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So what's your favourite horse race? I guess it depends whether you love Flat racing or the National Hunt ticks your box. In truth, both codes have fixtures which capture the heart and mind. Flat racing aficionados and fashionistas have Royal Ascot in their sights. The pomp and ceremony of big hats, posh frocks and gallons of pink champagne. Not forgetting the horse racing. The best thoroughbreds from across the world. Talented trainers and top-ranked jockeys. Perhaps you just love the spectacle of watching a horse jump a fence. The Grand National isn't just any old race with any old fences. If a jockey wasn't sitting on a horse, they'd need a ladder to look over the other side of these towering obstacles, padded with spruce. Names such as The Chair, Becher's Brook, Foinavon tell stories that made them infamous. For many and varied reasons, these fences are more famous than most horses. A number named after surprise winners at fantastic odds (Foinavon 100/1 in 1967). This year's Festival from 12 -14 April. 5:15 Aintree, Saturday 14th April 2018 Radox Health Grand National. Got a fancy for the race? If you are looking for the best information, then feast your eyes on 2018 Grand National Tips. The ante-post market is warming up for this Grade 3 (Class 1) Handicap over 4 miles 2 furlongs & 74 yards. It's a tough race. Last year, One For Arthur won at odds of 14/1 for trainer Lucinda Russel and owners Two Golf Windows. So which horses are at the top of the betting for 2018 Grand National. A few familiar names: Blaklion could well start favourite. Nigel Twiston-Davies nine-year-old bay gelding ran a gallant fourth in the 2018 Grand National when 8/1f. The last favourite to win the National was in 2010 when Don't Push It proved a memorable day for Tony McCoy and Jonjo O'Neil. Before that, the ill-fated Comply Or Die in 2008, trained by David Pipe in the familiar silks of David Johnson. One runner that has been seriously backed is Kim Bailey's The Last Samuri. This chestnut gelding is a consistent type. With total win earnings at almost £400,000 this son of Flemensfirth is no stranger to the big occasion. He disappointed in last year's race when finishing a poor 16th of 40. However, in 2016 he finished a noble second to Rule The World. The Last Samuri has been backed form 40/1 - 16/1 so there is confidence about this charge. As we know, anything can happen in this steeplechase. Did you know that five horses have won at 100/1? The most recent being Mon Mome in 2009, trained by Venetia Williams and ridden by Liam Treadwell. Win, lose or draw, the Grand National 2018 will tell a story like those of the past. Few horses come close to the triple-winning Red Rum who proved victorious in 1973, 1974 & 1977. This could be the year you win.
Robert, upon completion of his A levels at school in Norfolk, immediately began work in Newmarket for trainer Gavin Pritchard-Gordon. Whilst working there he was keen to ride in races so took out a licence and promptly rode a winner at Brighton on his second attempt. Two seasons with David ‘the Duke’ Nicholson was invaluable experience and at a time when the great Charter Party and Waterloo Boy were victorious at the Cheltenham Festival. Robert then set sail across the channel to work as an assistant to John Hammond in France for 2 years at the time when Suave Dancer, Dear Doctor and Polar Falcon were among the stable stars. It was in France that he was able to live the dream which was to work in a highly respected yard with very good horses and also ride as an amateur. John gave him numerous opportunities but managed to get most beat! Robert recalls with a smile ‘yes, I finished 2nd most of the time beaten only the shortest of margins but Johns’ instructions were quite difficult for a novice, “don’t win too far!!”.’ The best story was a ride Robert was offered in the provences for owners Cheveley Park Stud. Click here to read the story – An extract from Marcus Armytage’s ‘Hot Cherry’. In 1992 he then moved further afield to become an assistant to Neil Drysdale in America. It was here that he was proud to be part of the team when A.P.Indy and Hollywood Wildcat both won Breeders Cup races. After a brief spell as a trainer and considerable success in California, Robert decided to return to England as he had a larger group of owners willing to support him. He is training at Bottisham Heath Stud, which provides an excellent privately owned base for Robert and his wife, Ghislaine, along with their son, Alex and daughter, Kara.
The yard is sponsored by Mr Malih Al Basti’s ‘AL BASTI EQUIWORLD’.
We have had some fantastic seasons over the last few years with plenty of highlights to talk about. However horses most notably to mention, PROHIBIT gaining us our first Group 1 winner in the 2011 Royal Ascot, Kings Stand Stakes. JWALA winning in great style in the Group 1, Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes at York in 2013. Having seen her through her entire career from a yearling this was particularly special. KINGSGATE NATIVE has been a great success since joining us, producing some consistent performances in Group company, including landing the Group 2, Temple Stakes at Haydock Park and most recently the Achilles Stakes at Haydock Park in 2015 at the grand old age of ten! INTRINSIC won the always highly competitive Stewards Cup at Glorious Goodwood in August 2014 for us. He has since retired to stallion duties under the guidance of Hedgeholme Stud. GOLDREAM was a sensation in 2015, winning the Group3, Palace House Stakes at Newmarket in May. He then went on to win the Group 1, King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot and another Group 1 at Longchamp at the October Arc meeting, the Prix de L’Abbaye. It is exciting news that he returns to training with us for the 2016 season. He is another very special horse for us, not just for his Group successes but also having unearthed him at the horses in training sales a few seasons prior. It certainly appears that we have an affinity with OASIS DREAM progeny – PROHIBIT, JWALA, INTRINSIC and GOLDREAM – With any luck in 2016 we will add further names to this list! Other exciting horses that we have enjoyed training and have had success over the last few seasons domestically in the UK and abroad at the highest levels have been, SPIRIT QUARTZ (Gr2), MONSIEUR JOE (Gr3), IFFRANESIA, LUI REI, FOREVER PHOENIX, BINIOU, CANADIAN DANEHILL and HIGH SPICE.
