Return of Horse Racing Fans on One of Hong Kong’s Biggest Days

21/1/2023 Horse Racing Tips and Best Bets – Sha TinThe pandemic years have been rich with surreal imagery. Vacant office space where once there was none, silent schools once brimming with students, public transport with few passengers, empty or closed stadiums, theatres and other entertainment venues, a population that kept its distance and remains masked to this day. The list goes on, but the second day of the Year of the Rabbit recalled an image that no one ever imagined they would see in the turf capital of Hong Kong – horse racing held behind closed doors without trackside punters as an anti-infection measure.

The punters have been back for a while, but [last] Tuesday’s Lunar New Year meeting at Sha Tin underlined how surreal their previous absence was. Nearly 80,000 people clicked the turnstiles at Sha Tin, plus more than 5,000 at the Happy Valley video meeting – the biggest turnout since the 2019, pre-pandemic Lunar New Year meeting.

More telling about how the Lunar New Year ignited the enthusiasm with which Hongkongers embraced the return to normality is that the Jockey Club reports a betting turnover of HK$2.06 billion (US$265 million), the biggest since… more on the Return of Horse Racing Fans on One of Hong Kong’s Biggest Days

British Racing Suspended after Horse Racing’s Queen has Passed

Queen Elizabeth II's Sporting Fascination Was Racing: ‘I Love Horses'London (AFP) – British horseracing chiefs suspended all events after the death of Queen Elizabeth II was announced on Thursday as sport paid tribute to the late monarch.

Buckingham Palace made the announcement in a short statement, triggering 10 days of national mourning. Charles, Prince of Wales, becomes king immediately.

“All of British Racing is in mourning today following the passing of Her Majesty the Queen,” the British Horseracing Authority said in a statement.

“Her Majesty has been one of the greatest and most influential supporters in the history of horseracing. Her passion for racing and the racehorse shone brightly throughout her life”.

The statement added: “It is right, therefore, that all racing is suspended for today and tomorrow as we begin to grieve Her Majesty’s passing and remember her extraordinary life and contribution to our sport and our nation.”

BHA chairman Joe Saumarez Smith, said: “Racing owes an incalculable debt of gratitude, not only for Her Majesty’s dedication and commitment to the sport, but for her public advocacy of it.”

Industry Profile: RIP Trainer Alec Head

Frankie Dettori: Enable will have to bring her A-game to beat MagicalAlec Head, one of the key figures in French racing for more than 70 years, has died at the age of 97.

A hugely successful trainer with four wins in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe to his name, Head was also an influential owner and breeder, while his children Freddy and Criquette and his grandson Christopher have continued one of the most remarkable dynasties anywhere in the racing world.

In the post-war era Head dominated the French training ranks alongside Francois Mathet and enjoyed huge success in Britain and Ireland, with Lavandin’s victory in the 1956 Derby the highlight…

In 2013 his homebred Treve won the Prix de Diane, the Prix Vermeille and the Arc for Criquette, the last-named success being repeated 12 months later….

More on the passing of Alec Head from The Racing Post

Breeders’ Cup Watch: A New Star in the Making in Homeless Songs

Homeless Songs lit up the Curragh on Sunday with a scintillating performance in the 1000 Guineas and is now just about the most exciting Flat horse in training. The way she travelled and quickened clear against a high quality field at the Curragh marks her out as potentially one of the best milers we have seen in years. She looks to possess the same star qualities as her father Frankel and I can’t wait to see what she can achieve over the course of the season.

She had shown a glimpse of her electric acceleration when beating Agartha in a Trial race over seven furlongs at Leopardstown at the beginning of April but her performance at the Curragh was truly out of the ordinary. All the more extraordinary when you take into account the poor form of her stable coming into the race. Since Homeless Songs won at Leopardstown on April 2nd Dermot Weld had trained just one winner – Ezine, a short head winner of a maiden race at Naas at odds of 4/6 favourite – from 69 runners in almost two months.

Weld is a past master at nurturing high-class talent and his patience with Homeless Songs certainly reaped due reward with her demolition job at the Curragh, but there is a real sense that she is only going to improve with racing. The veteran trainer turns 74 in a couple of months and this Moyglare Stud filly could well roll back the years to the halcyon days of Vintage Crop, Media Puzzle, Grey Swallow, Go And Go and Vinnie Roe.

The Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot is set to be the next assignment for Homeless Songs where she could meet last season’s Champion 2-y-o filly Inspiral and the English 1000 Guineas winner Cachet in an exciting clash. If she turns up in the same form she was in on Sunday they won’t see which way she went…

Watch Homeless Songs demolish the field, along with a post-race interview with trainer Dermot Weld.

This Hall of Fame Jockey Wanted to End It All. His Story

…It is what follows next from the man who spent three seasons riding some of the best racehorses in the world for trainer Aidan O’Brien that stops you in your tracks.

