Cheltenham Festival 2021:

23 winners
13 Irish winning jockeys
10 Irish winning trainers

So 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐝 of our Festival record-breakers! 🙌#CheltenhamFestival #GreenCorner 🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/R7tUydgzoA

— Horse Racing Ireland (@HRIRacing) March 19, 2021

“Never mind last year’s drubbing, lads. We’ll smash them this year!”

War cries don’t get more powerful than a desperate attempt to forgive and forget, which is why the British are in luck at the next edition of the Cheltenham Festival.  

With 2021 fresh in the minds of the trainers and jockeys, there’s no doubt the UK will reign supreme in 2022. No, wait; that’s utter nonsense. The wheels are already swinging into motion to ensure the Irish do nothing different and continue to dominate. After all, it wouldn’t be Cheltenham without the same demoralizing traditions.  

Irish Gold Cup  

When will the Cheltenham Gold Cup be renamed the Irish Gold Cup? Sure, it will cause all sorts of confusion, but we’ve got to be realistic about these things. When a country dominates so much, it’s only fair to rename the race so that punters understand the uphill task facing Great Britain. The horse racing betting odds couldn’t paint a prettier picture for the supporters across the Irish Sea since the Paddy Power fast horse racing results show three of the top five favourites in prolific form, hence why they are 6/1, 12/1, and 16/1.  

What’s that? Of course, they’re from Ireland. Don’t be silly! Indeed, Ireland’s very own Rachael Blackmore, last year’s heroine of the Cheltenham Festival, has jumped ship and is aboard the French A Plus Tard. The Irish are confident to the point where their best jockey is giving another country an opportunity at Gold Cup success.  

Meanwhile, back in Blighty, our best hope is called Santini and is a decent 50/1 shot behind the likes of The Big Breakaway and Royal Pagaille. No, we’ve never heard of them either. So, it might be better off not to get your hopes up when March 18th rolls around.  

Turncoat trainers  

If you can’t beat them, then join them. That appears to be the motto of several GB trainers who have decided they’ve had enough of being embarrassed on home ground year after year. In possibly the shallowest show of faith in the sport, the likes of Dan Skelton and Nicky Henderson are training horses for the other side.  

Forget that Shishkin is the 6/4 favourite for the Champion Chase or that Appreciate It is the 5/2 favourite for the Arkle Chase because these fellas want to stick the boot in. Third Time Lucki is one of the most talented horses at the entire festival, and if it upsets Appreciate It, it’ll go down as another Irish winner. The same goes for Nicky Henderson’s Chantry House.  

These boys have no shame, but at least they’ll end up on the winning side. And when the history books are written, that’s all that matters. 

Small mercies  

With very little for British fans to cheer about, it’s all about the small mercies. The silver linings that gloss over the hurt and heartbreak and make us feel better. Thankfully, Cheltenham is packed with them, so you don’t have to search far.  

Number one on the list is Honeysuckle. She is trained by Henry De Bromhead, which gives her Irish roots, but she’s owned by a Great British syndicate, which means she’ll go down as a British winner. Considering that she’s almost impossible to beat, we should be excited about her prospects. Then there’s Frodon. Trained by Paul Nicholls, Frodon is classed as a French horse, but Nicholls is about as English as they come.  

Plus, he just beat Minella Indo in the Down Royal Champion Chase, so Frodon may be in with a shout of claiming the Irish Gold Cup at 25/1. Sorry, the Cheltenham Gold Cup.  

We would recommend burning effigies and praying to pagan gods, but we’ve been there before. All that’s left is to accept our fate. The Irish are coming to the 2022 Cheltenham Festival, and they can’t be stopped. 

There were scenes of jubilation as Australia beat their old foes New Zealand to win the T20 World Cup. It was a fantastic performance by the Aussies, blowing away the 2019 Cricket World Cup runners up, reaching the winning target of 173 runs with an over and a half to spare.

It’s the first time Australia have won the tournament, which was founded in 2007, and it’s been a missing piece of silverware in Australia’s cabinet ever since. Now they join the illustrious list of winners, and it’s no surprise really given their pre-tournament status as one of the favourites in the cricket betting at Betfair.

Following Australia’s success, let’s take a look back at their tournament as a whole, and analyse how they got their hands on the prestigious trophy.

Super 12

It’s fair to say that Australia landed in the tougher of the two Super 12 groups, with England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the West Indies and Bangladesh making up their opponents. They got off to the best possible start with a win over South Africa. The target of 118 wasn’t a massive one, but Australia needed 19.4 overs to get the job done — a sign that there was work to do if they were going to hit top gear.

Their second match against Sri Lanka brought a more convincing victory, by seven wickets with three overs to spare. Australia were handed a setback by England though, as an inspired Joss Buttler produced a stunning display to help his team win by eight wickets.

Australia recovered sufficiently to win their final two games against Bangladesh and the West Indies respectively, enough to see them advance to the semi-finals in second place. However, it’s fair to say that the best was still to come. 

