Author: Peter McNeile

News that the 2023 Epsom Derby has been forced to change its start time has divided the racing community. With the FA Cup final having been brought forward, the UK’s biggest flat race has had to follow suit.

Former Derby-winning jockey John Reid was among those to voice their concerns. The man who rode Dr. Devious to victory in 1992 asked why the race had to ‘bend over’ for everyone else. It’s a debatable issue and one that brings the marketing of the Epsom Derby into focus.

How racecourses use TV

Nowadays, there are very few television ads for the biggest horse races. Less than 20 years ago, it wasn’t unusual to see TV advertising of some of racing’s major meetings, but this promotion is now largely left to ITV Racing to promote within its own coverage. Even the Grand National appears to be complacent, expecting every racegoer and casual punter to know the date and time, which is perhaps justified, given a full house at Aintree on the Saturday. On the other hand, many other sports take a more proactive approach, ensuring that dates and times are clearly listed on their host TV channels. Many industries utilise paid advertising as a vital part of their marketing strategies by extending their visibility to broader audiences. As a strong example, the betting companies continue to make use of broadcast mediums as the current MrQ TV ad underlines.

When potential racegoers head online, there are some related advertisements on specific websites, but there is little to target the casual spectator. Epsom Racecourse may be full to capacity next month, while millions more will watch on television, but the enforced new start time suggests that the sport needs to be more aware of its wider public profile.

Derby & FA Cup alter timings

For the record, the date for the 2023 Epsom Derby is unchanged and it will go off on Saturday, June 3rd. The start time, however, has been brought forward to a much earlier 1.30 pm. Along with the big race, the FA Cup final will also begin at an earlier time. Due to safety concerns, The FA confirmed that the football match will kick off at 3 pm for the first time in 12 years.

It’s unusual for the English domestic season to run into June, and this is due to the scheduling of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Because the tournament forced a mid-season break around Europe, leagues and knockout competitions have been playing catch up ever since. The earlier running of the Epsom Derby may, therefore, be a one-off, but should the organisers be aware of a need to raise the event’s profile?

Do we need to hear more about the Derby?

Discussion over changes to dates and times, as covered by The Guardian, are nothing new as far as the Derby is concerned. As recently as 2002, the race was held on the first Wednesday in June, and as a result, attracted considerable coverage where it wasn’t competing against football or cricket. The switch to a Saturday was made in recognition of changing customer habits, and an eagerness to win back big crowds, but broadcasting on Saturday now brings it into competition with mainstream sport and a crowded schedule. Serious horse racing fans will need no reminder as to its current scheduling, but the success of major marquee events in the calendar relies upon “passing trade” from occasional racegoers who aren’t familiar with every form line back to 1958.

Of course, the sport has been here before. When Channel 4 held rights to British racing, the Derby had to share coverage with test cricket on Derby Day for a year or two. It’s part of a creeping marginalisation of the sport over many years. And more recently, this past weekend’s fixtures ensured no meeting started before the Coronation procession was concluded.

You could reasonably ask why this has anything to do with racing at Stratford. Different code of racing, different location…. where are the similarities? The big race fixtures are important to the sport at large, as they grow the total audience, its wider engagement with the sport, and the betting revenue that is shared by all. It’s not unusual for our fixtures to run in tandem with major fixtures elsewhere, and the exposure of star horses and riders allows a broader interest to permeate down to the grass roots. So we care.

The Epsom Derby hit the news headlines at the end of April because of the change of time. While many were not happy about the situation, there’s a train of thought that all publicity is good publicity, and that maybe it’s been a positive move. Those that rely on marketing to keep in touch with the public consciousness will certainly be happy with the media column inches. The betting industry and TV broadcasters should welcome the change.

David Christie is a familiar feature at Stratford’s annual Hunters finale, this year on June 2. A string of top flight hunter chasers have been sent over to win the Pertemps Network Stratford Foxhunter, including Vaucelet and Winged Leader, second in the John Corbett Cup 4 years ago.

