We all know the Festival is the greatest show on turf - 4 days of the best Steeplechases and Hurdle races in the world. The Festival is rivalled only by a handful of comparable events worldwide which can draw a huge crowd, most of which stage international Flat races. Despite sporadic popularity for National Hunt events across Europe, the USA and Australasia, no fixture in the UK or Ireland comes anywhere close to the pulling power of Cheltenham. In the USA, Jump racing is confined to Eastern seaboard states where it's not unusual to see 30,000 spectators at events at Far Hills or Maryland for the American interpretation of the Jump racing experience - parking up against the rail and hosting
Another Wiltshire trainer got off the mark for the season today as Michael Blake saddled 5 year old Tis Fantastic to win the opening Novices Handicap Chase at a rain-sodden Stratford, ridden by Tom Cannon. Tis Fantastic is owned by a syndicate named the Moonlighters, who've banged in 4 winners in the past 4 seasons with Michael, including well-regarded Doubly Clever, who won 5 races for the stable before being moved on. The 8 year old is now with Ben Pauling. The Trowbridge dual purpose trainer has enjoyed a difficult year to date, saddling this one winner from 26 runners across both codes. But the way Tis Fantastic ran on, you'd hope Michael will have him winning again before the handicappe
Luke Comer's 300/1 winner He Knows No Fear at Leopardstown yesterday conjures up marvelous visions of punters with fistfuls of notes leaving betting shops all over the UK and Ireland. Indeed, according to the Guardian, 100 Paddy Power customers actually bet on the long odds outsider, albeit for small stakes. The reality though is that horses at long odds very rarely make for wealthy punters; there's generally a reason horses drift so far in the market. Here are a few memorable long-priced winners around the Jumping game to dwell on: Equinoctial remains Britain's longest-priced winner ever, when winning a Novices Handicap Hurdle at Kelso in November 1990 at 250/1.The price wouldn't have been