Semi-final

They faced a tough test in the last four with Pakistan, who had won all five of their matches in the Super 12, their opponents. Australia won the toss and elected to field, but Pakistan set a tough target of 177 to win, which is a difficult margin to overcome in T20 cricket. However, Australia were in inspired form, with David Warner scoring 49 points as they won with an over to spare.

It was the kind of win that breeds new belief, and Australia went through to the final with a strong feeling that they had what it takes to lift the trophy.

Final

Standing in their way were bitter old rivals New Zealand, who had come through a sensational semi-final with England, another of Australia’s cricket foes. The nature of New Zealand’s win meant they had just as much confidence as Australia, but in the end the Aussies just had too much quality.

A sensational total of 77 runs from Mitchell Marsh laid the platform for stellar performance, as Australia got the job done in impressive fashion, winning by eight wickets and lifting the trophy for the first time.

Many had felt that this Australian team was too old to compete with the best in T20 cricket, but they pulled together as a team and proved everyone wrong.

Horse betting has been around since the early 1600s, during the time of King James I. It continued getting more and more audiences as time passed by. Today, even spectators halfway across the world want to wager their money. Luckily for them, online horse betting has surfaced for quite some time, and individuals can enjoy the sport in the comfort of their own homes.

Despite the health restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you can still enjoy the intense atmosphere of betting on horses! Whether you’re a novice in horse racing or an experienced bettor, there might be significant horse racing events that you don’t know of. Continue reading below to learn some of the ten horse races around the world!

Kentucky Derby

The Kentucky Derby is held annually (almost always) on the first Saturday of May in Louisville, Kentucky. The event dubbed the “Run for the Roses” has such a rich history and is considered the biggest horse race in America. Due to its rich and prestigious history, it continuously attracts spectators from around the globe.

The Kentucky Derby is part of The Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. Get the top tvg picks for today by visiting their website. You can get the latest schedule of matches and statistics on all the contestants for the next upcoming races.

Pacific Classic Stakes

The Pacific Classic Stakes is held in Del Mar Racetrack, California, for 3-year-old horses or older. The Grade 1 race is held on dirt with a distance of 10 furlongs or one ¼ mile. Be sure to check your schedule to enjoy this event in August.

Preakness Stakes

Like the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes is one leg of the Triple Crown. Its contestants are Thoroughbreds at the age of 3. Traditionally, the event is held two weeks after the Kentucky Derby, the third Saturday of May in the Pimlico Race Course of Baltimore, Maryland.

Breeder’s Cup

The Breeder’s Cup, like the Triple Crown, is a race for thoroughbreds. It is the last major event that takes place either two days over the end of October or early November. The Breeder’s Cup just ended on November 6, 2021. However, you can still bet on your horses next year from November 4 to 5, 2022. It will be held in the Bluegrass state.

Belmont Stakes

Belmont Stakes is nicknamed “The Test of the Champion” due to the distance that the horses have to finish: one and a half-mile distance. It recently gained the nickname “The Run for the Carnations” since the winner of the race is draped with carnations.

It is also the third and last leg of the Triple Crown, annually held on the first or second Saturday of June, five weeks after the Kentucky Derby and three weeks after the second leg, the Preakness Stakes.

Travers Stakes

Travers Stakes, or the “Midsummer Derby,” was inaugurated in 1864. It remains one of the must-watch thoroughbred horse races today. It has a distance of 1 and ¼ miles or 10 furlongs for its 3-year-old contestants.

Arkansas Derby

This horse race event is a Grade 1 race with a distance of nine furlongs (on dirt). During April, it is held annually on Oaklawn Park Race Track, Hot Springs, Arkansas, United States.

Arlington Million

Arlington Million is another beloved Grade 1 event that annually occurs during the month of August. It started in 1981, and it’s the first thoroughbred horse race event with prize money of $1 million.

Santa Anita Handicap

The Santa Anita Handicap was inaugurated in 1935, and it has continued its reputation ever since. It’s considered one of the most prestigious events for thoroughbreds held on the West Coast. It has a distance of 1 ⅛ mile on a dirt oval racetrack.

Haskell Invitational Stakes

The Haskell Invitational Stakes, which was founded in 1968, was named after Armory L. Haskell. It is another Grade 1 American horse race for three-year-old thoroughbreds. The distance is over one ⅛ mile. You can enjoy watching the race during the month of July. It is held annually at Monmouth Park Racetrack, Oceanport, New Jersey.

In conclusion

The races mentioned above, especially The Triple Crown, have a long story and a longstanding audience since it has been around for ages. The significant events discussed above are some of the best horse races that you should bet on due to the size of their audience.

When placing your bets on horse races, ensure that you’ve done your research and you’re well-prepared before placing a bet. It will increase your chances significantly. Additionally, don’t just bet on your favourite horses – look at their condition on that day, the weather, the jockeys, and the race platform. The horse may be a favourite, but there are too many variables to consider.