For the 2016 season, Robert Cowell will train around 70 horses. He is a great believer in communicating regularly with his owners to discuss daily training and future plans. Frequent written reports about the horses, and many telephone calls are the order of the day here.
Bottisham Heath Stud is completely self-contained, peaceful, and provides a welcoming atmosphere for all owners, potential owners and their horses. It is ideally suited to keeping the horses happy and helping them to achieve their full potential, with Robert’s expertise of course! Visit Robert Cowell Website Here.
Paul Nicholls was the last trainer to enjoy successive wins at the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Nicholls won three races in a row as his two charges Kauto Star and Denman won the event between 2007 and 2009. Since then the success has been spread around the field, although Colin Tizzard made his breakthrough last season when Native River claimed the crown at the second time of asking as he saw off Nicky Henderson’s Might Bite in the prestigious race. The Irish horse put forward an excellent performance and appears to be on course to defend his crown unlike his predecessor Sizing John, who was unable to compete in 2018. Tizzard could have two cracks to secure back-to-back win as Thistlecrack has also proven his quality and is in line to compete at the Gold Cup against his stable-mate. Both horses have the talent, although Native River is the stronger candidate in the Cheltenham festival 2019 betting odds at 6/1 to take the Gold Cup. Native River initially suffered disappointment in his first attempt at the Gold Cup. He was a good shout for the title in 2017 just behind Djakadam, but was beaten down the stretch by the pace of Sizing John, who was able to pull away from the Irish horse and Minella Rocco to claim the win. He was absent from the track for almost a year, making his return in February 2018 at the Denman Chase. In a limited field, the eight-year-old was dominant at Newbury, running away from his nearest rival Cloudy Dream to record a 12-length triumph.
The result sent Native River into the Gold Cup with momentum and he was able to control the race from start to finish. He and Might Bite duelled down the final straight, although the bay gelding had more than enough pace to kick out away from the challenge to ease over the line by a comfortable margin. Native River returned to action for the 2018/19 season at the Betfair Chase, and although he put forward a solid performance, the speed of Bristol De Mai caught him off guard, losing by four lengths to the French horse. It could be a concern for Tizzard moving forward into the campaign. The other contender in Tizzard’s yard,Thistlecrack, was also in action in the Betfair. He placed third behind Bristol De Mai and Native River, finishing narrowly behind his stable-mate. Injuries have kept him out of the last two Cheltenham Festivals, last appearing at the event in 2016 when he produced a fine performance to win the Ryanair Hurdle. He has not been the same competitor since returning to action in 2017, failing to win any of his last four races. Tizzard’s charge finished second in the Trial Cotswold Chase in January 2017, losing out by a head down the stretch to Many Clouds, who launched a comeback to beat him out on the line. Whether the 10-year-old can rekindle his old magic remains to be seen. However, it’s a positive that Tizzard has two excellent horses to call on for the Gold Cup as he eyes successive wins.
We are just about reaching the halfway point between the start of the national hunt season and the start of the Cheltenham Festival (12th-15th March). In some senses, the early part of the season has seen some continuity from the last spring, with several big names pulling out big wins to reinforce their credentials going into Cheltenham. However, there has been plenty of disappointments too. Here’s a look at what has been interesting and what has been impacting the ante-post markets. Altior and Buveur D’Air Haven’t Missed a Beat Nicky Henderson had two of the best horses at Cheltenham 2018 and it looks like he is going to have two of the stars of the 2019 Festival. Buveur D’Air, in particular, was excellent in his season debut at in the Fighting Fifth, beating the highly rated Samcro by 8 lengths and was a further 15 lengths ahead of Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner Summerville Boy. Altior was in his usual imperious form, just going up a gear at the last to take the Tingle Creek Chase ahead of a gutsy Un De Sceaux. Both horses are found at very low odds, with the best price looking like Bet365’s evens for Buveur D’Air in the Champion Hurdle and 8/11 from William Hill for Altior in the Champion Chase.
