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The Cheltenham Festival 2025

How to Bet on Horses at Cheltenham
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Sorry I should have explained better. No it's two separate question's I am asking.

1. Do you think an ew bet on Croke Park to win the Jack Richards Novice handicap at 16/1 worth a decent bet with the protection of NRMB ?

2. I backed Inothewayurthinkin for the Gold Cup on bf ex a while ago. Because the trainer said he would not run, bf took him out of their market. If inothewayurthinkin is supplemented and does run, will my bet stand ?
 
Apparently they're watering despite rain in the forecast. We could have a real good ground festival but they seem determined to pander to the soft ground parties.

Screenshot (162).png
 
Desert Orchid said:
Apparently they're watering despite rain in the forecast. We could have a real good ground festival but they seem determined to pander to the soft ground parties.

View attachment 23966
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Hate to be the one to rain on your parade Excuse the Pun.
take the first race of the meeting and find me just one horse who wants good ground
You would end up with more than half the intended runners being withdrawn.
all but a very small percent of the races are the same and fast ground could ruin the meeting hence the watering.
 
Tanlic said:
Hate to be the one to rain on your parade Excuse the Pun.
take the first race of the meeting and find me just one horse who wants good ground
You would end up with more than half the intended runners being withdrawn.
all but a very small percent of the races are the same and fast ground could ruin the meeting hence the watering.
Click to expand...
I do agree, but I think you can't water within some timescale ? However I can't see them being caught out in March, It's more likely to be the other away around they water and then it pours down.
 
Tanlic said:
Hate to be the one to rain on your parade Excuse the Pun.
take the first race of the meeting and find me just one horse who wants good ground
You would end up with more than half the intended runners being withdrawn.
all but a very small percent of the races are the same and fast ground could ruin the meeting hence the watering.
Click to expand...

It's just me, Tanlic. I hate it when they water when there's rain in the forecast.

I have no issue with watering to maintain good, fair ground but there's always the danger that they overdo it as the previous CoC usually did.
 
Desert Orchid said:
It's just me, Tanlic. I hate it when they water when there's rain in the forecast.

I have no issue with watering to maintain good, fair ground but there's always the danger that they overdo it as the previous CoC usually did.
Click to expand...
Yes and a week is a long time in Racing....Mullins will be smiling like a Cheshire cat if we get Downpour before Friday
 
Cheers Simmo and Viking, possibly good news if I can find it, Bf Ex history only goes back 3 months, I will have to get in touch with them. Inothewayurthinkin was part of my strategy (since June) of covering every horse that I thought would get the distance. Inothewayurthinkin kind of fitted that thinking, but it was his age that convinced me to back him. Not recently but In previous years gone by, 7 year olds have a good record in the Gold Cup.

----

I have just contacted BF Ex, eventually I got through to what they call the specialist team (lol). They did not even realise you can only look back 3 months, I had to tell them that on Google it says ..

For bets over 3 months ago
Either Contact betfair or
You can access the service via
https://historicdata.betfair.com
using your registered Betfair account username and password

I have just wasted an hour of my life, I will try the link now.
 
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I suspect the soft/heavy ground on the novelty track points to a high water table so I'm not confident watering the track will just maintain the ground.
 
Still warm and sunny in Cheltenham by all accounts. They have started watering the New Course ! Typical though that the temperature is to see a sharp drop from Tuesday even though remaining dry .

Great to not have one of these recent soft Festivals that have plagued the meeting the last few years.

Spillane's Tower and Banbridge out of the Ryanair . One due to the ground and the other as the ground is now looking perfect for him running the best race he can in the Gold Cup . I don't think he will but he seems to be the one horse with a real chance of beating GDC unless something goes amiss with the favourite or Monty's Star makes an unexpected giant step forward for the longer trip .
 
Ardross said:
Still warm and sunny in Cheltenham by all accounts. They have started watering the New Course ! Typical though that the temperature is to see a sharp drop from Tuesday even though remaining dry .

Great to not have one of these recent soft Festivals that have plagued the meeting the last few years.

Spillane's Tower and Banbridge out of the Ryanair . One due to the ground and the other as the ground is now looking perfect for him running the best race he can in the Gold Cup . I don't think he will but he seems to be the one horse with a real chance of beating GDC unless something goes amiss with the favourite or Monty's Star makes an unexpected giant step forward for the longer trip .
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I agree with your Gold Cup assessment, Banbridge is probably the most likely danger to GDC, but will he be ridden as a doubtful stayer and get too far behind, and if not will he stay on up the hill ?
 
viking said:
Not the greatest news for those who’ve backed him for the Nash but potentially good for your bet Alex

www.racingpost.com

Inothewayurthinkin set to be parachuted into Gold Cup equation at supplementary stage this weekend

In an intriguing move Inothewayurthinkin is set to be parachuted into contention for next week's Gold Cup, prompting bookmakers to make him as short... Read More
www.racingpost.com www.racingpost.com
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I found my Inothewayurthinkin bet, I will have to apologise to Bf Ex as I placed it with BMGM on the 16th Nov. I took 14/1 and it's still open 😊.
 
