Welcome to the BettingChoice Horse Racing Blog. Here you'll find all the tips, insights and opinions for the world's biggest races including: Cheltenham, Breeders' Cup, Dubai Racing, the Grand National and more.
Twice Over (Observatory) made a major statement about his Dubai World Cup intentions as he romped home in the third round of the Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge at Meydan racecourse this evening – installing himself as the betting favourite for the world’s richest race.
The Henry Cecil-trained contender is now a full horse and will be a major threat in most top-level races in 2011 if he continues to build on the form he flashed today. He entered today’s contest after a nearly five-month layoff since scoring at Newmarket in the Group 1 Emirates Airlines Champion Stakes with preferred jock Tom Queally in the irons.
Meydan isn’t the easiest place to make a seasonal debut and the manner in which he routed an impressive group of rivals must be bringing a...
This is easily one of the premier racing days in the Middle East and there is well over $1,000,000 up for grabs spread across seven major races on Super Thursday. We’ll be taking a look at each one and trying to figure out where the best plays lie.
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The second race of the day goes 1m1.5f over the Tapeta surface. Reem (Galileo) enters the race for the De Kock yard as the 2/1 favourite in the morning line. She scored on her Meydan debut after shipping in from Australia and has since run second in the UAE 1000 Guineas and the Grade 2 Balanchine Stakes. She had a massive weight advantage on the previous day and will enjoy another six pounds on the colts here. Ahlaain (Bernstein) looks the progressive type and the colt ran second in the Meydan Classic Stakes last...
The feature contest on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival is shaping up to be an absolute classic. The best high-speed chasers on the planet will be contesting this one and the razor-sharp Master Minded enters the race undefeated, and looking to get revenge on Big Zeb who got the better of him in last year’s iteration of the race.
Dissecting Master Minded’s three efforts this year raises a number of questions. The first two scores, at Ascot and Cheltenham, were relatively straightforward contests where he made his usual late approach and won by a solid margin. However, the final race of his campaign saw him get a real reminder two out and then just hold...
Easily one of the most hotly-contested 3m and a bit races at the festival, the RSA Chase has launched a number of prominent careers over fences. One of the most notable was Denman conquering this one back in 2007 and we’ve got a tidy group of geldings looking to make similar statements in 2011.
For the bulk of the time since the ante post market has been up and operating, Time For Rupert has stood atop this race like a colossus. One wonders whether he’ll shape up to be this year’s Dunguib considering all the early money he’s taking with his “banker” status, but right now it appears to be all systems go as he’s opted out of the Gold...
The middle-distance hurdles races at the Cheltenham Festival can be some of the most intriguing and there is a lot to like about this year’s Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle. There are few that are co-entered for the Supreme Novices and that complicates matters a bit if we’re talking ante post, but there are few contenders trading at plausible prices whose festival still might be up in the air - if that’s any help.
Oscars Well has emerged from a nearly unblemished campaign, his only loss being a tough second place from a field of eighteen in his seasonal debut at Thurles. He enters the race as a multiple Grade 1 winner in Ireland, notching...
One of the best parts about the Cheltenham Festival is how the bookmakers generally attempt to outdo each other by offering up excellent value and an assortment of promotions to get punters to lock in the bulk of their festival wagers with one particular bookies.
Right on time, a number of top bookmakers have stepped up to the plate to offer up non-runner money back.
As of March 1, Stanjames.com is offering up non-runner no bet on any Grade 1 race that is run at the Cheltenham Festival – this includes the Arkle Challenge Trophy, the Supreme Novices Hurdle, the Neptune Investment Management Hurdle, the RSA Chase, the Queen Mother Champion Chase, the Champion Bumper, Ryanair Chase, World Hurdle, Triumph Hurdle and the big one – the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The Stan James Champion Hurdle is going to be the key fixture on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival and it boasts well over half a dozen proven contenders who can easily win the competition. While the race appears to be shaping up for a dramatic finish, one wonders whether the amount of quality jumpers lining up for this one could give lie to an outsider or at least a mid-pack selection that everybody forgot about.
That forgotten selection could very well wind up beting the talented Khyber Kim. In fact, the nine year-old son of Mujahid was played up in an interview by his conditioner Nigel Twiston-Davies. He’s beaten the respectable Celestial Halo at Cheltenham before and...
The Arkle is a more interesting fixture than it usually looks to be as it’s a solid proving ground for Grade 3 winners or high-quality late-bloomers emerging off the novice circuit. Connections will see this one as a great opportunity for a betting score in lieu of just the ample prize money. The TBP market looks especially competitive in this one and, since we’re without a clear favourite, the win-only market retains value as well.
There is no genuine stand-out with Medermit, Ghizao and Finians Rainbow being the current fancies- all trading within the 5.0-6.0 range. Medermit was undone by Hell’s Bay in a New Year’s Day effort at...
Cue Card continues to shore up support in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and this is generally the most over-played and difficult race to wager on, in this author’s opinion. The only genuine blemish on Cue Card’s record is the loss to Menorah in the Grade 2 International Hurdle back in December, Menorah is obviously heading for the Champion Hurdle so this has really opened thinsg up for the Colin Tizzard-trained gelding and but one wonders how he’ll manage being unraced since 2010.
Cue Card is commanding a price around 3.5 in the ante post exchanges and it is expected that he won’t be seen above 4.0 barring any negative news.
The action is well under way at Dohar Racecourse in Qatar and a talented cadre of turfists are set to contest this grassy 1m4f contest. There’s a lot to like about this group and it appears as though the key race for many of the field was the H.H. Heir Apparent Trophy, which ran over the same course at a 1m3f distance back in late January. The talented Irish-bred Qatar Derby-winner Beethoven (Oratorio) won on the day and many in this lot will be looking to rebound here.
Beethoven returns to defend his unbeaten Qatar record and he’ll have the venerable Seb Sanders in the irons once again. Expect him to go off at a very short price as the gamble appears to be who completes the exacta if Beethoven runs to potential once again.
