| How do you avoid doing your money when betting on | | | | experienced horseman, even if it means sacrificing a |
| National Hunt horse racing? By definition jumps racing | | | | little weight to your rivals. After all, they are a winning |
| brings with it additional risk every time your horse | | | | jockey for a reason. |
| leaves the ground. Making a profit from punting over | | | | Rule #6 |
| the sticks is treacherous enough without falling for the | | | | A horse who turns in a fine performance at a flat, |
| bookmakers' seductive bets which often leave the | | | | easy or 'fast' track may not necessarily produce the |
| unwary punters pot-less. | | | | same performance at a more testing race-course. To |
| So to help you swerve those rushes of blood to the | | | | me this seems one of the most obvious statements |
| head I have devised a set of National Hunt punting | | | | when studying National Hunt form, but it is one that |
| rules. Sticking to these rules may mean you miss a | | | | punters ignore time and again, getting their fingers burnt |
| few winners throughout the season, and although you | | | | in the process. If a horse has jotted up an impressive |
| may not win a fortune by following them, they will | | | | sequence of wins at easy tracks such as |
| probably stop you from losing one. We'll leave that to | | | | Musselburgh, Fakenham, Hereford, Taunton, Southwell, |
| the less-savvy punters shall we? | | | | and Aintree's Mildmay course, they should not |
| If you have a passion for horse racing, then for pure | | | | necessarily be considered a 'steering job' when they |
| exhilaration there can be nothing quite as spectacular | | | | contest a race at a course with a more testing profile. |
| as seeing thirty or forty horses thunder off across the | | | | Of particular note should be courses with an uphill finish |
| Melling Road at the start of the Grand National. Or | | | | such as Cheltenham, Sandown Park, Hexham, Carlisle, |
| perhaps you marvel at the athletic prowess of the | | | | and the daddy of finishes at Towcester. |
| winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup as they stretch | | | | Rule #7 |
| clear of the field up the hill towards the finish line at | | | | There exists an old maxim which says "never bet |
| Prestbury Park? | | | | odds-on in a novice chase". This rule needs modifying |
| Traditionally the National Hunt jumps racing season | | | | slightly. If such a short price is based solely upon a |
| would start around early November and carry on | | | | horse's hurdling form, then in the long-run you would be |
| throughout the winter months. The climax of the | | | | wise to steer clear. When a horse is tackling the bigger |
| season is still the Cheltenham Festival in March, with | | | | obstacles in public for the first time, it is not the time to |
| the Grand National in April at Aintree. | | | | lump on with all your 'hard-earned' without the prospect |
| Today you will find national hunt meetings pretty much | | | | of at least doubling your money. However, if the horse |
| all year round, and although the summer meetings are | | | | has already shown some decent ability over fences |
| thinner on the ground and lower key, there still exists | | | | (boasting a win or perhaps finishing close up in a |
| the opportunity to profit from horses racing over | | | | previous novice chase) then its chances of winning as |
| obstacles. | | | | an odds-on shot are probably no better or worse than |
| Here are my Golden Rules for betting on National Hunt | | | | in any other kind of race. |
| horse racing: | | | | Rule #8 |
| Rule #1 | | | | One of the biggest betting minefields in jumps racing is |
| When the rains come in the deep mid-winter, and the | | | | when top-flight horses are on the comeback trail after |
| going turns proper heavy, look out for horses who | | | | injury. This is precisely when to treat horses with |
| have already demonstrated form in these kind of | | | | caution, but all too often punters will jump right in and |
| conditions. In reality, not many horses actually enjoy | | | | throw this caution, and their money, to the wind. It is |
| galloping through mud. If you can uncover a horse | | | | very difficult for a trainer to bring a top horse back into |
| which relishes testing ground - even if the price | | | | a high-grade contest at the same level of form as |
| suggests they are something of an outsider, and with | | | | before the horse suffered an injury. Yet just because |
| recent form figures reading like a row of duck eggs - | | | | a horse is seen once again on a race-track, many |