No surprise then to see the same Winged Leader emerge as favourite for this year’s Randox Foxhunter Chase at Aintree last Thursday. Yet of the 27 to face the starter, it was a West Country trained horse that defined the race, putting another Barber name on the trophy.

Whilst Winged Leader drew to the front 3 out, he wasn’t able to assert for long as others swept by, not least final winner Famous Clermont, ridden by Will Biddick, and trained by a name all too familiar to Pointing fans in Chris Barber, son of the legendary Richard, who had won this race himself 14 years previously with Trust Fund.

There were hard luck stories from Fier Jaguen, from the Bradley Gibbs stable, who set off to lead the field, pecked on landing at the seventh and jettisoned his rider at that point. Until then, he was attacking the Aintree fences with relish, so expect more from him.

Eventual second Bennys King ran on well without troubling the winner, and given he is trained 10 miles away at Alcester, it might be assumed we might see him in our own Foxhunter. The third horse, Lough Derg Spirit, was the first of the five Irish challengers and ran on well to finish 1/2l behind the second, 5 1/4l behind Famous Clermont.

Last year’s winner Latenightpass also ran prominently, reaching the front 3 out just as several others were also making their play. However, there was to be no repeat of last year for the Ellis & Andrews partnership.

Just over 5l separated the first three, but in truth, the winner had something in hand over the other placed horses over this shorter distance than the Cheltenham equivalent, where he had faded to finish 6th to Premier Magic. The sharper track that is Stratford might yet be expedient in ensuring he gets the three miles for the Pertemps Network Stratford Foxhunter.

Multiple point-to-point champion Biddick was thrilled to finally break his Foxhunters’ duck, and told the Racing Post, “I’ve been around for 20 seasons now and I think my first ride round here was Le Duc in 2009. I’ve had a few seconds and I’ve been knocking on the door. It’s a big thing for the amateurs to win this race – here and Cheltenham are our Gold Cups. To do it is massive.”

Aintree and Stratford are two very different tracks, but there are only three Foxhunter chases in the calendar, and several here with points to prove. Let’s hope they still have appetite to renew rivalry on June 2.

Local trainer Dan Skelton is having a fantastic season, as he trails Paul Nicholls in the British Trainers’ Championship. Victory in the Grand National at Aintree on Saturday would help him close the gap with his former boss in the standings.

Skelton has just one runner in the Grand National this year saddling Le Milos as he bids to win the world’s most famous steeplechase for the first time in his career. His chaser has been handed a weight allocation of 10st 11lb.

Le Milos a leading fancy for Aintree

With five wins from 10 appearances over fences, it is no surprise that Le Milos is one of the Grand National festival ante post tips for the feature race of the meeting. He is 14/1 to come out on top, odds which put him at the top end of the market with all the leading hopefuls.

This is Le Milos’ second season over fences. He joined Skelton’s Lodge Hill yard back in October and was successful in his opening two races for his new trainer, scoring at Bangor (3m) and Newbury (3m2f).

The eight-year-old had his final appearance before the Grand National in the Premier Chase at Kelso last month. He finished second in that 2m7½f contest behind Empire Steel. That race has been used by several Aintree winners before, so Skelton will be hoping it has sharpened up the gelding ahead of the biggest race of his career.

Le Milos is now rated at 152 in the official ratings. That puts him 15th in the Grand National list which ensures he is guaranteed a run in the race should his connections choose to declare 48 hours before the race. At this stage, there are still 50 horses entered to run, against a maximum field of 40 permitted.

Corach Rambler tops betting in quality field

The betting for this year’s Grand National is headed by Corach Rambler. Lucinda Russell’s chaser won the Ultima Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival last month, and ever since that success, he has been the favourite to complete a double at Aintree.

Corach Rambler's done it again! pic.twitter.com/JZ5quU3iph

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) March 14, 2023

With 10st 5lb, Corach Rambler has one of the lowest weight allocations in the 4m2½f contest. He is now rated 10lb higher in the ratings since his victory at Cheltenham. Should he score this year, he will become the third Scottish-based horse to win the race and he would give his trainer a second victory, as she prevailed at Aintree in 2017 with One For Arthur.

