A Preview of July's UK Horse Racing
The quirks of the racing calendar have nudged Newcastle’s Northumberland Plate into the first day of July and there cannot be a better way to begin the month’s racing. Few staying handicaps are as fiercely contested as the ‘Pitmen’s Derby’ and this year’s race is no exception to that familiar rule. Anyone thinking of having a bet in this grueling two-mile contest needs to pay strict attention to the draw. Year after year horses drawn high race wide at Gosforth Park struggling to secure a prominent early pitch with the result that they are forced to sit and wait at the back of the field while the race unfolds up front. More often than not, the die has been cast by the time a high drawn horse is able to make its belated challenge. Older horses too tend to rule the roost these days and the times when progressive three-year-olds were able to annex this valuable prize have long gone. The doughty Archduke Ferdinand was the last of the younger generation to win the Plate in 2001 and remarkably, there are no representatives from this age-group in this year’s renewal. Good recent form is an obvious plus in a race of this nature and Richard Fahey’s Greenwich Meantime and Amanda Perrett’s Bulwark are two talented sorts that rise swiftly to the surface when studying the entries for this year’s race. The former is on quite a hot roll at present for his canny trainer and might well be the one they all to beat in 2006. Over at The Curragh on July 2 there’s the weighty matter of the Irish Derby to consider though this year’s renewal is already suffering from a bad case of the absentee blues with Epsom Derby winner Sir Percy and unlucky-in-running third Hala Bek both forced to miss the race through injury and the 2006 renewal already looks a below-par affair. Both Dylan Thomas and Dragon Dancer, the fourth and second respectively at Epsom, are set to fly the flag for the Derby form and this useful pair should come toe-to-toe with Darsi, a surprise winner of a typically open French Derby at Chantilly last month. The performances of the French three-year-olds’ at pattern level in Britain has left a lot to be desired this season, and it would be no surprise to see them failing once again. Classic form is essential on any potential winner’s c.v and perhaps this year’s Irish Derby winner can be found within the ranks of the Epsom Classic. The Coral Eclipse Stakes at Sandown on July 8 is famous for its traditional clash between the older and younger generations. The latter age group receives a chunky 10lb weight-for-age allowance and in sixteen runnings of this Group 1 race since1990, the three-year-olds have managed six victories while five four-year-olds have triumphed alongside five five-year-olds. Honours, then, are even across the age groups. The loss of Sir Percy through injury has probably sunk the three-year-old challenge below the water and it would raise few eyebrows to see an older horse come out on top. The Godolphin stable continues to stutter at the top level and for David Junior, a bitter Royal Ascot disappointment behind Ouija Board, this is a chance to atone for his recent defeat though if the latter lines-up again after her Ascot heroics he may have to settle for a supporting role once more. On the same day as the Coral Eclipse, Haydock hosts the Lancashire Oaks which is often won by a late developing filly, a category into which Luca Cumani’s talented Princess Nada fits very snugly. She is one to watch out for when the entries are published. Punters should pay close attention to the running of the Old Newton Cup at Haydock, another race in which Cumani holds a terrific record having landed the last two renewals courtesy of Alkaased and Zeitgeist. Scan the entries for his hat-trick seeking runner who may well be the rejuvenated Soulacroix. Newmarket’s three-day July meeting dominates the middle of the month and the opening day should see a back-to-form Soviet Song land her third Falmouth Stakes on July 12. She is sure to be a cut above the opposition while on the same card the juvenile fillies do battle in the Cherry Hinton Stakes and the Queen Mary Stakes winner Gilded may be hard to beat. On the second day of the July meeting Hoh Mike, who was poorly ridden by Jamie Spencer when runner-up at Royal Ascot, bids to go one better in the July Stakes while the Willie Muir-trained Enforcer seeks to improve upon his Hardwicke Stakes third in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes. Watch out here for any runner from Sir Michael Stoute’s stable. On July 14 the final day of the eponymously-titled meeting, there’s the small matter of the Bunbury Cup, a highly competitive seven furlongs handicap. James Fanshawe is poised to bid for compensation with Polar Magic, a runner-up last year to the evergreen and mercurial Mine while Ian Semple is seeking to improve upon his Royal Ascot second in similarly competitive handicap with the plucky and consistent Appalachian Trail. Ed Dunlop’s Britannia runner-up Easy Air would be an intriguing contender too hailing from stable that has suffered a hatful of near-misses in the race in recent seasons. The six-furlong Group 1 July Cup is the meeting’s highlight on July 14 and recent results have shown just how volatile a medium the top sprinters can be for backers with winners at 25-1, 12-1, 14-1 and 50-1. A 33-1 winner of the Golden Jubilee rubbed further salt into punters’ wounds at Royal Ascot and in my view betting on so-called top drawer sprinters is something of a