The Beginner’s Chase at Ludlow has prize money of £17,500 but with only four horses running, and no each way betting, it won’t be much of a spectacleNewbury’s long history and high profile will mean that it is the first stop for many punters this morning, but with prize money under scrutiny following Arena Racing Company’s £3m cut to its contribution in 2019, it is only fair to point out that Ludlow’s card this afternoon is the most valuable of the day, with a guaranteed £100k up for grabs. The bulk of the cash is concentrated on three events: two handicap chases worth £26k and £25k, and a beginners’ chase with £17,500 on offer, and in the case of the...
The reduction in prize money is a response to the government’s decision to cut the maximum stake on FOBT machines in betting shops from £100 to £2The all-weather Flat card at Southwell on Tuesday afternoon has more runners per race than either of the jumps meetings at Catterick or Fakenham, but the lowest prize money per race by a long way, £7k on the Fibresand at the Midlands track versus £9k for Catterick and £10k at Fakenham. And it is a situation that can only get worse as the winter goes on after the Arena Racing Company (Arc), which operates four of the five all-weather venues, announced on Monday that it will cut its contribution to prize money by £3m...
A survey analysed by Justice For Punters offers one of the few data-based insights into extent of the issueOne of the more vexed questions in modern betting concerns how often bookmakers are willing to restrict winning customers or close down their accounts altogether. Anecdotal evidence suggests this is happening more and more often, to the point that you often hear punters complaining that firms are trying to make it impossible to be a long-term winner, while betting companies insist that only a tiny percentage of punters are affected. Related: Unregulated Asian betting exchanges a threat to British racing, warns BHA Plumpton 12.25 Brandon Castle 12.55 OK Corral 1.30 Mr Pumblechook 2.00 The Tin Miner 2.35 Seaweed 3.05 Chivers 3.35 Simply LovelehFfos...
The selection rarely runs a bad race at the track and could well have the class to carry top weight to victoryThe BetVictor Gold Cup at Cheltenham in November is often the best guide to the big handicap chase at the December meeting, even if the former is staged on the old course at the home of jumps racing while the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup is on the new.It is the placed horses and the unlucky ones that tend to come to the fore a month later, however, and the top-class Exotic Dancer, who was twice placed in the Gold Cup, was the last to complete the double in 2006. That does not bode well for Baron Alco, who enjoyed...
As racing professionals gathered at the track at the centre of the review, a number criticised some of the recommendationsTensions within the racing industry began to surface on Friday in response to the bulky review into equine fatalities published this week by the sport’s ruling body. As racing professionals gathered at the track at the centre of the review, several were minded to criticise some of the recommendations and the manner in which the review was carried out, though most fought shy of doing so on the record.But the body which represents the interests of jockeys acknowledged, when asked, that it was not entirely happy about the document sent out on Wednesday by the British Horseracing Authority. “It was important...