Le Milos and Corach Rambler will be joined at the starting line by last year’s winner Noble Yeats. The Irish horse is set to return to Aintree where he is bidding to defend his crown with 15lb more on his back this time around.

Grand National hero Noble Yeats wins at Wexford for Emmet Mullins, @Sean_Bowen_ and Robert Waley-Cohen! 👏 pic.twitter.com/Dthud33eC1

— Sky Sports Racing (@SkySportsRacing) October 31, 2022

Tiger Roll was the last horse to win the Grand National in back-to-back years when he was successful in 2019. Victories at Aintree and Wexford this season suggest the 2022 winner returns to the race with a big chance of emulating the dual winner.

The full field of 40 runners for this year’s Grand National will be announced on Thursday, along with the two reserves.

Friday’s rain had made the ground heavy for our second meeting, which made for some nip-and-tuck finishes to the first three races. In fact, the winning distances across all 6 races were less than 12l – recipe for heart-in-mouth moments among punters. The 40 horses that participated produced great entertainment.

There’s an old adage that racing is the way to a small fortune – if you started with a bigger one. This doesn’t stop new entrants to the training ranks each year. In fact, the churn – the rate of turnover of new faces – has remained remarkably consistent over 40 years. As news broke on Saturday that Harry Whittington is returning to pre-training and handing in his licence, another newcomer got off the mark over Jumps.

Or should I say two, because in the growing trend of partnered licence holders, Mike Murphy and Michael Keady, are yet another pair who have discovered that two pairs of hands run a training business better than one. Over the past 5 seasons, they’ve trained a dozen or so winners on the Flat, but Tiny Tantrum made their first Jumps winner at his sixteenth attempt, holding on by a diminishing 2 1/4l from Richardson, trained by John Groucott. The winner was sent to the front after stalking the leader to the second last, providing a 20th winner of the term for Bryony Frost.

One man who’s had rather more winners is septuagenarian owner J P McManus, who, it’s said, couldn’t put an exact number on the volume of horses he has in training. After yet another successful Cheltenham, he scored twice on Saturday at Stratford. Iberico Lord kept the judge busy in the opener, getting up under a typical driving ride from Aiden Coleman to get a maiden win over hurdles under his belt. Previously a winner of a bumper in France, Iberico Lord was aimed at rather greater things, but after falling at Kempton over Christmas, undertook a breathing operation to come back an improved horse. The winning distance of a head promised more heart-stopping finishes later as the afternoon progressed.

JP’s second winner came courtesy of Jonjo O’Neill and Max Kendrick with Joly Maker in the 2m 3f handicap chase. Turning in with one to jump, he looked the least likely of three to win, but Kendrick conjured some extra speed after the last to win by a length, Joly Maker’s second Stratford victory, since a winner in a similar class race here last July.

The respective SPs for the McManus horses were 9/1 and 25/1 so it’s fair to say the owner’s money was likely not down on the table.

David Bridgwater trains little more than 5 miles from Jonjo, but the two stables are culturally far apart. The luxury emporium that is Jackdaws Castle holds an embarras de richesse, with over 100 horses in training and a steady flow of winners. To Jackdaws Goliath, Bridgwater is David, a boutique trainer able to tease those valuable extra percentages from an animal in the most unaffected location.

There are no Giant Bolsters or Conditionals in the Bridgwater yard presently, but Dom of Mary was good enough to merit 6/5 favouritism in the 2m 6f handicap chase, lying handy throughout, pressing the leader from 4 out and winning with something in hand to bring up a 4th winner of the term for the Wyck Hill trainer.

