The Haldon Gold Cup is a Grade 2 steeplechase run over 2 miles, 1 furlong and 109 yards at Exeter in early November. Open to horses aged four years and upwards, the race takes its name from the Haldon Hills, also known simply as Haldon, on which Exeter Racecourse stands, at a height of 850 feet above sea level. Inaugurated in 1969, the Haldon Gold Cup was promoted to Grade 2 status in 1990, having previously been run as a Listed contest and became a limited handicap, which it remains to this day, in 1996.

Not altogether surprisingly, West Country trainer Paul Nicholls is the leading handler in the history of the Haldon Gold Cup with eight wins, courtesy of Lake Kariba (1998), Flagship Uberalles (1999), Azertyuiop (2004), Tchico Polos (2010), Vibrato Valtat (2015), Politologue (2017) and Greaneteen (2020 & 2022). Travado, trained by Nicky Henderson, completed a hat-trick of wins in 1993, 1994 and 1995 and remains the most successful horse so far. Other notable winners down the years include Best Mate (2001), Edredon Bleu (2002 & 2003) and Cue Card (2012). Sadly, triple Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Best Mate also contested the 2005 renewal of the Haldon Gold Cup, but collapsed and died from a suspected heart attack after being pulled up three fences from home.

The Haldon Gold Cup is another race that routinely attracts single-figure fields. Four of the last ten runnings have been won by the starting-price favourite, but all ten have been won by horses returning from absences of at least three months and, more often than not, over six months. Typical winners are aged six or seven years, officially rated 151, or higher, and have at least one Grade 1 or Grade 2 win to their name.

The Bet365 Select Hurdle is a Grade 2 hurdle race run over 2 miles, 5 furlongs and 110 yards at Sandown Park in April. Open to horses aged four years and upwards, the race was inaugurated, as a Listed contest over 2 miles and 6 furlongs, in 2014, but elevated to Grade 2 status, and shortened to its current distance, in 2017. The Bet365 Select Hurdle is currently scheduled for the final day of the National Hunt season in Britain, the Bet365 Jump Finale Day.

In the relatively brief history of the Bet365 Select Hurdle, both Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson have saddled three winners apiece and are, jointly, the most successful trainers so far. Nicholls was successful with Southfield Theatre (2014), Ptit Zig (2016) and McFabulous (2022), while Henderson was responsible for Polly Peachum (2015), L’Ami Serge (2017) and Call Me Lord (2018). In fact, Kim Bailey is the only other trainer to have won the Bet365 Select Hurdle, having saddled Younevercall to back-to-back victories in 2019 and 2021; the 2020 renewal was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2023 renewal of the Bet365 Select Hurdle is scheduled for Saturday, April 29, so it must be long odds against picking a runner, never mind the winner, so far ahead of time. However, as the National Hunt season reaches its climax, punters may be able to take advantage of some significant trends that the race has brought to light. Experience appears to be key to winning the Bet365 Select Hurdle, with all eight winners so far having run at least eight times over hurdles, including at least three times during the current season. Likewise, all eight had at least three hurdling wins to their name and all eight were in the first three in the starting-price betting.

Introduction

A video slot game inspired by the thrilling background of horse racing and designed by Microgaming. The horse track offers a unique atmosphere not only for betting but also for taking in the racing action. Increase the stakes and make the game even more interesting by betting on your favourite horse.

A total of 25 paylines are available in this game, which has 5 spinning reels with three symbols on each of them. In order to start winning cash prizes, you need to land as many winning combinations as possible on these paylines.

The reels will begin spinning once the race starts, and you should pay attention to the symbols that appear on the screen in the hopes of creating winning combinations.

There are several reel symbols in this game, including binoculars, a jockey’s hat, tickets to the race, and a golden cup. You will not be rewarded more than 60 times the value of your bet for combinations of these symbols, as 60x is already such a significant amount.

The remaining paytable includes three horses and three jockeys. For easier identification, they are all painted a different color. For combinations of 5 blue jockeys, the maximum reward is 800 times your wager.

Sure Win Slot Features

Any of the symbols listed above can be replaced by the Sure Win logo which is the game’s wild card. It will triple the value of any winning combinations on screen that you complete with it. In addition, logo combinations are not only rare but highly rewarding: your initial stake can be multiplied by 7,000.

Any position on the reels pays with the bookmaker scatter symbol. If you land three or more of them, you can win up to 24 free spins as well as a little cash prize. To make the game even more exciting, the free spins also come with multipliers.