| you may well be sitting on a good value bet. | | | | punters will expect to see this kind of form repeated |
| Rule #2 | | | | first time out. Bookmakers will take advantage of this |
| This rule is about horses who are taking a step up to | | | | high-expectation and keep prices short - based purely |
| race in a better class of race and at one of the more | | | | upon the animal's reputation and historic form. But the |
| imposing tracks. Where you have a number of | | | | low prices are not a true reflection of the horse's |
| steeplechasers, who are already performing well in | | | | actual chance of winning on the day. In these instances |
| quality races at the top tracks, it is easy to | | | | it may well be more prudent to watch and learn, to |
| over-estimate the chances of a 'live' outsider who | | | | gauge the horse's level of fitness. Alternatively, the |
| jumps well and won last time out, albeit in a lower | | | | shrewd punter will take advantage of punters plunging |
| grade race at a provincial track. In these situations, it is | | | | on the false favourite, and seek value in one of the |
| often better to lump on the fancied horses along with | | | | other runners. |
| everyone else. Admittedly this will often result in poor | | | | Rule #9 |
| value prices at the top of the market, and the | | | | During the course of the jumps season there are |
| profitable move may well be to keep your money | | | | several two mile handicap hurdles with bountiful pots of |
| safe, and sit these races out. | | | | prize money. Finding the winner in these races is |
| Rule #3 | | | | incredibly difficult, as they tend to be over-subscribed |
| As an addendum to the last Rule, this one is so simple, | | | | and doggedly competitive down to the money and |
| but none-the-less true. When you are trying to pick | | | | prestige on offer. Similar to the big-field summer |
| winners at Cheltenham, and especially at the festival in | | | | handicaps on the Flat, it seems horses often land |
| March, it pays dividends to give extra merit to those | | | | these races in turn. Consequently, the cautious punter |
| runners who have already shown winning form around | | | | will reduce his stakes on these races to a minimum. A |
| this unique race-course. If a horse has managed to win | | | | more fruitful avenue to take would be to concentrate |
| here, they should be credited with a real chance to | | | | upon the longer handicap hurdle races run over three |
| triumph again. | | | | miles plus. These stamina-sapping contests are more |
| Rule #4 | | | | likely to be won by distance specialists who have |
| A long-standing myth that two-and-a-half-mile chasers | | | | already proved they can stay the longer trip. Winning |
| possess the best characteristics to win the Grand | | | | stayers have a habit of cropping up in these distance |
| National is utter rubbish. Why? Well, for starters the | | | | handicaps time and again. |
| Grand National is staged over more than FOUR miles. | | | | Rule #10 |
| Find a horse who can stay forever, and who jumps | | | | Finally, the clue is in the name, and this sport of kings is |
| for fun, and you will have a horse capable of winning | | | | called jumps racing. If you can spot the true equine |
| the greatest steeple-chase in the world. | | | | athletes who bend their back and jump seemingly for |
| Rule #5 | | | | fun, tackling obstacles with relish, then you will unearth |
| Let's imagine you have narrowed down your | | | | a plentiful seam of winners over time. Equally, beware |
| selections in a jumps race to just two horses. One is | | | | of the self-styled 'experts' who declare "he may not |
| piloted by a top-20 jumps jockey, and the other is | | | | be a fluent hurdler now, but he is shaping to be a fine |
| ridden by a less-able jockey who gets to claim a | | | | chaser in the future". In reality, the chances are he will |
| weight allowance over his rivals. In this situation my | | | | be just as poor, if not worse, over the larger, less |
| advice would be to choose the professional every | | | | forgiving fences. |
| time. In Flat races, a weight advantage of a few | | | | I hope that by following some or all of these rules, you |
| pounds can make all the difference, and trainers will | | | | can begin to think a little more outside the box, distance |
| often make clever use of talented apprentice riders to | | | | yourself from the madding crowd, and take some |
| gain a competitive edge. Over the sticks however, it | | | | money back off those bookies during the otherwise |
| will often pay to side with the proven skills of the | | | | gloomy winter months. |