There’s not many people who would not like to win a lot of money for basically just making the right choice. While, usually, being awarded money usually takes a lot of currency out of pocket, or a lot of luck, it’s generally not something that’s easy to come by. Not specifically because the odds are against them (even though they are), but mostly because many people do not take the steps necessary to becoming profitable in their efforts. Unfortunately, a lot of people do fail because of a “sure thing,” as cliched as it may sound. There are actually still people who are betting like the old days. And in the times of the internet, there is really no reason for this to happen, especially when you have sites like http://www.freebets.com/ at the click of a button!
One thing that a person should know is that you should be aware of the horse that you are looking to place your bets on. It sounds like common sense, but there are people who are regularly donating to bookmakers, trying to earn some money, but will usually fail. A person should pick one that has won before, and one that races pretty often. No one wants a cold horse, and there could be many reasons why they may have not raced before, such as illness or some kind of debilitation. But, of course, they do not want to pick one of the heavy favorites, as that really won’t garner the results that a person is looking for, either. Also, a person can never go wrong with an experienced jockey, as they’ll have what it takes to pull it out in the end, as it’s not all about the horse, itself.
Firstly, born in 2001 Smarty Jones was a descendant of the legendary Mr. Propsector. He also had links to Triple Crown hopefuls such as Funny Cide, Afleet Alex, and Fusaichi Peagasus. Even more outstand than this Smarty Jones can even be traces to greats such as Secretariat and the mighty Man O’War. With this amount of great horses being linked it is no wonder that Smarty Jones captured both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 2004. This combined with his Sport Illustrated cover, meant that the nation went crazy over him and he was clear favourite for the Triple Crown. He fell short however, as he came 2econd to Birdstone, a 36-1 outsider.
Secondly, born in 1970 is Secretariat, the horse once dubbed “too pretty” for horseracing. At the age of 2 years old he won eight consecutive victories proving the doubters wrong, and from this became the first 2 year old to be crowned Horse of the year. The year after this he went on to win the Triple Crown and took the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths, a record that still stands today. For his achievements he was given the honour of being buried whole and was also ranked in ESPN’s “100 Greatest Athletes of the Twentieth Century.
Next, Citation born in 1945 is held in as high regards as Man O’ War. He entered the track two years later winning his very first race in Havre de Grace, Maryland. The 1948 Triple Crown winner also became the first U.S. horse to win one million dollars.
Seabiscuit comes second in this compliment. The grandson of Man O’ War, who did not initially have any promise, won 11 of the 15 races he entered in 1937. This was put down to the new trainer Tom Smith and jockey Red Pollard. With this success Seabiscuit’s popularity soared and he won a classic race against the legend War Admiral in 1939 which was billed as “Match of the Century”. He retired in 1940, but his story later inspired several books and films.
And finally born in 1917 is the legend that is Man O’ War. He made his debut in 1919 winning three stakes in just 17 days. During the 1920’s Man O’ War had a reputation as being a “sure thing” which meant other horse owners wouldn’t race their horses against him. This led to Man O’ War losing only one race it his illustrious career, and that was because he was distracted at the starting line, and still came second. When he died in 1947, he lay in state for several days in a special casket lined with racing colours before being buried at the Kentucky Horse Park.
Every horse racer wants that horse that’s going to make them as much money as possible, but many people who are just starting out generally have no idea on how to do this. There are conflicting methods all over the internet, and if a person takes a stumble, they may find that they have read one million different “solutions.” Even though that may be the case, they usually agree on a couple of things, and those things should be taken to heart, as they’re generally proven methods, especially if the same information is on multiple sites. Of course, most of is common knowledge to the people in the industry, but this is more focused toward those who may just be getting into the exciting world of horse racing.
Firstly, never pick a horse that a person doesn’t like. If a person doesn’t think that the particular horse has a fair chance of winning, it probably doesn’t. Look at the odds, make a determination. Also, there is no need to pick a horse that hasn’t won before. Sure, this may be their big day, but it probably won’t be. Some horses will never be winners, and since there is money on the line, a person really has to be smart about what they are going to do with their money. And on that note, a person should consider that the handicapper does most of the work for them, and all they have to do is look at numbers, as the numbers generally tell the tale of how the race is going to end.
Although it is some years since Tony McCoy won the Cheltenham Festival Top Jockey, he is in the top three favourites to achieve that prestigious result this year.
It was over a decade ago since Tony McCoy rode five Festival winners to become the Top Jockey. He had also achieved that position the previous year when he rode three horses to victory.
As in the case of the Barry Geraghty and Ruby Walsh, other two favourites to become Top Jockey, Tony McCoy was born in Ireland, in fact in County Antrim in Northern Ireland, though he moved to England in 1994 when he was nineteen. His first winner came when he was only seventeen years old.
Tony McCoy is widely revered as the best jump jockey riding today. He has won over 3,000 races and his 3,000th win was last year at Plumpton. He has been the Champion Jump Jockey on thirteen occasions. His peak season was in 2002 when he won 289 races.
There are very few important races that he has not yet won, but one of these that has continued to taunt him is the Grand national. On two occasions he finished in third place
Unusually for a successful jockey, Tony McCoy breaks the jockey stereotype. Whist most jockeys are small in stature and light in frame, Tony McCoy is over six feet tall and has a heavy frame. He weighs over seventeen stone, which is astonishing for a jockey.
A little disturbingly, Tony McCoy has come under a certain amount of criticism about the manner in which he became detached from Denman his mount in the Aon Chase at Newbury. He will ride Denman in the Cheltenham Gold Cup for Paul Nicholls on the final day of the festival, and the Aon Chase provided an opportunity for horse and rider to become acquainted with each other.
Does Tony McCoy stand a realistic chance to become the Cheltenham Festival Top Jockey? Certainly the competition will be tough and his falling out with the potential Gold Cup winner Denman won’t have helped his chances, but it is impossible to dismiss this possibly once all time greatest rider.
Betting on this year’s Festival races? Visit Betfair.com for their comprehensive Cheltenham Betting coverage.
