Horse race fans will be eagerly awaiting the Cheltenham Festival which is taking place this year between the 13th and 16th March. There will be plenty of top quality races again, with seven each day to enjoy. The very first will be the Supreme Novices Hurdle taking place on Tuesday 13th March at 1.30pm and will whet the appetite and as the days go by the excitement will build towards the Gold Cup race which takes place at 3.30pm on Friday 16th March. There is a feature race each day though with the Champion Hurdle on the first day. The Queen Mother’s Champion Chase on day two and the World Hurdle on day three. This means that whether you are attending or going to view on television, you will be able to see the build up to a great race each day.
Many will be looking at the form of the horses to decide who to bet on. Last year there were some shock results with two of the favourites in big races being defeated. In the Queen Mother Champion Chase it was Douvan and in the World Hurdle it was Unowhatimeanharry who were defeated and they will both be back this year and they will hope to win them this time. However, there will be plenty of other horses and jockeys also hoping to get the top spot in these races. In the Gold Cup Race there was much excitement as the leader changed a number of times before the race was over and it is hoped that there will be similar this year. Having a close race can cause a huge rise in adrenaline and make the race so much more fun and entertaining.
Betting on a race is really easy. It is possible to still go into a betting shop and place a bet or to place one at the racecourse if you are going in person. However, many people now choose to bet online as it is easier and they can do it from anywhere. All the main betting shops have apps to make it really easy for you. The hardest thing can actually be choosing who to bet for!
There are lots of different techniques for choosing and it is up to you to decide which technique you want to use. Some people choose by picking a name that they like or jockeys colours that they like. Although this really a technique for the less serious, it can still be a lot of fun and can manage to find winners. However, most will take a look at the recent form of the horses and jockeys, consider the conditions and whether they like them and also view the bookies odds. The bookies will look at the form of each horse and then decide who is most likely to win based on that. They will consider how well they have fared in the past in that particular race, at the course and in those conditions as well as looking at their recent form and considering whether that will have a significant bearing. This is the reason why many people bet on the favourite as they know the bookies have done all of the consideration work for them and worked out who they think will have the best chance of winning. Of course, if you bet on one of the favourites, then you will get a lower win, if they do win. However, you will have a better chance of winning. It is always worth considering whether you would rather take more risk and bet on an outsider when you will win more, or bet on one that is reckoned to have a better chance of winning but win less if it does.