Grand National Focus - Geraldine Rees

In recent years, Geraldine Rees has been better known as racehorse trainer and, since she relinquished her licence in 2010, as the head of GSR Thoroughbreds, a breeding operation based at Moor Farm, near Preston, Lancashire. However, in her younger days, Geraldine was a highly accomplished amateur rider and has the distinction of being the first woman to complete the Grand National course.

In 1982, at the age of 26, Geraldine rode Cheers into a weary eighth, and last, place behind Grittar, ridden by 48-year-old Dick Saunders. Her original intended mount, Gordon’s Lad, went lame shortly before the race and, when her attempt to buy Cheers – who’d finished twelfth behind Aldaniti in 1981 and was entered for the Grand National again in 1982 – at auction failed, the winning bidder booked her for the ride in any case.

Geraldine wasn’t the first woman to ride in the Grand National. That distinction is held by Charlotte Brew, who in 1977, at the age of 21, rode her own horse, Barony Fort. The 12-year-old had qualified for the race by finishing fourth in the Fox Hunters’ Chase, over one circuit of the National fences, at Aintree the previous year, but was hopelessly tailed off when refusing at the fourth last. Of course, 1977 was the year in which Red Rum won his unprecedented third Grand National, so Charlotte was destined to play second fiddle to the legendary steeplechaser.

AI and Racing Festivals – When Tradition Meets Technology!

For as long as I can remember I've been watching both the Grand National and the Cheltenham Festival. It was second nature to me really, alongside watching say the World Cup and Olympics. Huge sporting events that all demand our attention. I'm certainly not alone either. Of course there are those massively into racing, but even for joe public who isn't usually bothered either way, the draw of the big race has them watching the Grand National, or taking part in the office sweepstakes year on year. It's become something of a national institution really, which shouldn't be that much of a surprise considering its beginnings reach back into the 1800s.

The same with the Cheltenham Festival, which of course has the Gold Cup centre stage, but also royal connections (Queen Mother champion chase) and day after day of top class racing action. The Royal Ascot too, Epsom Derby, these are all the mainstays, the marquee events of the UK racing scene. Another thing they are, is financial opportunities for those looking to place a bet.

Many people having a punt on the big races do so for a bit of fun, but when you look at the Grand National results over the years, there are certainly occasions where the favourite has been very decent odds (an outsider essentially - even the 2025 Grand National winner Nick Rockett was 33-1), yet pmore 'nailed on' as a real contender than many saw at the time. Conversely there have also been years where a favourite has romped home, with again some knowing its simply a class above before the off . Some people's racing predictions are simply more a tuned to reality than others and that's where in the modern age, AI can be a useful tool to have at your disposable to take your edge to the next level.

Where racing is the focus, AI can be used to do the behind the scenes analysis using all available data, in a very time efficient manner. It can save time in this endeavour and also offer insights that you may be missed out on without it. Win rate, value (whether it's worth a bet at current odds), confidence level, these are all factors that AI can push to the fore for you. You may then want to opt for a win bet, or an acca where returns may well be sky high. All decisions will hold a rationale to them though. The same exact principles apply to football tips too. AI is a powerful tool to have as part of your betting arsenal! (excuse the pun!).

So the next time one of the big racing festivals comes around, be sure to not only enjoy the race, but to match the tradition of the race with a future thinking ai attitude! It may well result in you having a healthier bank balance before long!

Cheltenham Fesival - Festival Trophy

The Festival Trophy – otherwise known as the Ryanair Chase- is another Grade 1 race to be witnessed on the third day of the Cheltenham Festival. It has some pretty generous offerings as horses aged five years and over compete to clear seventeen obstacles and cover a distance of two miles and five full furlongs (4225m). It was introduced as a lower grade race as more events were required to increase the action when the festival was expanded to four day in 2005.

By 2010, it had become a highly competitive and popular race and it was then handed a first-grade ranking.