mug’s game. Inevitably a good run in the Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot as well as a bold showing in the King’s Stand Stakes from that same meeting is often a pointer to July Cup success but fathoming just which horses are likely to run well from those races is a difficult business. Perhaps Moss Vale can shine providing he’s a sharper starter than his slow-coach self at Royal Ascot. York’s John Smith’s Cup On July 15 is one of the best ten-furlong handicaps of the whole season and remains ultra-competitive. Once again the three-year-old generation has found it difficult to scrape a place in the line-up and older horses are preferred. Trainer John Gosden’s three placed efforts from as many runners in recent seasons bodes well for the chances of his stable’s Wild Savannah, a good second at Royal Ascot on his latest start. Newbury stages the Weatherbys Super Sprint on July 22 and the unmistakable message for punters is to pay close attention to any horse saddled by Richard Hannon, who has won this two-year-old contest on no less than six occasions with three of his winners coming in the last four seasons. July’s racing comes to a close with the fabulous King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes, Britain’s premier all-aged middle-distance event. This year’s renewal had looked like a shoo-in for Hurricane Run but his defeat in France last time opens the race up and Japanese challenger, the late-developing, Heart’s Cry, Sir Michael Stoute’s progressive Mountain High and Godolphin hotpot Electrocutionist, seem sure to have a big say in the race’s outcome. As for the three-year-olds, well, they are a dying breed in this race with only four horses from that age group bothering to contest the prize in the past four seasons.
Other Horse Racing Betting Articles
Horse Betting: Everything's Falling into Place for BOB & JOHN and BARBARO! Why would they allow twenty horses in a race in the first place is a good question and after yesterdays post position draw, the trainers for Lawyer Ron and Brother Derek, have to be fuming on the inside.Brother Derek the favorite for the “Run for the Roses” has been annihilating opposition in California this spring but the fields have bee ...Three Card Bragg Tips I love to play cards for money, especially games such as poker and bragg. In fact I have to admit that I love to gamble on many things such as betting on the outcome of football matches and on the outcome of horse races. My father used to take me to horse racing when I was a child which gave me the bug for gambling. In this article I concentrate ...The History of Steeplechase Horse Racing The sport of Steeplechase racing dates back to 1752 in Ireland when two, half-crocked, friends settled the argument over who owned the best horse by racing to the nearest Church steeple after returning from Fox hunting. The winner actually rode right through the church where the vicar was holding a solemn funeral. Soon steeplechase racing sprea ...Carlos Delgado: Model Ballplayer and Citizen In just his first season with the New York Mets, Carlos Delgado has immediately delivered for the Mets, providing solid offensive play for his team. Although he is in the middle of a 7 for 50 slump for the Mets, Carlos Delgado has still been providing the power numbers (15 HR’s) thus far. After hitting about .300 in the month of April, he has on ...How to play Texas Hold'em Both variations of Texas Hold’em (Limit & No Limit) are played with a standard deck of 52 cards, what’s different about Hold’em is how players make their hands. In this popular version of poker, players receive 2 face-down cards – called the hole or pocket cards. These two cards make your starting hand. As betting rounds progress, up to 5 commun ...Playing Poker Online...The Smart Way The scene is set. It’s just past 2 A.M. on a school night. The windows are closed and the sun has long been gone, but the glow from the computer screen has never been more evident on his face than this moment. As the sweat crawls slowly down his forehead, his hands simultaneously creep up on either side of his face, the palms perching under his ...2005 AFC North Football Preview In the AFC North I expect to see the Pittsburgh Steelers who posted a mark of 16-2 straight up and 11-7 ATS overall last season to win a close divisional battle over the Baltimore Ravens who finished up their 2004 campaign with a 9-7 straight up and ATS mark and over a much improved Cincinnati Bengal team that finished with an 8-8 straight up re ...7 Critical Factors You Must Know Before You Play Any Hand in Texas Hold'em Poker Being a poker professional I receive tons of emails and questions about how to play certain hands or what I would do in a particular situation. In this article I’ve outlined seven critical factors you need to be aware of any time you play Texas Hold’em poker.Use this article as an outline to help make the best possible decisions when pla ...Vegas Odds & Ends (Jan. 20) Folks aren't necessarily talking baseball when they say World Series these days.They might mean golf's old World Series, the long-running World Series of Poker or the relatively new Orleans Annual Horseplayer World Series, which begins Thursday, Jan. 21, and runs through Saturday, Jan. 23.The event costs $1,000 to enter and players ...Professional Poker Player Skills What makes a poker a player a professional? Does it mean that by adding the word professional the person loses less money? Or does it mean that the player enter tournaments