I’ve seen a lot on social media recently, about how the 2024 version of the Cheltenham Festival, which takes place next week, represents a “tipping point”. From what I can gather, what seems like interminable dithering from a number of high profile trainers about the races their high profile horses will contest is one big reason, as punters are left in the dark. Exacerbating this problem is the fact that with the addition of a number of races over recent year, horses those invested in horse racing as a sport and as a betting medium would love to see take each other on, don’t. Which of course dilutes the excitement, reduces the competitiveness of a number of the races, and makes those races of less interest from a betting perspective.
Certainly in terms of what I see are the prices for entry and food and drink, I can understand why a tipping point may easily have been reached for many who simply can’t afford the exorbitant prices of tickets, food and drink. I can imagine that a lot of families who might once have gone, wouldn’t now. You’d have to take out a second mortgage to take a family of four it seems, and all whilst still in the midst of a cost of living crisis. It’s fine for ex-footballers who are now retired but were able to cash in on Premier League riches in terms of wages to advertise the fact they’re going. Coming from a sport once maligned as pandering to the “prawn sandwich brigade”, it appears that to be able to afford a prawn sandwich at Cheltenham you’d need to be on and enjoying the level of salary these ex-footballers were once on!
From a personal point of view, I have to admit that Cheltenham isn’t to me what it once was, but I think that is more down to personal circumstance than anything. Most of my fondest betting memories have Cheltenham at their core.
I remember being on a train to the Festival back in 1996 with my best friend and his Dad, convincing anyone that would listen (that wasn’t many) that hot thing One Man couldn’t perform to his best on an undulating track and that Imperial Call would win the Gold Cup that afternoon. Having just read Nick Mordin’s book, I had spent hours scouring the form book and had formulated this theory. Still don’t know if I was right or wrong, but when Imperial Call stormed up the hill with One Man trailing in way back, I can think I was pretty unbearable company.
The Kauto Star/Denman rivalry feel like halcyon days now, but were so absorbing at the time. I remember a 50/1 winner (can’t remember the name of the horse) tipped up by a service called On The Nose that went off in front in its race, and simply stayed there all the way around Prestbury Park.
Another year (2011?), I was taking a bit of a hammering, but on Gold Cup day the PCB service based around the Racing Post and Pricewise tips (which is still going strong) had Zarkander in the opening Triumph Hurdle win thrillingly, and then Long Run for the Gold Cup. The latter beat both Kauto Star and Denman in what to me, has been the most singularly thrilling horse race I’ve ever seen. Come the end of the day, I was up on a high, emotionally and financially.
Happy days.
However, as my own betting has been forced largely away from online betting and following the tipsters that made Cheltenham so easy to invest in as a spectacle in itself – the likes of The Value Bettor, Northern Monkey, On The Nose and others – my interest has dwindled a little. I’ll still keep an eye on things, but more from afar, and not the total immersion I used to relish. No doubt I’ll have a few Lucky 15s involving Cheltenham runners gleaned from the Bookie Bashing Racing Tracker, and Allan from Sys Analyst enjoys a fine record at Cheltenham and I’ll be backing his bets on the exchanges, so it’s not as if it will pass me by completely. But Cheltenham isn’t what it once was for me, and I feel a bit sad about that. Or maybe nostalgic, is a better way to frame it.
Those of you who do still follow the best tipsters out there and who can take advantage of their acumen and insight at the Festival…embrace it and enjoy it! I envy you.