To this end, Albertas Run remains the leading horse in this event after sweeping first honours in 2010 and 2011. Fiveh horse trainers hold a joint record of two wins each, among them Jonjo O’ Neill who rode Albertas run in both wins. Ruby Walsh has crossed the finish line atop the winning horse a record four times- twice before 2010 and twice after.

Ahead of the 2018, joint record trainer Nicky Henderson announced that he was withdrawing his horse Top Notch from the Festival Trophy. It was a disappointment to race fans who had tipped the
trainer to win the race, but he explained that recent performances and signs from the horse to his rider indicated he was not ready for the event.

Dubai World Cup

Formerly known as the Dubai International Racing Carnival, the Dubai World Cup Carnival consists of a series of nine meetings staged at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, United Arab Emirates between January and March each year. The Dubai World Cup Carnival is staged in preparation for Dubai World Cup Night, in the late March, the highlight of which is the Dubai World Cup, a Group 1 race run over 2,000 metres, or approximately a mile and a quarter, on dirt and worth $12 million in prize money (with prize money for the whole event at over $30 million as of 2025). With Dubai comes big money.

Inaugurated Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai, in 1996, the Dubai World Cup was originally run at Nad Al Sheba before being transferred to Meydan in 2010. In its recent history, the Dubai World Cup has vied with the Pegasus World Cup, staged at Gulfstream Park, Florida in January, as the most valuable horse race in the world. However, since the inauguration of the Saudi Cup, at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which is worth $20 million, the Dubai World Cup has been only the second most valuable race in the world.

Nevertheless, the Dubai World Cup Carnival builds to a major milestone in the form of so-called 'Super Saturday', typically staged on the first Saturday in March. Super Saturday is the official 'dress rehearsal' for Dubai World Cup Night, intended to allow trainers from home and abroad with their eyes on the major prizes on the single most valuable raceday anywhere in the world to fine tune their chages.

Sydney Carnival

The Sydney Carnival, or Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival, consists of a series of major horses staged at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse and Royal Randwick Racecourse, situated in the suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, over a six-week period in March and April each year. The Sydney Carnival includes 45 Group races and, at the last count, was worth $33 million in prize money. It's a favourite with the Australian public, much like jokacasino real money online casinos.

At Rosehill Gardens, the highlight of the Sydney Carnival is Golden Slipper Day, which features the Golden Slipper, a Group 1 contest run over 1,200 metres or approximately 6 furlongs and open to two-year-old colts, fillies and geldings, plus four other Group 1 races. The Golden Slipper, alone, is worth $3.5 million in prize money, making it the most valuable race for juveniles run anywhere in the world.

At Royal Randwick, The Championships, billed as 'The Grand Finals of Australian Racing', are staged on the first and second Saturday in April. As the name suggests, The Championships feature twelve races over a variety of distances, open to different age groups and collectively worth over $21 million in prize money. Highlights of The Championships Day One incude the $3 million Doncaster Mile and the $2 million Australian Derby, while highlights of Day Two include the $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the $2 million Sydney Cup. In 2019, the incomparable racemare Winx was retired from racing after winning the Queen Elizabeth Stakes for the third year running.

Which horse was beaten favourite in the 2009 World Hurdle?

By way of clarification, the three-mile hurdling championship, previously and subsequently known as the Stayers' Hurdle was, between 2005 and 2016, sponsored by Ladbrokes and Ryanair and renamed the World Hurdle. Nevertheless, the Grade 1 contest was still run over 2 miles, 7 furlongs and 213 yards on the New Course at Cheltenham, where, alongside the Ryanair Chase, it formed one of the feature races on the third day of the Cheltenham Festival, staged annually in March.

The 2009 renewal of the World Hurdle was significant insofar as it featured the first appearance of Big Buck's, trained by Paul Nicholls, who would not only win at the first time of asking, but again in 2010, 2011 and 2012, during a then-record winning streak of 18 races. Racing fans took a break from online casino australia for real money wolfwinner and tuned into this memorable event. Originally campaigned over fences, Big Buck's unseated his rider, Sam Thomas, at the final fence in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury on his seasonal debut in 2008/09 and the decision to send him on a retrieval mission, back over hurdles, ultimately proved to be a stroke of genius.