Eighteen months after he was on the top of the racing world when winning the Derby on John Oxx-trained Sinndar and 13 months after winning the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on the same horse, the future five-time champion jockey in Ireland was at such a low ebb because of his losing battle with drink that he stood on a top-floor balcony of a Dubai apartment block ready to throw himself off.

Johnny Murtagh: Creating Belief

Johnny Murtagh has opened up on his a battle with alcoholism that almost cost him his life

A desperate phone call to US trainer John Sadler, who Murtagh was in town to ride for, rescued him from the precipice until his family could arrive to look after him. Murtagh, 51, says: ‘I looked over… that’s how close I was. It scares me to think back now. It is still gut-wrenching when you think about how close it was.

‘The signs were probably there. Drinking a bottle of wine at night on your own with all those bad thoughts in your head.

Johnny Murtagh: Creating Belief is sponsored by Coral and broadcast on Thursday May 5 at 9pm on ITV4 and Tuesday May 10 at 11pm on ITV.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch. See www.samaritans.org for details.

The Queen Calls These Two the Most and It’s About Horse Racing

Queen Elizabeth's Horse Wins Race — and Her Racing Manager Says She'll Be Watching on TVHer royal phone is packed with “anti-hacker encryption” which shows the importance of maintaining a secret channel for the monarch.

Two people – including one of her children – the monarch reportedly contacts the most with her phone may come as a surprise.

Royal expert Jonathan Sacerdoti said the Queen calls her daughter Princess Anne and her racing manager John Warren the most.

Is Horse Racing Dead? Not Down Under in Australia

Arrowfield Group’s John Messara says engagement with Australian horse racing has “grown” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think the fact that we’ve been able to get through COVID and survive during that COVID period,” Mr Messara said.

“The engagement has, I suppose, grown as people have been stuck at home and not able to do other things.

“Racing has continued, and people have been drawn to it … And the pie is growing.”

Check out the 6-minute video interview with Messara and learn about the strength of the Australian sales market where 94% of the horses entered sold.

The Story of High-profile Racehorse Owner Damion Flower

How Horse Racing Enthusiasts Can Plan Ahead for a Future Trip to New ZealandWhile he was secretly importing cocaine, Racing New South Wales blocked high-profile racehorse owner Damion Flower from working as one of the lowliest positions in racing — a stablehand — because of questions regarding his character.

Then, less than four years later and as rumours swirled about the source of Flower’s wealth, the NSW horseracing operator and regulator accepted his promise of $1.8 million to help create one of the world’s richest horse races, The Everest, in 2017

Flower spent the better part of 20 years in the industry, where he described himself as a property developer or professional gambler and thoroughbred owner, if people were brave enough to ask.

“I’d heard rumours about him and I remember meeting him once at Randwick racecourse, so I asked him what he did. He just talked around the question,” said a racing industry figure who spoke on condition of anonymity given fears for their safety.

“Then I asked again and he didn’t respond. He just stared at me, gave me this really long, hard stare, which made it clear to me that I shouldn’t ask a third time.”

More on this crazy story down under

 

Bill Vlahos and the Massive Horse Racing Ponzi Scheme

Dazzled by the promise of plum winnings on the racetrack because of a secret mathematical formula, the investors that Bill Vlahos swindled named their syndicates accordingly — Richy Rich, Winners Circle, Oceans 18.

And they opened their bank accounts to him, too, pouring hard-earned savings into a club that he named “The Edge” because it would give participants a secret advantage on other punters.

The lure was strong.

One man transferred $1.2 million directly into the racing identity’s personal bank account, convinced that his investment would generate life-changing cash and on paper, that’s how things appeared.

But in reality, Vlahos was actually the principal of a preposterous Ponzi scheme that hustled investors out of $17,520,224… more about this Aussie man and his horse racing ponzi scheme

The Top 10 Betting Apps in the U.K.

Lots of UK sports fans now prefer to use a mobile device to bet on the big game of the day. Android sports betting apps are therefore getting more and more popular in the UK. Most of the top sports betting sites now offer an Android sports betting app.

Here are our picks for the top 10 Android sports betting apps in the UK right now:

Bet365

Arguably the largest sports betting site in the UK, Bet365 also offers a top Android app. Features like Cash Out, Auto Cash Out and Partial Cash Out are all available to use.

Bet365’s market-leading odds and outstanding betting bonuses can also be found here. Android users can benefit from Match Live Alerts to stay up to date with the latest action on the app too.

With streaming of UK and Irish horse racing also included, the Bet365 Android app is a must.

Betfair

Rivaling Bet365 to be named the best Android app in the UK is Betfair, which offers a total of over 100,000 live events each year to ensure it is an absolute mecca for in-play betting.

Betfair users who grab the Android app can also look forward to top promotions including Beat The Drop, while keeping up with the latest scores is a cinch thanks to push notifications.

Betfred

Among the UK’s most established betting brands is Betfred, which has…