through out the year? If you are thinking about getting the word professional embossed on your 'poker resume', here are some skills that you should consider mastering. ...Horse Racing Betting, a Beginners Guide (Part 1) So you want to bet on the horses but you haven’t got a clue where to start. You look at the form but at this stage the numbers don’t mean a thing. Well listen up as what I’m about to tell could result in a few winners today.First things first, ignore the jockeys silk (There nice colours, So What!) and don’t try and pick a cool sounding na ...Playing Chess in Russia - The Agony of Victory Russians have a thing for chess and, frankly, are very good at it. Being from San Diego, I thought chess was something you put photo albums in.Playing ChessPlaying chess requires thinking ten or twelve steps ahead. If I wanted to understand the Russian mind, I had to learn to play chess. If nothing else, it would be a good way to p ...How to Bet on Horse Racing So you’ve decided to get in on the exciting world of horse racing. But before you can throw down some money on the ponies, you’re going to need to know what kind of bets are available and what each one means. Read on, and all will be explained.First, let’s look at the three most common types of bets. They are to win, to place, and to s ...Beware Gambling Can Increase Your Debt Problems Are you the type of person who likes to take a gamble from time to time on things such as the result of a horse race? Would you say that you have an addiction to gambling? Do you lose more money than you win when gambling? Are you in debt? Are you hoping to reduce your debts by gambling? In this article, I write about a friend of mine who tried ...Kansas Casinos There are five Kansas Casinos gamblers can enjoy while visiting the state. Kansas casinos are located in Horton, Mayette, Powhattan, and White Cloud and tourists should make a point to stop in one or more of the Kansas casinos during their stay. Likewise, in addition to the five Kansas casinos, tourists may also enjoy paying a visit to Kansas' W ...How To Increase Your Horse Racing Wagering Cash Flow If You have a horse racing system that produces at least 33% Wins Or better than 66% in-the-money finishes, then You can Increase Your Horse Racing Wagering Cash Flow©. And You can realize this by simply betting 4% of Your total bank (Multiply Your Total Bank by 0.04.) on each race that was successfully processed by an effective handicapping pr ...Gambling And The 20th Century Rulers Part 1 The history of the 20th century is inseparably connected with wars, revolutions, forcible change of governments and other political cataclysms in which the leading role was often played by bright, extraordinary personalities – leaders, chiefs. Impetuous was also the history of legislative regulation of gambling games and bets. They were allowed, ...Tips On Gambling On Greyhounds Do you like to gamble on the greyhounds? Do you enjoy a night out at the dogs but are not really sure how to read the form? Are you looking for some advice about how to bet on the greyhounds? In this article I give advice on how I go about successfully betting at the greyhounds and about what some of the form quotes mean.I have been enjoy ...Horse Racing 101: What You Absolutely Need to Know Horse racing is perhaps one of the oldest sports in America. The charisma and aura of the game is such that it refreshes and revitalizes your spirits. If taken in the right sense i.e. not as a gamble with your limited money, horse racing is one of the best and conspicuous sports to play.Before taking on to this game, one needs to have a v ...Las Vegas Odds & Ends The Las Vegas Hilton, home of the prestigious SuperContest football handicapping competition, will give away $10,000 in weekly drawings throughout the upcoming season as the resort turns its legenday theater into "Football Central" on NFL Sundays.Food and drink specials, including $1 hot dogs and draft beer, .will be served beginning with ...Make Money Betting on Horses Are you in love with gambling on horse races? Do you believe that there is money to be made by betting on horses? Make money betting on horses today and begin treating yourself to better and more expensive belongings.Horse racing is a very popular gamblers sport and it seems that the gambling is all a chance, a guess, and some luck. Th ...Football Betting - End-of-Season Games Everyone loves a trier, especially when it comes to putting down your readies. There's nothing more galling for punters than to realise that your selection was 'not off' and that you've not even had a fair run for your money.Blanket television coverage and the greater transparency of the betting exchanges have raised awareness of the 'non ...Be Observant - A Poker Player's Foundation The number one important thing in poker besides skill boils down to how focused you as a player are at the table and the level of your concentration. You could have superior psychological skills then anyone else at the table and yet they are rendered useless if you are not paying attention.Top reasons you will be distracted at a poker ga ...Stuey The Kid Ungar: Poker's Card Savant He won $30 million dollars at cards and lost that much and more. He is the only three-time winner of the World Series of Poker. He died broke and alone in a sleazy porn motel between The Strip and Downtown Las Vegas.Stuey “The Kid” Ungar was proud of the fact that Mafia bosses came to his Bar Mitzah. The son of a New York bookmaker who di ...
|
