Online Betting Central

Ruby Walsh

We note that Ruby Walsh failed to get his ban overturned, which does seem a little harsh. It means that he will miss Betfair Day at Newbury which is the best card before Cheltenham in March. There is still a chance that he might be able to ride in the Hennessey Gold Cup on 12th February at Leopardstown if he can persuade the stewards to defer the ban.

It seems to us that the ban was a little harsh in the first place. Whilst he was riding Pearl Swan and was leading Grumeti which was being ridden by Wayne Hutchinson the stewards decreed that he had caused interference. As a result Grumeti was awarded first place and Walsh got a three day ban. According to Walsh the interference was minimal. He agreed that is was sufficient to change the result of the race, but not to award a suspension.

Currently we are making our Cheltenham Festival picks. So far Quel Esprit is looking an interesting contender for the Gold Cup; more thoughts on this in the next post.

What better way to spend Boxing Day than attend the William Hill Winter Festival as the Kempton Park Racecourse? If you can’t attend live, then you can at least flop in front of the television and enjoy a great day of racing whilst your body recovers from yesterday’s festivities.

The festival lasts over 2 days and there is a total of 12 races. £0,000 race goers are expected to turn up, and unlike last year when bad weather meant the festival had to be postponed, this year mild weather is predicted with temperatures of around 15C being quite likely. If you are going to attend, remember that on Boxing Day there is no public transport, so it is best to get there early.

The most important race of the festival is the William Hill King George VI Steeple Chase which is on the first day. This Grade 1 race attracts a lot of attention, and betting is generally quite heavy. This time is should be a very exciting race as both the current champion Long Run and the two stable maces Kauto Star and Master Minded are amongst the expected field of 15 runners, so we can expect another clash of the titans.

At the time of writing the favourite was Long Run with odds of around 11/8 and Kauto Star was priced at 4/1. Third favourite Master Minded was priced at 8/1, but expect these odds to fluctuate somewhat.

The race covers 3 miles and includes 18 fences. It is for horses of four years and older. The first King George VI was run in 1937 and it was in honour of King George VI’s coronation.

Kauto Star

We are now entering December and the Aintree fences have not seen any real action since the Grand National back in April, but racing returns there this week. As it does, so do all the old controversies that envelope this wonderful racecourse re-raise their ugly heads.

Poor Ginger McCain has not made it. He passed away in September but before doing so he watched his son Donald’s trained horse Ballabriggs to victory, though the finishing stages of the race upset many people. The jockey was Jason Maguire and so intent was he on winning the race that he ignored the welfare of his ride which needed continual dousing with water along with oxygen after the race.

Much of the recent controversy regarding whipping arose as a direct result of that race, though overhead shots of bypassed fences where fallen horses were attended to by armies of vets did little to enamour the general public to the darker face of horse racing. Horse racing is a dangerous sport and the dangers apply to both man and beast.

Inevitably the spectacle resulted in a number of changes to future Grand Nationals which include changes to some fences and the fact that six year olds are no longer permitted to race and that only experienced jockeys will be permitted to ride. This weekend’s race will be the first time these rules will be trailed, though the races cover just a single lap rather that the two of the National.

Are we over-taming the National in an attempt to improve public relations? The way in which the British Horseracing Association (BHA) has meddled with the whipping rules is just one example of the damage that can be done to the sport when reacting to specific incidents. There will always be incidents in horse racing and if the sport is wound down reactively every time one occurs the whole spirit of the Grand National could be threatened.