Favourite for the 2009 World Hurdle, though, was the Kasbah Bliss, trained by Francois Doumen, who was making his third appearance in the race, having finished fifth behind Inglis Drever in 2007 and second, beaten just a length, behind Iris's Gift in 2008. Fresh from an impressive, 8-length victory in the Rendlesham Hurdle at Haydock Park the previous month, the 7-year-old was sent off at 10/11 to follow up at the Festival.

However, having been held up at the rear of the field, Kasbah Bliss made headway to challenge at the second-last flight, but was outpaced on the run to the last and weakened on the run-in, eventually finishing fourth, 20½ lengths behind Big Buck's. That provded to be his last appearance at the Cheltenham Festival and, indeed, over hurdles anywhere.

When was the Winter Derby established?

Not to be confused with the historic Derby Stakes, which is, of course, run over a mile and a half at Epsom on the first Saturday in June, the Winter Derby Stakes is run over a mile and a quarter on the essentially sharp, left-handed all-weather track at Lingfield in February or March. Unlike the Derby proper, which is restricted to three-year-old colts and fillies, the Winter Derby is open to horses of both sexes, including geldings, aged four years and upwards. The all-weather track at Lingfield, which was originally Equitrack, but has been Polytrack since 2001, is not dissimilar to Epsom, insofar as it is undulating, with a downhill turn into the straight, reminiscent of the famous Tattenham Corner. It's a race that appeals to gamblers interetsed in sports and even casino goers, such as those looking for casinous american casino bonuses.

The Winter Derby was established, as a conditions stakes race, in 1998, but was promoted to Listed status the following year and, again, to Group 3 status in 2006, such that it is now the first Group race in the British Flat racing calendar and one of just four run on synthetic surfaces. The 2023 winner, Lord North, who justified odds-on favouritism with a ready, 3¼-length win, was the highest-rated horse ever to compete in the Winter Derby. Unsurprisingly, though, his winning prize money, of £56,710, was just a fraction of the £885,781 taken home by the Derby winner, Auguste Rodin.

The inuaugural winner of the Winter Derby was the four-year-old Running Stag, trained by Philip Mitchell, in Epsom, and ridden by Ray Cochrane. The son of Breeders' Cup Mile winner Cozzene won comfortably, by 3½ lengths, from Refuse To Lose and Mitchell later reflected on his success, saying, 'That was a serious coup. He was a Group horse racing against good handicappers.' Later that season, Running Stag competed in Germany, France and the United States, finishing seventh in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs.

Generally speaking, how have fillies fared in the Derby?

Of course, the Derby Stakes was famously founded by Sir Charles Bunbury and Edward Smith-Stanley, the Twelfth Earl of Derby, in 1780 and reputedly named in honour of the latter after a (probably apocryphal) coin toss between the pair. The race has always been run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey, but the first four renewals were staged on a straight, one-mile course; the wide, sweeping, left-handed turn into the straight, known as Tattenham Corner, did not become a feature of the Derby course until 1784, when the distance was extended to a mile and a half. Similarly, the Derby has always been open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies, although nowadays the race conditions stipluate 'entire' colts only; geldings have been excluded since 1904.

The Derby is the most prestigious of the five British Classics – the other four being the 2,000 Guineas, 1,000 Guineas, Oaks and St. Leger – and, with the winner collecting £892,160, at the last count, far and away the most valuable. Despite being run on the famously undulating, switchback track at Epsom, the Derby is supposed to produce a winner that is the outstanding middle-distance performer of a generation, whose name is, accordingly, etched into the annals of racing history. Nevertheless, for all the prestige and value of the 'Blue Riband' event, the names of winning fillies on the Derby roll of honour are few and far between, especially since the turn of the twentieth century.

