways at Glorious Goodwood.

Another Group One contest, the Yorkshire Oaks, brings together many of the leading three-year-old fillies over a mile-and-a-half.

King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Enable has been slated for an outing and is as short as 1/3 to claim the spoils.

However, Aidan O’Brien’s Coronation Stakes winner Winter, currently on offer at 12/1, might have a say in proceedings.

A few familiar faces may well line up in the Irish Champions Stakes on September 9, with Cliffs of Moher (6/1) and Jack Hobbs (10/1) thought to be in the frame for a Leopardstown run out.

The former was runner-up to Wings Of Eagles in the Derby but fourth in the Coral-Eclipse while Jack Hobbs has fluffed his lines twice since winning a Group One in Dubai back in March.

Doncaster’s Group One St Leger takes place on September 16 and the world’s oldest Classic might well see a rematch between Aidan O’Brien’s Irish Derby winner Capri (3/1) and Cracksman (6/1), who was just beaten a neck on that occasion.

Scottish racing will be to the fore in late September, with the six-furlong Ayr Gold Cup one of the season’s most sought-after sprint handicaps.

My Racing has all the best free tips available for online betting and provides betting offers and a nap of the day for all the biggest meetings.

Newmarket’s Cambridgeshire Meeting follows soon after which includes the Group One Cheveley Park Stakes but as Halloween approaches, it will be back to Ascot for British Champions Day on Saturday, October 21.

There is something for everyone, with sprints and longer distance contests and, while it is too early to safely say which stars might grace the Group One Champion Stakes, Almanzor has been priced at 8/1 to defend his crown at the Berkshire track.

The four-year-old has not been seen since claiming the spoils under Christophe Soumillon but it is sure to be a tough task with the quality on show.

National Hunt racing will take prominence later in the year, with the prestigious Ladbrokes Gold Cup at Newbury always popular for jump racing fans, while Kempton’s King George VI Chase over the festive period might well see the likes of Thistlecrack (3/1), Sizing John (4/1) and Douvan (6/1) do battle once again.

The first race at #Yarmouth was won by the 'wrong horse' after #MilliesKiss was mistaken for #MandarinPrincess! (Video: @AtTheRaces) pic.twitter.com/LDInnzhydR

— HorseRacing24.com (@HorseRacing2424) 27 July 2017

Not to mention that ‘Mandarin Princess’ was 50-1, and dispatched of an odds on favourite. The result stands, though some bookmakers are honouring bets on the favourite, since realistically it beat every other 2 year old in the race (the wrong horse – Millies Kiss is a 3 year old!). It’s very tough luck for those at the course though!

If you’re like me, the prospect of a big win from a small stake is pretty much the holy grail of betting. I’ve of course had a few doubles or trebles come up in my time, or even the odd especially big priced Outsider single bet, but nothing mind boggling, no ‘lottery win’ style wins.

Of course though, some ‘have’ experienced more luck, in fact to the level that their wins even make the headlines with their unlikely windfalls. It’s hard to argue with the attention paid to these punters considering that it’s not easy at the best of time to get one over on the bookies, especially fora tiny stake and to the tune of tens or sometimes hundreds of thousands of pounds. Here are a few memorable occasions when the finger of fortune pointed straight at lucky punters:

-In May 2001 one punter struck it ‘very’ big with a 30p stake placed on a 15-event multi-sports accumulator. Most of the events in question were football bets, though two related to cricket and one a rugby game. William Hill put the odds of the bet coming up at 1,666,666 to one and the punter, who elected not to have his name released, walked away with a cool £500,000.

-In 2008 another William Hill punter bagged with even more than the individual above. The lucky unnamed punter placed just 50 pence on an eight event acca at a William Hill branch in Thirsk, North Yorkshire. The odds of this staggering win came in at 2.8 million to one, with the punter in question starting with a win on a horse called Isn’t That Lucky and ending with one called A Dream Come True. Ain’t that the truth!! The collected win was a life changing £1 million, the limit that William Hill pays out on horse racing wins.

– Pensioner Tony Savill bagged a tidy sum from a small 60 pence bet stake placed on the horses at a BetFred bookmakers in ravesend. The toteplacepot £51,326 dividend to a £1 stake meant that he won £30,000. Savill had been going to the same bookmakers for 5 years and this was his second big win, after winning £4000 on a lucky 15 bet way back in the 70s. Well done Tony!

Click here to read more about big betting wins.

It’s quite amazing to think of how much it’s possible to win with a tiny stake of under £1. What’s your biggest win?