If Only the Festival was at Haydock Park
Bristol De Mai, the sometimes mesmerising, sometimes infuriating grey, has had pulled out some cracking results at Haydock over the last few years. A couple of weeks ago, it was the turn of Native River, Might Bite and Thistlecrack to feel to see Nigel Twiston-Davies’ 7-year-old finish a considerable distance ahead of them at Haydock. Might Bite, in particular, looked out of sorts. The Gold Cup markets weren’t rattled too much, with Presenting Percy slipping in to replace Might Bite as a general 9/2 favourite. It is Bristol De Mai, however, that might interest value-hunting punters. 20/1 now with Betfair to win the Gold Cup ahead of several horses he beat a few weeks ago. You can get insane Cheltenham free bets from top bookies at the moment. Is the Haydock specialist worth using one on as a shot to nothing? Morgiana Mediocrity for Faugheen What to make of Faugheen’s first run of the season at the Morgiana Hurdle? After last April’s Irish Champion Stayers’ Hurdle win, where he left Penhill trailing in his wake, there was a lot of talk of Faugheen reinventing himself as a long-distance hurdler. He spent the summer months as the favourite for the Stayers’ Hurdle, but Faugheen has tumbled down the odds since that limp performance saw him finish second amongst a weak field in the Morgiana Hurdle. He stands at 12/1 now with William Hill for the Stayers’, although some bookies have put him significantly lower. He will be 11 by the time Cheltenham comes around, making the case for one last great race difficult to make. Something extra from Thistlecrack? Returning to that Betfair Chase, Colin Tizzard’s Thistlecrack, a horse who has looked far from his best since injury in early 2017 ruled out a Gold Cup tilt, certainly did not embarrass himself, finishing right behind Native River and over 20 lengths ahead of Might Bite. Like Faugheen, he will be 11-years-old when Cheltenham gets underway. He will be aiming to be the first horse of 11 years or older to win the Gold Cup since What a Myth in 1969. Tizzard has been very upbeat about Thistlecrack. But his 25/1 general price suggests the bookies think it unlikely.
Horse racing happens to be one of the most entertaining and exciting events that sports have to offer, but unfortunately, it is often misunderstood. It tends to get lumped together with other activities which makes it harder to be identified. Even some of the casual sports bettor often doesn’t know that there are different events and types of horse racing. Starting your journey in one of the oldest sports-betting game? Then, you definitely need to know the ins and out of this sport! Let’s first identify the different types of races this noble sport offers so that you could easily identify where to start and plan your way out to success. Flat Racing Typically deals with Thoroughbred horses, the flat racing is by far the most popular type of horse racing which is held on a flat leveled surface. The Triple Crown events which are Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Preakness Stakes, at the 2019 Pegasus World Cup are easily the most popular. However, you should know that any race which is run on a flat surface without obstacles or other hurdles for the horses qualifies as a flat race. Depending on the event, flat races tend to be run on between 1-3 miles which can also be passed as a test of the horse’s speed and stamina. The leading running surface for horses across the world is the Turf but there are the dirt tracks that are also used in some countries, especially in the United States.
Jump Racing (National Hunt) Also referred to as Steeplechasing, jump racing, or also known as National Hunt as its official name overseas, is the type of racing wherein the horses are given obstacles to overcome beyond the track length or the surrounding competition. The horses in this kind of race avoid fences, ditches, and other obstacles in order to win. This type of race is incredibly popular in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and France. In terms of betting, jump races are a bit difficult to bet on since bettors need to consider a lot of different variables, with the horse’s jockey control and hurdling ability being the most important. Endurance Racing The third main type of horse racing, the endurance racing. This is a challenge where horses run for longer periods of time thus the tracks are much longer than the usual. Unlike the popular jump and flat racing events, this type of racing tests the endurance and longevity of a horse on a track. Now, if you’re thinking that endurance racing is about speed then you got it all wrong. The bettor's main focus here is the horses’ ability to be consistent on track and not fade over large courses. Unfortunately, this isn’t a hugely-popular horse race since as you know it, it can go on for a long duration which isn’t necessarily ideal for horses and jockeys. However, there is the current longest endurance race going on which is the Mongol Derby which stretches for 1,000 kilometres. Lastly, all breeds are welcomed to join in this race but the Arabian horse is the most popular breed for this competition due to their known stamina and endurance. Harness Racing Harness racing is where the horses trot or pace at a predetermined speed without breaking its stride then the horses are penalized for galloping by being forced to slow down behind the competition. The top harness race in the world is the prestigious Prix d’Amerique which is held yearly in Paris and is event based on lifetime earnings with a prize competition worth of 1 million euros upwards.
Quarter Horse Racing Quarter horse racing is a less popular type of horse racing wherein it puts an extreme emphasis on speed. This horse race refers to a quarter of a mile or less, thus its name, and challenges the horses to compete and win on very short tracks. This can also be an exciting horse racing event due to the speed and talent involved however it doesn’t last that long. Takeaway Knowing the different types of races is an important factor when you delve into this sport. Because contrary to popular belief, the Triple Crown — which is an award for winning a group of the three important events: Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Preakness— are not the only important horse racing events in a whole year and definitely not the only types of horse racing either. So, why’s it really important? Some races put an emphasis on speed and others might track endurance or some specific skills. In addition, there are also horse races which feature specific types of horses that compete at a certain level. Lastly, since this is a sport-betting game, thus you should know which is which before you place any money on a wager since there are types of horse racing that are far more worthy of your time.