In fact, the last filly to contest, never mind win, the Derby was Cape Verdi, way back in 1998. Owned by Goldolphin and trained by Saeed bin Suroor, the daughter of Caerleon, from the family of Nijinsky, justified joint-favouritism in the 1,000 Guineas when hacking up by 5 lengths on her first outing in the now-famous royal blue silks. Consequently, she was sent off as clear 11/4 favourite at Epsom, ahead of Grand Criterium winner Second Empire, trained by Aidan O'Brien, but, in truth, never really figured. Held up early, she met trouble in running on the descent into Tattenham Corner, but looked a non-stayer as she weakened inside the final quarter of a mile, eventually finishing ninth of 15, 12 lengths behind the eventual winner, High-Rise.

Overall, in 244 runnings of the Derby, so far, including the substitute races run at Newmarket between 1915 and 1918, during World War I, and between 1940 and 1945, during World War II, just six fillies – or, in other words, less than 0.25% of all the winners – have been victorious. The first of them was Eleanor, owned by the aforementioned Sir Charles Bunbury, in 1801 and she followed, in chronological order, by Blink Bonny in 1857, Shotover in 1882, Signorinetta in 1908, Tagalie in 1912 and Fifinella in 1916. The last-named, trained by Richard 'Dick' Dawson, won the so-called 'New Derby Stakes' at Newmarket on May 30, 1916 and followed up in the 'New Oaks Stakes', over the same course and distance, two days later. Thus, the last filly to win an 'authentic' Derby, over the traditional course and distance on Epsom Downs, was Tagalie in 1912.

Notwithstanding the existence of the Oaks Stakes, run over the same course and distance as the Derby, the dearth of fillies in the principal Classic essentially boils down to the commercial realities of the bloodstock industry. A colt that wins the Derby can command eye-watering stud fees as a stallion and, potentially, cover hundreds of mares a year. The 2009 Derby winner, Sea The Stars, for example, is currently standing at the Gilltown Stud, in Kilcullen, Co. Kildare for €200,000. By contrast, a filly that wins the Derby can only produce one foal a year as a broodmare and, as such, is a much less valuable commodity.

Which is more difficult to win, the British or American Triple Crown?

For the uninitiated, the British, or English, Triple Crown consists of the 2,000 Guineas Stakes, run over a mile at Newmarket in early May, the Derby Stakes, run over a mile and a half at Epsom Downs on the first Saturday in June, and the St. Leger Stakes, run over a mile and three-quarters at Doncaster in September. The American Triple Crown, on the other hand, consists of the Kentucky Derby, run over a mile and a quarter at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May, the Preakness Stakes, run over nine and a half furlongs at Pimlico two weeks later, and the Belmont Stakes, run over a mile and a half at Belmont Park three weeks after that.

In both cases, all three constituent races are open to three-year-old colts and fillies so, aside from obvious disparities in terms of distance and timing, the main difference is that the British series is contested exclusively on turf, whereas the American series is contested exclusively on dirt. Chronologically, the British Triple Crown pre-dates the American Triple Crown by 66 years, by virtue of the fact that the constituting races have co-existed since 1809, as opposed to 1875.

The first horse to win the British Triple Crown was West Australian in 1853 and, since then, a total of 15 horses have done so. However, it is important that the most recent of them was Nijinsky in 1970 and, since then, only three horses – Nashwan, in 1989, Sea The Stars, in 2006, and Camelot, in 2012 – have won both the 2,000 Guineas Stakes and the Derby Stakes; the first two named were not even entered in the St. Leger Stakes, emphasising the preference for speed over stamina in the modern bloodstock market. On the other side of the Atlantic, a total of 13 horses have won the American Triple Crown, the most recent being Justified in 2018.

Notwithstanding the declining popularity of the British Triple Crown, which series is more difficult to win is, largely, a matter of opinion. However, the general consensus is that the British Triple Crown, which requires a horse to reproduce its form over a matter of months, rather than weeks, over a wider range of distances, is the more demanding.

Which was the last filly to win the St. Leger Stakes?

Run annually over 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 115 yards on Town Moor, Doncaster in September, the St. Leger Stakes is the final British Classic of the season. The race is open to three-year-old colts and fillies and, as such, forms the final leg of the Triple Crown and the Fillies' Triple Crown, although the latter has not been won since 1970 and the latter not since 1985.

