UK Horse Racing Tips

The next exciting event on the racing calendar has to be the Cheltenham Festival, taking place in March .With more prize money than any meeting bar the Grand National, excitement swirls around this prestigious occasion held in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. The show-piece of the festival is the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The four day festival starts with Champions Day on Tuesday March 11th. Don’t miss the Championship Hurdle, or the Grade 1 Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy, won last year by Simonsig. Wednesday is Ladies Day, where we have an exciting seven day card. There’s St Patrick’s Thursday to look forward to on the 13th, where we anticipate the thrilling Ladbroke’s World Hurdle (favourite Big Bucks is available at 2-1). The festival culminates with the Cheltenham Gold Cup, won in 2013 by Bobs Worth, available at 9/4 and one of the main 2014 Cheltenham tips to win this year. Silviniaco Conti second favourite at 7/2.

Terry Biddlecombe is due to be honoured at the event this time around following has sad passing on 5th January. Biddlecombe both trained winning horses at the festival – including as Gold Cup winner Best Mate – and rode an amazing nine winners as a jockey, includng, yes you guessed it, a Gold Cup winner – Woodland Venture.

Despite there being flood warnings less than 10 miles away earlier this month, Cheltenham’s clerk Simon Claisse assures us that the the show most go on stating that ‘the track is in very good shape’. Fingers crossed this will be one party the weather won’t crash. Shown live on Channel 4, this is a national hunt extravaganza not to be missed.

Buck’s on the trail to historic Cheltenham repeat

(Cheltenham Festival tips)

As the countdown well and truly gathers momentum to the eagerly anticipated Cheltenham Festival there appears to be growing confidence behind the chance of top-class staying hurdler Big Buck’s regaining his World Hurdle crown after making a highly satisfactory return to action at the Prestbury track in January, writes Elliot Slater.

Paul Nicholls’ all-time great staying hurdler had a stranglehold on the three-mile title, winning the crown for four years in succession between 2009-12 before being ruled out of a fifth title last season due to an injury that kept him off the track for nearly 14 months. At the age of 11 it was asking a lot for the great horse to return to action at his very best, and in the circumstances he ran a great race to finish a close third behind shock 66/1 scorer Knockara Beau, another course specialist, albeit at a lower level.

There are always masses of Cheltenham Festival tips flying around in the build-up to the greatest show on turf, but one thing to always bear in mind is that the unique course seems to bring out the best in specific horses, and none more so that Big Buck’s. It’s not that he isn’t high-class everywhere else that he competes, it’s just that the way races are run at Cheltenham and the steep uphill finish, seems to play to the strengths of the winner of 23 of his 39 career starts and over £1.3 million in prize money.

They say that at the top level in sport “they never come back”, but Big Buck’s will be fitter on March 13 than he was in January, and as far as Cheltenham Festival tips go, the current ante-post offer of 9/4 looks extremely tempting for a horse whose been there and done it many times before, and still seems to have that all-important will to win.

It’s never too early in the year to start talking about the jewel in the crown of UK racing, the Grand National. It has to be the one racing event that draws people in regardless of their love of or level of interest in the sport. Held on 5^th April this 4 mile plus race, watching by over 500 million people worldwide is bound to be the subject of office sweepstakes and newspaper headlines alike. The most valuable jump race is Europe is not to be missed.

Grand National Chief John Baker is chomping at the bit to see punters enjoying the Grand National, with loose plans to add an open day or even a family day in future years with the hope of creating something akin to an Olympic Experience for those attending the event. Baker was especially pleased last year since all 40 horses safely completed the course. The eventual winner is 2013 was 66-1 outsider, Auroras Encore, making for an unpredictable and enjoyable spectacle. Previous to that Neptune Collonges won in 2012 at 33-1 and Ballabriggs in 2011 at 14-1.

For the first time, the Aintree held Grand National 2014, now sponsored by Crabbie’s ginger beer will have prize money of over £1 million. I wonder who will come out on top over the 16 fences this year? Remember to add April 3^rd – 5^th to your calendar. Tune in and enjoy the Opening Day, Ladies Day and of course the main event, Grand National Day.

The 2014 Cheltenham Festival is looming large on the jumps racing world and with many race entrants entering the final stages of their preparation, the cards and markets are taking shape. The Festival will take place over four days from Tuesday 11th March until Friday 14th March with some of the jumps racing calendar’s premier events, including the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Champion Hurdle, making up an exciting 27 race schedule.

Day One
The very first race of the festival is the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, with Vautour shading favouritism at 8/1. Several entrants raced in the rearranged Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle at Kempton on Saturday 11th January, with favourite The Liquidator taking a hit in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle betting with a disappointing outing. The eventual winner, Royal Boy, ridden by jockey A.P. McCoy who recently passed 4,000 career wins, is now 12/1 for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
The second race of day one is the ever-popular Arkle Challenge Trophy, with Champagne Fever leading the market at 5/1, although third-favourite Felix Yonger has seen his price shorten recently and is now available at a best price 8/1.
The highlight of day one is the Champion Hurdle, and The New One (3/1), Hurricane Fly (10/3) and My Tent Or Yours (4/1) will battle it out for favouritism right until the off. Trainer Dessie Hughes’ Champion Hurdle hope Our Conor will be hoping to overcome niggling injuries to get back to his best and is currently available at 8/1 with Coral.
Day Two
Day two at the 2014 Cheltenham Festival is no doubt headlined by the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Nicky Henderson’s superstar steeplechaser Sprinter Sacre is a heavy odds-on favourite for this year’s race, and will be looking to recover in time from being pulled-up in the Desert Orchid Chase on December 27th 2013 due to an irregular heartbeat.
Day Three
The third day will see Cue Card attempt to defend his crown in the Ryanair Chase, with last year’s winner currently a warm favourite at 5/2. Following this, the day’s feature race, the World Hurdle, will set the stage for the very best staying hurdlers to compete over three miles, and Big Buck’s, the winner of four of the last five World Hurdles, is favourite to win again, available at 5/2 ahead of a star-studded field.
Day Four
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the highlight of not only the fourth and final day, but of the entire 2014 Cheltenham Festival, and last year’s winner, Bobs Worth, is favourite to repeat his success. The Nicky Henderson trained 8-year-old is a 2/1 favourite, just shading Silviniaco Conti, who is available at 7/2.