Sellers are nothing new at Stratford; in fact, it’s one of very few courses to persist with this class of race, but for as long as anyone can remember, auctions have been conducted by racing impressario Capt Nick Lees, a director of the business and one-time CEO at Newmarket. That familiar voice has been missing since the autumn when Nick passed away, but the auction process never ceases. Robert Bellamy took on the mantle, presenting Hokelami from Olly Murphy for sale. His going away 1/2l victory failed to impress however; he heads back to Wilmcote unsold.

The finale produced the greatest winning distance as youngsters competed for the bumper. Westerninthepark coped best with conditions, running on gamely at one pace whilst others fell away to record a maiden win at the second attempt. He was part of a cross-card double for Milton Harris, also successful with Carlow Farmer in a handicap hurdle at Uttoxeter.

Winter’s icy grip on England is slowly subsiding which means that a return to warmer weather won’t be far away, and the past fortnight’s rain is going some way toward rectifying the winter’s dry conditions that have left British trainers constantly frustrated.

Indeed, Stratford-upon-Avon will soon begin to move into spring as the landscape of Warwickshire changes from bare to plentiful. Apart from breathing life back into us after a long winter, the first signs of the new season also mean a return to racing at the world-class Stratford Racecourse. We welcomed a bumper crowd for the opening fixture on Festival eve, including many friends from across the Irish Sea.

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The only place to be from here till November

The packed fixture list from March to early November is sure to energise horse racing enthusiasts in the area who call Stratford Racecourse their own.

For any visitors from far and wide hoping to make the journey to Shottery Meadow, Stratford Racecourse’s modern facilities and unrivalled hospitality packages will undoubtedly provide the perfect backdrop for an unforgettable day. 

As touched on, there is much to look forward to for horse racing purists now that the kindness of spring has replaced the hostility of winter.

With racing now set to be commonplace as the mercury continues to rise, there will also be an increased interest in which bookmakers to use given that horse racing goes hand in hand with a flutter. It would be safe to say that the options nowadays are endless which is why it pays to be discerning when choosing who to sign up with in time for a summer racing season.

Below, we’ll look through the key features that any horse racing fan from Stratford-upon-Avon or even further afield should consider before opening an account. 

Best odds

There is only one place to start and that is odds. Whether you’re betting on an event at Stratford or elsewhere, it’s good practice to join a bookmaker that is offering the most competitive race odds. Essentially, the odds offered by a bookmaker can have a significant impact on your potential winnings. You may have noticed during ITV’s coverage of Cheltenham in the betting shows the “overround” – a description of the margin in any bookmaker’s book. In some of the handicaps, this exceeded 30%!

The simple logic dictates that if you place a winning bet at higher odds, you will receive a higher payout than if you had placed the same bet at lower odds. Therefore, it’s imperative to choose a bookmaker that offers the best prices so that you are able to maximise your potential winnings in the event that your chosen horse gets to the finishing post first.

In addition to this, when you place a bet, you want to feel confident that you are getting the best value for your money and not wonder if you might make a bigger profit elsewhere. Choosing a bookmaker that offers the most competitive odds can supply you with that vital confidence given that you know you are getting the best possible return on your investment should your bet land.

But understand this. The value in betting lies in totting up the odds and seeing which horse is under-priced, rather than merely following napsters’ tips. The tipsters column at the end of a season to a £1 stake almost always shows a negative meaning following favourites is a mug’s game.

A variety of horse racing markets to choose from

They say that variety is the spice of life and that certainly applies when finding a bookmaker that offers a wide range of horse racing markets to bet on. By doing this, you will be provided with significantly more opportunities to wager on different events which ultimately means that you can cherry-pick the races that suit your interests and betting style.

When all is said and done, it is all about making informed decisions when it comes to betting on horses, and to do that successfully, it helps to be able to cast your eye over a series of eventualities. For instance, if you’re betting on a horse at Stratford Racecourse that you feel might not win but will certainly get placed, then you are going to want to make the most of that inkling by having access to place markets.

Although the same can be said for any bet that you want to make, whether it be a slam dunk single on history-making Gold Cup winning jockey Rachael Blackmore or a shoot for the moon, Super Heinz bet on a line-up of multiple winners, it pays to find the bookmaker that can complement your horse racing knowledge.