In the better part of two and a half centuries since the inaugural running of the St. Leger, on Cantley Common, Doncaster on September 24, 1776, a total of 42 fillies have won. However, since the St. Leger returned to Town Moor following World War II, just seven fillies – namely Meld (1955), Cantelo (1959), Dunfermline (1977), Sun Princess (1983), Oh So Sharp (1985), User Friendly (1992) and Simple Verse (2015) – have been victorious. The last named was unusual insofar as she did not contest the Oaks, run over a mile and half at Epsom in late May or early June, whereas the other six fillies all did, and all bar Cantelo won the second fillies' Classic.

Owned by Qatar Racing Limited, trained by Ralph Beckett, in Kimpton, Hampshire and ridden, for most of her three-year-old campaign, by Andrea Atzeni, Simple Verse was unraced as a juvenile, but made the transition from handicaps to Pattern level when winning the Group 3 Lilly Langtry Stakes at Goodwood in July, 2015, on the sixth career start. She did not race again until the St. Leger, for which she was supplemented, at a cost of £50,000.

At Doncaster, she was sent off 8/1 fourth choice of the seven runners and won by a head in a driving finish, only to be disqualified for causing repeated interference to the eventual runner-up Bondi Beach, the 2/1 joint favourite, trained by Aidan O'Brien. However, her connections appealed the decision and, 11 days after the race, Simple Verse was reinstated by a British Horseracing Authority (BHA) panel.

Which came first, the 2,000 Guineas, the Derby or the St. Leger?

The 2,000 Guineas, the Derby and the St. Leger are the three British Classic races open to three-year-old horses of both sexes – the other two, the 1,000 Guineas and the Oaks, are restricted to three-year-old fillies – and, as such, constitute the so-called 'Triple Crown'.

The St. Leger, run over an extended mile and three-quarters on Town Moor, Doncaster in September, is the oldest of the trio, having been established, as an unnamed sweepstakes over two miles, on nearby Cantley Common on September 24, 1776. The inaugural winner was an unnnamed filly owned by Charles Watson-Wentworth, Second Marquis of Rockingham, later named Allabaculia. Two years later, the race was transferred to its present location and, at the suggestion of the Second Marquis, named in honour of its founder, Lieutenant General Anthony St. Leger.

The Derby followed four years later, with the inaugural running taking place on May 4, 1780, albeit over the last mile of the old 'orbicular' course at Epsom, rather than the current mile and a half. The race was co-founded by Edward Smith-Stanley, Twelfth Earl of Derby and Sir Charles Bunbury and named after the former as the result of a (probably apocryphal) toss of a coin. The inaugural winner was the hitherto unbeaten Florizel colt Diomed, owned by Bunbury.

Last, but by no means least, came the 2,000 Guineas, which was first run over a mile on the Rowley Mile Course at Newmarket on April 18, 1809, and has continued, almost without exception, ever since. The race was established by the Jockey Club, under the auspices of senior steward Sir Charles Bunbury – as was the 1,000 Guineas, five years later – and the inaugural winner was the odds-on favourite, Wizard, trained locally by Thomas Perren.

How many Group 1 races are run over 5 furlongs in Britain?

It may, or may not, come as a surprise to learn that, for five-furlong sprinters, races at the highest, Group 1 level are few and far between in the British Flat racing calendar. As a matter of fact, there just two such contests, but – notwithstanding the fact that the European Pattern race system was not introduced until 1971 – they have histories dating back to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries respectively.

The older of the pair is the King's Stand Stakes, inaugurated as, the Queen's Stand Plate, in 1860 and renamed in 1901, following the accession of King Edward VII. Indeed, the race is due to be re-titled the King Charles III Stakes from 2024 onwards. Run on the stiff straight course at Ascot, currently on the first day of the Royal Meeting in June, the King's Stand Stakes is open to horses aged three years and upwards and, nowadays, worth £600,000, making it the most valuable race of its kind run in Britain. The King's Stand Stakes was first designated a Group 1 contest in 1973 and, although demoted to Group 2 status 15 years later, was promoted back to the highest level in 2008.

