Cheltenham Diary
New ‘track’ for 2023 festival
You’ve got the New Course and the Old Course, but there’s another track that everyone’s talking about at Prestbury Park this year. In conjunction with The Jockey Club, UK producer DJ Cuddles has remixed the famous Cheltenham Roar to create a dance anthem titled ‘Roar Remix’!
Whether you wince, laugh or enjoyably bob your head to the 130BPM electronic melody, it’s certainly a bit of fun. William Hill have even offered odds of it making the UK Top 10 at 3/1, but we’re not sure it’s going to be knocking Miley Cyrus off of top spot.
Guinn-flation On the rise
What do you expect to pay for a pint these days?
Six quid, or maybe £7.50 if you’re at the Cheltenham Festival this week, but those in Fitzdares’ on-course club in the Orchard could be sipping on something a bit special.
Coming in at a whopping £20 and recognised as the most expensive pint of the ‘Black Stuff’ ever sold at the track, the bookmaker’s 50/50 concoction of English Sparkling wine and Guinness should slide down nicely… especially if you’re backing some winners!
Rob Burrow Appeal hoping for Overdrive story
There’s an extra incentive to cheer home the Mark Walford-trained Into Overdrive in today’s Ultima Handicap Chase at Cheltenham. Champion jockey Brian Hughes has picked the 8/1-shot as his €500 charity bet with bookmaker Novibet.ie. Speaking on the Irish bookmaker’s Champ On Cheltenham podcast, Hughes said: “He has the sort of profile that looks just right for this and 8/1 looks very generous. I’ve been moved by Rob Burrow’s battle with MND and hope Into Overdrive can give everyone a little bit extra to cheer at Cheltenham.” The full pod is available on Youtube.
Bling on the Gold Cup
With two more years of Cheltenham Gold Cup sponsorship in the bag, fine jewellery company Boodles welcomed a human and equine star of the race to London for a special photoshoot. Gold Cup-winning jockey Rachael Blackmore and the now-retired 2018 hero Native River, one sparkling in jewels and the other with his customary sheepskin noseband applied, celebrated the deal outside Boodles’ New Bond Street showroom.
Blackmore made history 12 months ago by becoming the first female jockey to win jump racing’s blue riband event and Boodles MD Michael Wainwright was more than happy to extend his company’s partnership with the race.“The whole experience was fabulous for Boodles,” said Wainwright. “And for me personally it provided one of the best days of my life.”
Pull your own pint
Cheltenham now boasts British racing’s first self-serve bar. Punters, who are estimated to guzzle down 220,000 pints of Guinness alone this week, can beat the bigger queues and pour their own pints in the popular Cottage Rake bar.
The self-serve tap wall idea was originally pitched on Dragons’ Den by Dublin-based Drink Command back in 2015. The £200,000 investment for a 10 percent stake didn’t interest any of the five Dragons, with only Deborah Meaden showing an interest. The firm has since installed machines at major sporting venues, as well as recently going global with their first taps at Kansas City International airport.
Hancock’s in the betting jungle
Matt Hancock, health secretary when Cheltenham became the final major sporting event to allow fans before lockdown came into force, was spotted at the track on Tuesday. Previously MP for West Suffolk, which encompasses the traditional HQ of British horseracing, Newmarket, Hancock has always had a soft spot for thoroughbreds.
Back in 2012, when dubbed ‘Action Matt’, the I’m A Celeb bronze medallist shed two stone and went under intense training to compete in a charity horse race. Might we see Matt back in the saddle again?
Bosh Skinner has a fab day
Former Apprentice contestant Tommy Skinner made a winning Cheltenham debut yesterday. Backing El Fabiolo saw the entrepreneurial Skinner turn a profit in the Arkle, but maybe not enough to buy himself a runner for next year’s Festival:
“I might have to ring him up, ‘Can I borrow some money?’”, said Skinner when asked if he might think about going into ownership with Lord Alan Sugar. I wonder what they’d name it… BOSH?
School’s out for Gleeson
Teenage jockey John Gleeson will be studying the form this week rather than Biology, Geography and Business. The 18-year-old has secured a week off school in order to ride red-hot Champion Bumper favourite, A Dream To Share. “I had to request the week off from school and thankfully got accepted!” said Gleeson, who has ridden the horse in all of his three career wins to date.We’re sure St Augustine’s College in County Waterford, along with thousands of favourite backers, will be cheering him on.
Fergie falls short in Wednesday Opener
Sir Alex Ferguson didn’t have much to celebrate yesterday. His runner, Hermes Allen, could only manage sixth in the first race on day two.
However, keep an eye out for the Ferguson-owned Protektorat in the Gold Cup on Friday. Jockey, Harry Skelton, told the City PM Diary: “The more rain that falls the better”, and the forecast isn’t looking too clever!
Blogger opts for BetBudget’s Bacon Bap
What would you score Racing Blogger’s breakfast?
Well, either way, it was free thanks to BetBudget, who have taken over a café outside Cheltenham Spa train station. With the increasing level of financial checks from bookmakers, the budgeting app, which tracks gambling spend across multiple betting and bank accounts, could prove key for punters moving forward.
Anyone who downloads the app this week can head on down and bag themselves a bacon roll.
Jack the Giant Riding High
What would you score Racing Blogger’s breakfast?
Well, either way, it was free thanks to BetBudget, who have taken over a café outside Cheltenham Spa train station. With the increasing level of financial checks from bookmakers, the budgeting app, which tracks gambling spend across multiple betting and bank accounts, could prove key for punters moving forward.
Anyone who downloads the app this week can head on down and bag themselves a bacon roll.
Brighton Man Bloom Wins Big
Brighton Football Club owner Tony Bloom hit the jackpot on Wednesday. Not only did his horse, Energumene, earn over £200,000 in prize money by landing the Champion Chase, the South Coast businessman landed a big gamble too. Staking £400,000 on the 11/10 favourite with Brighton-based bookmaker Star Sports, Bloom turned a tasty profit of £580,000. “I had a few quid on!” he gushed.