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Best bonus offers when signing up

Given how competitive the online sports betting industry is, you’ll find that you’re inundated with welcome offers when searching for which bookmaker to sign up with. At the bigger fixtures, the range of bookmaker offers is remarkable, from money-back specials to outlandishly large prices on fancied horses just to entice you to start betting.

When it comes to making the right choice, the key is to do your research and in particular, use the information found on reputable sites that rank the best sign-up bonuses from every bookie. Racing experts have searched the vast range of providers to find the best horse racing betting sites in the UK for anyone wanting to sign up with a bookmaker to place bets. Some of the bonuses mentioned include £30 in free bets when you join Bet365, whilst BetUK will give any new customer £60 in free bets when they place a £20 opening bet.

These generous welcome promotions aside, the broader point here is that you don’t have to take the first joining bonuses that come your way as bookmakers often have a specific offer that will ensure you receive maximum value on your opening bet. 

Access to free streams

If you can’t get down to Stratford for whatever reason, the next best option is to watch the races live online. Most of the best bookmakers for horse racing will offer live streaming of events which means that you can always keep an eye on what is going on, irrespective of where you are in the world. 

In addition to this, by watching horse racing on a live stream offered by a bookmaker, you can get a better sense of the horses’ form and the track conditions, which crucially, can help you make well-informed and accurate betting decisions.

Another benefit of having access to live streaming is that you can also spot potential changes in the race that may affect who the potential winner might be, this is especially relevant if you choose to use the live-in-play betting market.

In short, you can gather a great deal of useful information that can substantially increase your chances of winning when you select a bookmaker that offers live streaming of races.

Bet on course or off

Of course, much of the appeal of actually going racing is browsing the bookmakers’ boards in the ring, where you get to exchange notes with the characters who ply their trade there. As witnessed by their joint sponsorship of our opening card last week, our course bookmakers offer another real-time betting opportunity, where winnings are passed back to you in old-fashioned notes. There is little better than the feel of a crisp bunch of twenties!

So there you have it, a comprehensive list of what to look out for when choosing a bookmaker. It promises to be another memorable season at Stratford Racecourse with a world of possibility awaiting the various horses, jockeys, and of course fans too. 

It’s not often that a race winner from Stratford goes off favourite for a race at the Cheltenham Festival. Our winners, by dint of race quality and summer time racing tend to be aimed at different targets. But that is exactly what has arisen tomorrow as Vaucelet stakes his claim to be the leading hunter chaser in Britain and Ireland.

Twice a winner at Stratford, first in 2021 of the John Corbett Cup for novice hunters, which is generally accepted as the championship for the upcoming aspirants of the hunter chase genre, then a 4l winner of the Pertemps Network Stratford Foxhunter last year, Vaucelet hails from the specialist Point-to-Point yard of David Christie in Ulster. For that reason, but perhaps that reason alone, he may count as a rare British winner at the festival in the glut of Irish tricolors flying this past week.

Fifty acres of pastureland near Derrylin in Co Fermanagh on the road between Cavan and Enniskillen finds a veritable powerhouse of Point-to-Point and hunter chase excellence, and Vaucelet is the apple of David’s eye. Winner of a modest £51,200 in career earnings, this son of Derby winner Authorized has graced the amateur scene for 3 years, since transferring to Christie in March 2021, just in time for a maiden victory over fences in a geldings only maiden at Portrush in May ’21. The rider that day was one Ben Harvey, who rode Seddon with such coolness this Wednesday at Cheltenham.

It’s not a fait accompli however. Like every other race at the Festival, the competition is stiff and numerous. The Foxhunter is perhaps the only conditions race to generally reach maximum numbers at the annual championships, and other contenders are lined up alongside.

