kalendar | feedback
Questions answered, hot tips and a fantastic prize to be won
AWORD IN OUR EAR
I n 2017 we asked for feedback on Kalendar , and where possible we have listened to your views, from including pricing on each raceday to expanding our focus on The Festival TM presented by Magners. Many of you got in touch with questions, from asking trainers for horses to follow to information on Cheltenham town itself. Included here are some of the answers.
MOREHOT TIPS Here are some of our top tips for picking a winner. Watch the winners – Find out which horses have won at the track. Take Native River, whose third to Sizing John in The 2017 Cheltenham Gold Cup and second to Minella Rocco in the National Hunt Chase in 2016 indicated that he might take the hill once more. He duly did, outstaying Might Bite in a thrilling finish in 2018. Consider distance and ground – Presenting Percy, a decisive 10-length winner in the RSA Insurance Novices’ Chase, had won in Ireland over three miles, on soft or heavy ground. When you add in the 2016 win at Cheltenham, it made sense to take the 5/2 on offer as the tapes went up. Keep an eye on the trainer – In 2017, Jonjo O’Neill plotted the success of Timeforwest who won three races in 10 days. Eagle-eyed racegoers noticed the multiple entries and clues, leading them to follow the horse and its route to the Winners Enclosure. Plain old luck – There’s nothing like picking a winner with meaning: like the redheads who won on Splash of Ginge in the BetVictor Gold Cup or the clergy who surely looked upwards as God’s Own came third in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase at 40–1? Even more insight – Check out Festival Preview magazine, sent free to ticketholders who book before February 1, for more tips and behind-the- scenes gossip. Or purchase a ticket to The Centaur at Cheltenham Racecourse for The Festival Preview Evening, where racing experts will guide you through the fixture.
HOT TIPS Melissa Webb asked for tips on horses to look out for, so we asked our syndicate trainer Kim Bailey and head groundsman Ben Hastie for their views: Kim Bailey said: “I’ve recently purchased He’s No Trouble for The Cheltenham and South West Syndicate. This free mover glides across the ground. He’s one to keep an eye on. “We’ve also got Vindication, who was unbeaten last season. He’s grown and matured since this time last year, and I think he’s got a huge future; soft ground horse First Flow, who won three hurdle races on the trial; and Red River, who has won two hurdle races pretty impressively.”
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