 

The Nunthorpe Stakes, currently scheduled for the third day of the four-day Ebor Festival at York in August, is a more recent addition to the racing programme, having first been run, in its current guise, in 1922. The five-furlong course on the Knavesmire is flat, fair and considerably faster – two and a half seconds faster, according to standard times – than that at Ascot and, as such, plays to the strengths of out-and-out speedsters. By contrast to the King's Stand Stakes, the Nunthorpe Stakes is open to horses aged two years and upwards, including geldings, which makes it unique in the upper echelon of Flat racing in Britain. The race has been a Group 1 contest since 1984 and currently offers £350,000 in total prize money.

Kentucky Derby Festival

A Grade 1 contest, run over 2,000 metres, or approximately a mile and a quarter, on dirt at Churchill Downs Racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky and open to three-year-old colts, fillies and geldings, the Kentucky Derby represents the first leg of the North American Triple Crown. Known colloquially as the 'Run for the Roses' and billed as 'the most exciting two minutes in sport', the Kentucky Derby is run on the first Saturday in May, where it forms the highlight of a 14-race card.

However, the Kentucky Derby Festival stretches far beyond the confines of Churchill Downs into the wider Kentucky community, where it celebrates not only the Kentucky Derby, but also the coming of spring to the 'Bluegrass State'. Indeed, the Festival is the largest single annual event in the Kentucky calendar and, in the two weeks preceding the Kentucky Derby, attracts 1.5 million people to a series of playful, tongue-in-cheek events suitable for the whole family. All told, over 70 special events, many of which are free of charge, are laid on for entertainment purposes and to bolster the local economy.

Highlights include the opening fireworks display, known as 'Thunder Over Louisville', which is one of the largest events of its kind anywhere in the United States, the 'Great Steamboat Race' on the Ohio River, and the founding event, the 'Pegasus Parade'. Sports, including basketball, golf and volleyball, are very much in evidence and so, too, is music, with concerts running almost non-stop throughout the fortnight.

Hong Kong International Races

The Hong Kong International Races meeting is staged, under the auspices of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, at Sha Tin Racecourse, in the New Territories region of Hong Kong, in December each year. Currently sponsored by Swiss watchmaker Longines and billed as the 'Turf World Championships', Hong Kong International Races comprises the four most prestigious races run in the region, namely the Hong Kong Cup, Hong Kong Mile, Hong Kong Sprint and Hong Kong Vase.

Unsurprisingly, all four races are nowadays Group 1 contests but, while all four are open to horses aged three years and upwards, they did not come into existence at the same time. The Hong Kong Cup, which is run over 2,000 metres, or approximately a mile and a quarter, was first run in its current guise in 1999. So, too, was the Hong Kong Mile, which is run over 1,600 metres, or approximately one mile, although it was not upgraded to Group 1 status until the following year. The Hong Kong Sprint, nowadays run over 1,200 metres, or approximately six furlongs, was also inaugurated in 1999, albeit over 1,000 metres, or approximately five furlongs, but did not achieve Group 1 status until 2002 and was not lengthened to its current distance until 2006. The Hong Kong Vase, run over 2,400 metres, or approximately a mile and a half, was first staged in 1994, but similarly did not achieve Group 1 status until 2000.

What Is A Long Furlong?

One of my racing friends is called Seamus Furlong.

Understanding horse racing and all its terminology and intricacies isn’t a test in the sense of a competition. However, I do like to test those who ‘know’ something about the Sport of Kings. I ask: ‘How many metres are there in a furlong?’

Send your answers on a postcard, as they used to say about 40-years ago.

In realistic terms my thoughts of questioning may suggest some kind of shortcoming in my own self concept. As when someone uses a fancy word instead of something bog standard. My in depth knowledge of subjects is limited. I know my niche of two-year-old horse racing and birds. That’s the feathered variety as my next door neighbour Eric Alterton would say.

