Author Archives: Gc

Sandown racecourse is a horse racing venue located in Esher, Surrey. The racetrack was opened way back in 1875, and is owned and operated by Jockey Club Racecourses. It hosts both flat and National Hunt races, making it one of the few races in England that hosts both races. Unlike most racecourses that evolved from being venues of other sports or activities, Sandown was built purposely for horse-racing. It is said to have been the Queen Mother’s favorite horse racing venue. Sandown is not only a horse racing venue, but also a venue for social functions like exhibitions, conferences, weddings and seminars. This is because of its state of the art facilities which are flexible, and can accommodate all sorts of events.

Racing at the current Sandown racecourse venue began in 1935. Later in 1952, its activities were cut short by the outbreak of the World War. It was among the first racecourses to charge people for attending the races. The first race meeting to take place there lasted for over three days, starting from the 22nd of April. Its original track was covered with neatly cut grass, but was later changed into a sand track in 1964, due to maintenance difficulties. Computerized
Tote equipment was introduced in 1974, facilitating betting in the racecourse.

The most notable races run at Sandown are the Tolworth Hurdle and the Gainsborough chase. The Tolworth is a National Hunt race, strictly meant for horses aged four years and above. During the race, horses cover a total distance of 3,125 meters. The race is sponsored by 32Red, and takes place every January. The Gainsborough was
first run in 1954. Unlike the Tolworth, horses aged five years and above take part in the race. It takes place every late January or early February. The racecourse has a wide range of hospitality options facilitating a comfortable
race day for the racegoers.

Many horse racing punters who consistently back heavily favoured, often odds-on, favourites do so in the belief that they are ‘on’ a horse with an obvious competitive advantage. This is not, necessarily, true. Fairly obviously, the shorter the odds the higher the strike rate, but the fact remains that, across the whole spectrum of horse racing, roughly one-third of favourites win. Therefore, two-thirds of favourites must, by definition, be ‘false’ favourites. Indeed, according to one study, backing every favourite that was sent off at odds between even money and 1/5 over the last 25 years or so would have resulted in a loss of just over 5% at starting price.

That is not to say that backing a short-priced, even odds-on, favourite is altogether a bad idea. Many such bets can even be combined with the various bookmaker horse racing offers out there. If a horse can be backed at odds which, in the eyes of the punter, are longer than the odds representing its true chance of winning, it could still embody value, regardless of the actual odds on offer. However, a typical ‘chalk eater’ – bookmaker parlance for a punter who bets, almost exclusively, at short odds – is often tempted to invest heavily on a selection, regardless of its winning prospects and/or regardless of whether or not the odds on offer represent ‘value’.

This latter approach is fraught with danger at almost every turn. The habitual short-odds punter must, even when winning, significantly beat the starting price in order to make just a very small profit. Similarly, the punter can expect a high strike-rate, consummate with prohibitive odds, but even a short losing run can be hugely costly, possibly wiping out a betting bank altogether or, at least, increasing the likelihood of chasing losses. No staking plan, however ‘foolproof’, can compensate for an adverse sequence of results and, consequently, punters have a little or no chance of making money by backing short-priced favourites in the long term. By contrast, the occasional, modest bet, on a short-priced favourite with excellent winning prospects – especially if the horse in question appears over-priced – is an attractive proposition, but consistently backing such horses willy-nilly is a route to the poorhouse.

Market Rasen racecourse is a horse racing track located in Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, England. It is well known for hosting National Hunt races. The right-handed course is oval in shape, and has a circumference of approximately one and a quarter miles. It stages a good number of fixtures annually, with the most high-profile fixture being the Summer Plate meeting. This meeting is scheduled for the third Saturday of every July. It features two races, the Summer Hurdle and the Summer Plate.

Racing in Market Rasen began in 1828. The races took place in different venues till 1924. At first, the racecourse hosted only one meeting called the Feast week racing, which was held in the autumn between 1828 and 1887. With time, a second fixture was added to the calendar and was held during spring season as from 1871. By the end of 1924, the racecourse had found a permanent venue at Willingham Road. The site was bought by four local men, who raised the money by themselves and bought a fifty acre piece of land. From 1945, Victor Lucas took over the responsibility of running the race track. He oversaw activities like planning the course layout and the paddocks. During this time, the total number of fixtures per year increased from three to twelve. Victor Lucas however died in 1971.

The most notable races held in Market Rasen are the Summer Handicap Hurdle and the Summer Plate. The summer Handicap Hurdle is scheduled to take place every late July. It is opened to horses aged three years and above. The race is run over a distance of 2 miles and 110 yards, an equivalent of 3,319 meters. Summer Plate on the other
hand is run over a distance of 2 miles 5 furlongs. The race distance was increased from 2 miles 3 furlongs in 2005. It is open to horses aged four years and above, and takes place every July just like the Summer Hurdle.

Fontwell racecourse is a horse racing track located in the spectacular surroundings of Fontwell, England. It was opened in 1924, and is owned by Arena Racing Company. The racecourse is well known for hosting National Hunt races, offering a total of 24 meetings each year. It is seated on a 65-acre piece of land in the South Coast with an amazingly thrilling atmosphere, a major reason as to why it is the most preferred destination to most racegoers. Fontwell has been voted for as the most attractive and best small racecourse in the South East 19 times in a row.

The racecourse was founded by Alfred Day, a racehorse trainer who had visited Hermitage in 1887. His passion for racing drove him. After several years of familiarizing himself with the area, he finally managed to purchase land by the end of 1924, enough to build a racecourse. With support from the local community, he obtained a license from Jockey Club and opened Fontwell racecourse. On May 21st of the same year was when the racecourse hosted its first meeting. A huge crowd turned up, which was impressive considering the fact that the racecourse had not held any meetings previously. In its first year, it held a total of four race meetings. The numbers kept increasing over the years to today’s 24.

The most notable race run at Fontwell is the National Spirit Hurdle. It is a National Hunt race, and takes place each late February or early March. The race is run over  3,852 metres with a total of ten hurdles. It was inaugurated in 1965 with horses aged four years and above taking part in it. This year, the racecourse is set to host a significant number of fixtures. For example, on the 16th of June will be the Gentlemen’s Evening. This will be a perfect
day out for friends. The best dressed gents will be awarded.