Prominent among these are last year’s winner Billaway, from the dominant Mullins yard, Chris’s Dream for Henry de Bromhead, and The Storyteller for Gordon Elliott, all bidding to take the festival’s largest trophy back to Ireland. Billaway has yet to finish outside the first two in 3 runs in the race, but at 11, perhaps age may be his worst enemy. Chris’s Dream has obvious claims on form and would continue a hot streak for the de Bromhead yard that has suffered such ghastly personal misfortune these past months. The Storyteller won’t need directions around Cheltenham either.

But the biggest challenge may, for the first time in a while, come from British-based horses. Famous Clermont hails from Chris Barber’s Somerset yard, which lives and breathes the amateur code. The eight year old hasn’t put a foot wrong this winter, winning a Larkhill Open on New year’s day, and prepping up with victory at Wincanton in February and a comprehensive 18l demolition of Envious Editor in haydock’s Walrus Hunters Chase last month also – a well recognized prep for this race.

Corinthian David Maxwell fields Cat Tiger and Bob & Co, who bids to give Alice Stephens a memorable ride on the biggest stage.

However, if you’re looking to oppose the favourite, French-bred Le Malin might be the one. He ran to his best recent form in mid February when going down just a half length to Billaway in a hunters chase at Naas in February and has won since. Francois Nicolle doesn’t let many go but this one has more to prove.

Reassuringly, there are a number of amateur-trained British entries, pushing back the invasive reach of professional trainers into the race these past few years. It’s a race to savour, and there’s every chance we may see many of the competitors back her in early June.

Oh, and by the way, the previous race that day looks mildly interesting too.

There are more obvious dates to enjoy a bumper crowd than a damp Monday in March, but such is the fever for racing in this Cheltenham Festival week that we are able to open our season with a vociferous and jovial crowd, keenly anticipating the most awaited 4 days of the year. So despite intermittent showers and a keen wind, our six race card enjoyed a very respectable audience, underwritten by the on-course bookmakers.

Alan King is looking for a 34th festival winner with Edwardstone in tomorrow’s Queen Mother Champion Chase, but meantime showed that his team is in good fettle by taking the opener in a bloodless 17l victory with chaser Grandeur d’Ame. The race was something of a procession, with 5l separating second and third, and a further 14 to the only other finisher. the stable was enjoying its 45th jumps winner this term, that wellbeing demonstrated by the fact that nearly 60% of runners have reached the frame.

There wasn’t any more happiness for the on-course bookmaker sponsors in the next, when odds-on favourite Bo Zenith landed the odds in the juvenile hurdle. The winner turned over JCB Triumph Hurdle favourite Blood Destiny at Auteuil last April, and his rating would merit a look at the Anniversary Hurdle at Aintree. Trainer Gary Moore is not one to avoid a strong race.

Another horse bound for a valuable race is Bubble Dubi, the third of four favourites to win on the day, who broke his duck at the seventh attempt in the feature Better Value with Racecourse Bookmakers Handicap Hurdle. Trainer Stuart Edmunds is aiming him at a £100k hurdle at Sandown on the closing day of the season. Meantime, he was a 20th winner of the term for rider Cieran Gethings.

Another to break his duck was amateur rider Huw Edwards, who rode his first winner in the novices hunters chase at the 48th attempt for JJ O’Shea. And if frustration had held up the pursuit of success thus far, it was never in doubt here once Edwards took up the running 3 out on runaway winner Time Leader. O’Shea has Cousin Pascal on track to run in the Aintree Foxhunters next month.

Tristan Durrell is another amateur who has graduated to the professional ranks, and there would be few more coveted positions than with Dan Skelton. Of his 24 winners to date, 21 have been for his boss, who goes to Cheltenham well armed this year. Go Steady, winner of the Cash is King in the Ring Handicap Chase was a nice pump primer, even if poorly named for a sport where speed is of the essence. In what may prove a definitive week in the Trainers’ Championship, Skelton is “only” £600k behind his mentor and rival Paul Nicholls.

Sean Bowen has a date with Noble Yeats in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday, and warmed up for that with a 2l winner in Flying Fortune for his father in the concluding bumper.