For those who have no idea how long a furlong is or care to wonder I will detail it’s 201 metres.

Don’t ask me how long that is in feet and inches.

It just proves the point that we can all be exceptionally intelligent and dumb a the same time.

Horse racing is one of those subjects where it makes the best of people, even trainers, look like they’d struggle to spoon feed themselves cornflakes each morning.

I’ve had occasions when that final furlong has felt like a long furlong. I know what your are saying: ‘How can 201 metres be anything other than that basic number? It’s a scale, theory, method or whatever you want to call it.’ However, and this sounds like a joke: ‘When is a furlong not a furlong?’

It’s akin to the story penned by George Orwell’s - Animal Farm: ‘All animals are equal but some are more equal than others.’

But it’s true for furlongs too. And when a punter says a horse is running over 6-furlongs there is often a marked difference between the time of the same distance. It’s the same for the humble furlong. At Epsom a furlong may be run in 10 seconds while at Pontefract 13. Then consider the variable of the going it can be even more marked. On the firm ground at Bath to the heavy going at Leicester the time difference may be 8 seconds (for a furlong). In fact, over a longer trip of 1m 6f, the final furlong on testing ground may take 22 seconds to run. So one furlong takes the same time as another horse on faster ground could run two furlongs.

I hope you’re keeping up!

The longest furlong may have nothing to do with time but everything to do with perception. I’m sure a few readers will know what I am talking about.

When you have a potential big win and your horse is two or three lengths clear leading into the final furlong. It’s called a long furlong because with each stride the lead is being reduced. You’re not sure whether to watch your horse, the chaser, tongue lolling out like it’s blowing a raspberry, or the finishing line. Your eyes dart from the three like it’s the holy trinity. At times, it must be an optical illusion, I could swear the finishing line (lollipop) is moving further away. The reality of the furlong comes to being with the win, loss or draw.

How many times I wished that furlong took one second faster or slower to run.

However, sometimes it’s just the right distance and time.

Winner.

Cheltenham Festival - Cheltenham Gold Cup

There is definitely a good reason why this race is the headline event of the Cheltenham Festival. An Assortment of the best horses fight it out for the top position through three miles and two-and-a-half furlongs ( 5331m) on the Cheltenham New course.

The horses must have attained the age of five years to participate, and will have to have been in tip-top position throughout the season. A gruesome path of such lengthy distance is laden with 22 fence obstacles.

A horse’s acceleration over short distances, endurance, braking and jumping skills are put to ultimate test in this event. The same applies to a rider’s handling skills.

For all the pain, the winner gets to take home a whopping £350,000 from a £625,000 purse (as of 2024). Gamblers find some of the best odds here too!

When it’s time for the Gold Cup, everything else comes to a stop. The viewing stands fill up to the brim as spectators line up to see this spectacular event.

Was the Cheltenham Gold Cup once run on the Flat?

The simple answer is yes, it was. More than a century before the Cheltenham Gold Cup was inaugurated in its more familiar guise, as a steeplechase run at Prestbury Park, in 1924, a race of the same name was run for the first time on Cleeve Hill, or Cleeve Cloud, which dominates the skyline to the north-east of the current racecourse, in 1819.

According to Baily’s Racing Register, in its original incarnation, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, or Piece of Plate, was contested over three miles, on the Flat, with a value of 100 guineas, added to a sweepstakes of 20 guineas each. The race was won by the four-year-old bay colt, Spectre, owned by a certain Mr. Bodenham, who carried 6st 7lb to victory, after finishing second in the Gloucestershire Stakes, over two miles, at the same venue two days earlier. Interestingly, the second horse home, Zenith, was owned by John Rous, a.k.a. Lord Rous, whose second son, Henry John Rous, was later appointed Jockey Club Steward.

Many Clouds

 Described by trainer Oliver Sherwood as 'the horse of a lifetime', Many Clouds tragically collapsed and died, from a severe pulmonary haemorrhage, shortly after narrowly beating Thistlecrack in the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham in January, 2017. However, aside from that final Herculean effort, the Cloudings gelding will always be best remembered for winning the Grand National in 2015.