Euronymous said:
I've got the likes of Lossiemouth, Gaelic Warrior, Marine Nationale, Jubilee Alpha, Sixandahalf and East India Dock as the second half of rollovers with horses I've backed over the winter who were too short for me in singles. That's my usual strategy.

Unusually though I didn't have any ante-post bets before the winter part of the season started so my only nice price fancies going into the week will be Workahead in the Supreme (20s), William Munny in the same race (25s) and Only by Night in the Mares (25s
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Thanks Gav. c***
 
I don't see a thread for the Supreme (that Ian Davies slacking again, probably lolling around in his boudoir with a Tesco Coronation Chicken sangwich in one fist and a tiramisu in the other) so will post this here.

In a flash of *inspiration / *idiocy / *lunacy (select according to your own opinion) I have taken 16/1 Irancy in this race.

Since I saw it win at the DRF and checked its video next to those of the ICH and the big 2m hcap hurdle on the same day, I've been of the opinion that Kopeck Des Bordes is the biggest certainty since wee Mary McGlinchey did 'line-ups' behind the bike shed.

However, I have to ask why is it even money and not 1/3?

Could it be the prospect of unsuitable ground? Could there be something not quite right about it, which is gradually working its way into the market?

I still hope it wins as I expect, a la Constitution Hill, but I have a nagging doubt now.

So why Irancy?

As Michael Caine is reputed to have said, 'not a lot of people know this', but Irancy is actually a second-season novice and should really be targeting the top open races.

In his only run last season he was third to Firefox and Ballyburn, no less. Firefox went on to finish an excellent third in this race, going up to 146 for it and is now rated 151. Ballyburn turned up in [what is now called] the Turners off 157 and took a flamethrower to the track, going up to 163 for hacking up. Irancy was ridden by McGarvey that day so was probably about as cooked as a bag of flour. It probably had issues after, since it was off until hacking up in a very modest maiden hurdle in mid-November and has been off since. So why turn up here with Mark Walsh booked?

My gut is saying this is a prep either for Aintree or Punchestown. It's not beyond Mullins to use this meeting to get his horses ready for them, especially when not too much is expected of them here.

But if Irancy could have improved 20lbs (like Firefox and Ballyburn) by this time last season, he could have improved another 10lbs by now. The one he beeat last time is now rated 131 (so probably 137/138 over here) and Irancy hammered him 9 lengths in a canter. If Irancy is a 147+ horse, he could be the second best in the field.

As I say, this might be just about getting it a mark around 135 for a really big handicap but I'm happy to take the punt.
 
Desert Orchid said:
I don't see a thread for the Supreme (that Ian Davies slacking again, probably lolling around in his boudoir with a Tesco Coronation Chicken sangwich in one fist and a tiramisu in the other) so will post this here.

In a flash of *inspiration / *idiocy / *lunacy (select according to your own opinion) I have taken 16/1 Irancy in this race.

Since I saw it win at the DRF and checked its video next to those of the ICH and the big 2m hcap hurdle on the same day, I've been of the opinion that Kopeck Des Bordes is the biggest certainty since wee Mary McGlinchey did 'line-ups' behind the bike shed.

However, I have to ask why is it even money and not 1/3?

Could it be the prospect of unsuitable ground? Could there be something not quite right about it, which is gradually working its way into the market?

I still hope it wins as I expect, a la Constitution Hill, but I have a nagging doubt now.

So why Irancy?

As Michael Caine is reputed to have said, 'not a lot of people know this', but Irancy is actually a second-season novice and should really be targeting the top open races.

In his only run last season he was third to Firefox and Ballyburn, no less. Firefox went on to finish an excellent third in this race, going up to 146 for it and is now rated 151. Ballyburn turned up in [what is now called] the Turners off 157 and took a flamethrower to the track, going up to 163 for hacking up. Irancy was ridden by McGarvey that day so was probably about as cooked as a bag of flour. It probably had issues after, since it was off until hacking up in a very modest maiden hurdle in mid-November and has been off since. So why turn up here with Mark Walsh booked?

My gut is saying this is a prep either for Aintree or Punchestown. It's not beyond Mullins to use this meeting to get his horses ready for them, especially when not too much is expected of them here.

But if Irancy could have improved 20lbs (like Firefox and Ballyburn) by this time last season, he could have improved another 10lbs by now. The one he beeat last time is now rated 131 (so probably 137/138 over here) and Irancy hammered him 9 lengths in a canter. If Irancy is a 147+ horse, he could be the second best in the field.

As I say, this might be just about getting it a mark around 135 for a really big handicap but I'm happy to take the punt.
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Just when I think I have got everything covered you add another 😃, luckily there are quite a few free bets available on the first day 👍.
How to Bet on Horses at Cheltenham
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