The winner of the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury in November, 2014, Many Clouds was sent off 7/1 second favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup the following March, but could manage only sixth, beaten 24½ lengths, behind Coneygree. Consequently, when he lined up at Aintree less than a month later, under the welter burden of 11st 9lb, he was a largely unconsidered 25/1 chance.



However, ridden by regular partner Leighton Aspell, he raced prominently for most of the way and was left in the lead when second favourite Druids Nephew fell at the fence after Valentine's Brook on the second circuit. Thereafter, he made the best of his way home and set off up the run-in with a three-length lead over his nearest pursuer, Saint Are. Approaching the famous 'Elbow', he looked sure to win comfortably, but Saint Are, who was receiving 17lb, started to cut into his lead close home and, in the end, he had to be driven right out to win by 1¾ lengths.




Win he did, though, and in so doing made Aspell the first jockey since Brian Fletcher, in 1974, to win back-to-back Grand Nationals. Winning owner Trevor Hemmings, previously successful with Hedgehunter in 2005 and Ballabriggs in 2011, joined James Machell and Noel Le Mare as co-leading owner in the history of the Grand National.

Saudi Cup Festival

The Saudi Cup Festival is a recent addition to the global racing calendar, having been inaugurated in 2020. Under the auspices of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, the two-day festival centres around the Saudi Cup, run over 1,800 metres, or approximately nine furlongs, on dirt at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in February. The Saudi Cup was established with the intention of raising awareness of horse racing among the Saudi population and promoting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia internationally. It is, in fact, the most valuable horse race in the world, with a total purse of $20 million.

Indeed, the Saudi Cup is the highlight of an eight-race card, featuring top class races on dirt, and on turf, worth a total of $30.5 million in prize money. The card, as a whole, attracted 22 Group 1, or Grade 1, winners in 2020 and 31 such winners in 2021. The preceding Friday features a curtain-raising 'International Jockeys Challenge', contested over four races, each worth $400,000, on the dirt course , plus the Saudi International Handicap, worth $500,000 and open to horses trained in developing racing countries. Irish jockey Shane Foley, who won the International Jockeys' Challenge in 2021, said, 'I really enjoy riding abroad and think it’s massively important. The racing in Saudi Arabia is a big and growing operation as far as owners are concerned, and all it takes is to kick on with one there and you could bring an owner back to Ireland for your stable.'. In 2022, the race was won by outsider Emblem Road, and Panthalassa in 2023 - with the winner claiming a cool $10 million.

Breeders' Cup

The Breeders' Cup, or Breeders' Cup World Championships, to give the event its official title, is a series of 14 Grade 1 horses staged in North America in late October or early November each year. Inaugurated, as a one-day, seven-race event, at Hollywood Park, California in 1984, the Breeders' Cup has been staged at various venues throughout the United States and Canada, although predominantly at Santa Anita Park, California and Churchill Downs, Kentucky. In 2007, the Breeders' Cup was held for the first time at Monmouth Park, New Jersey, three new races – namely the Juvenile Turf, Dirt Mile and Filly & Mare Sprint – were added to the programme and the event was extended to two days.

The most valuable races run at the Breeders' Cup are currently the Breeders' Cup Classic, worth $6 million in prize money, and the Breeders' Cup Turf, worth $4 million. Both races are open to horses aged three years and upwards, but the Breeders' Cup Classic is run over a mile and a quarter on dirt, while the Breeders' Cup Turf is run over a mile and a half on turf, by way of making it more appealing to horses trained outside North America. Arguably the most famous horse in Breeders' Cup history was American Pharoah, trained by Bob Baffert. In his three-year-old campaign, in 2015, American Pharoah won the traditional North American Triple Crown – that is, the Kentucky |Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes – plus the Breeders' Cup Classic, to complete what has become known as the 'Grand Slam of Thoroughbred Racing'.