What price is Constitution Hill to remain unbeaten in 2023/24?

by

Anyone with even a passing interest in National Hunt racing must surely be aware of the exploits of the superstar hurdler Constitution Hill, who is, unquestionably, the most exciting name in the sport. Owned by Michael Buckley and trained by Nicky Henderson, the six-year-old Blue Bresil gelding has, so far, won all seven starts under Rules, including the last six at Grade 1 level, by an aggregate of 89 lengths, without ever being seriously challenged.

Indeed, an impressive, 9-length victory over State Man – who has otherwise yet to be beaten in seven completed starts for Willie Mullins – in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2023 introduced the tantalising possibility of Constitution Hill attempting to become just the second horse in history, afer Dawn Run, to win both the Champion Hurdle and the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Nevertheless, according to Henderson, Constitution Hill will remain over hurdles for the time being and will make his seasonal debut in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle in early December.

It is worth noting that Constitution Hill is already the co-sixth highest-rated hurdler since the mid-sixties, according to Timeform, just 5lb behind Night Nurse, who won back-to-back renewals of the Champion Hurdle in 1976 and 1977. In 2023, the so-called ‘Triple Crown of Hurdling’ – that is, the aforementioned Fighting Fifth Hurdle, the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton, on Boxing Day, and the Champion Hurdle – proved little more than a formality and Constitution Hill also added the Aintree Hurdle, over two and a half miles, to make it 4-4 for the season. His combined odds for winning all four races were a shade under 5/4.

Henderson has stated that the same four races plus, possibly, the Unibet Hurdle at Cheltenham in late January, are on the agenda for 2023/24. At the time of writing, Constitution Hill can be backed at around the even money mark to remain unbeaten in 2023/24, subject to a minimum of three starts.

Who was Tod Sloan?

by

James Forman Sloan, popularly known as ‘Tod’ Sloan, was an American jockey who found fame, and infamy, on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean on either side of the turn of the twentieth century. Born in Bunker Hill, near Kokomo, Indiana on August 10, 1874, Sloan was originally nicknamed ‘Toad’ by his father, because on his diminutive stature. As an adult, Sloan stood just 5′ tall and weighed in at 90lb but, after riding his first winner at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 6, 1889, eventually went on to become an international superstar.

He first dominated the West Coast and, later, the East Coast, before moving to Britain in 1896, where he is credited with popularising the so-called ‘American seat’, or ‘monkey crouch’, as it was initially derided by the British. Traditionally, British jockeys sat bolt upright in the saddle, with long stirrup leathers and their legs hanging down at the sides of the horse. By contrast, Sloan shortened his stirrup leathers – although, according to photographic evidence, not by as much as some historians would have you believe – so that he could crouch low and forward over the withers of the horse, with his knees bent close to his body. In so doing, he effectively uncoupled his own movements from that of the horse, thereby reducing the burden upon it and allowing it to run faster.

Sloan was by no means the first jockey to ride in this way, but was, nonetheless, one of the pioneers of the new riding style in Europe. After four hugely successful seasons riding for leading owners James Keene, Pierre Lorillard, Lord William Beresford and Edward, Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, Sloan was denied a licence by the Jockey Club for ‘ conduct prejudicial to the best interests of the sport’. He was never ‘warned off’, but never reinstated either, and his riding career was effectively over.

What are some Professional Gambler Books You Will Love (& Hate)?

by

Who doesn’t love a good read?

Any would-be professional gambler may be spoilt for choice but which books are on readers hot lists and which are pure garbage?

Take a look at these 3 reads from Amazon reviews both good and bad.

1) Dave Nevison: The Early Years of Being a Professional Gambler

Published in 2008 by Highdown.

Pages: 304

Review:

Good: ‘Dave comes across as a decent bloke and sharp as nails. I found the book an easy read and quite entertaining. Along with another reviewer though I would have to say given the number of races he has actually attended there surely could have been a lot more tales of what happened/funny stories and also from his time working in the city.

It won’t give you any betting tips/strategies but to be fair it doesn’t set out to. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it. Why only 4 stars? Because when I got to 75% through the book and thinking to myself I’m enjoying this, boom, up pops the index! 25% of the book is taken up with an index??? come on, no padding Dave!

 

 

Bad: Nevison clearly fancies himself as someone living it high on the hog and openly mocks the esteemed Alan Potts for having nothing to show but ‘beans on toast’ for his efforts. He juxtaposes this with his own ‘playboy lifestyle’ where he adds a couple of rashers of bacon and some scrambled egg and parlays it up into a microwave meal in a transport caff. Move over Hugh Heffner – Nevison’s in town!

Being a Walter Mitty character is all well and good until you overstep the mark and Nevison does this on page 223 where he openly blasphemes Richard Hills, criticising his ride on Amoras at Salisbury and claiming the great man has one of the smallest fan clubs in racing. Shocking pocket talk that will inevitably lead to a fatwa from the great jockey’s church. What happened to Amoras subsequently that season you ask? Did he go on to rack up a sequence without Richard Hills? Well yes he did, but sadly it was a sequence of nothing but duck eggs. In fact no performance in the horse’s entire 43 race career hinted that he had the ability to win that Salisbury race or suggest that he was anything but mug punter fodder at 4/1 off a mark of 76. But why blame yourself, eh Dave, when you can launch unprovoked attacks on Richard Hills?’

 

 

2) Harry Findlay: Gambling For Life – The Man Who Won & Spent Every Penny

Published: 2017 Trinity Mirror Sports Media

Pages: 352

Review:

Good: Harry Findlay can best be described as a Marmite man – you either love him or hate him!

I make no apologies for falling into the first category.

This book tells the story of a real ‘character’ and the roller coaster he’s been on punting oveŕ 40 odd years. Yes, he may come across as loud, brash and a big time Charlie BUT he is also a man of the people. Loyal, decent and true to friends and acquaintances.

He comes across as the type of bloke who’d be happy having a couple of pints with the lads in the local having a game of brag and winning £20 as he would sitting in the Royal box at Ascot winning £500k on a horse.

Top man Harry. Racing is a poorer sport without you (and that’s all down to the BHA)

 

 

Great read if you love your gambling/sport.

 

 

Bad: I have read 296 pages of this book (it has 368) but no more. As a gambler for 50 years I thought this would be a good read but I found it dull and boring and must disagree with many of the reviews. I had an account closed for having 4 winning bets in a row and would like to know how Findlay managed to get large bets on so easily. The books jumps around with one minute he has won a fortune and 5 minutes later he is broke. Nobody seems to have a bad word for him although he has one or two for others. The last chapter highlights sports people who have enriched his life. Frankly I could not care less what he thinks.

3) Enemy Number One: The Secrets Of The Most Feared Professional Punter

Published: 2010 Racing Post

Pages: 304

Good: The ‘Secrets’ are the same ‘secrets’ that are behind anyone who excels in their chosen field: extreme focus, profound knowledge of the subject, total belief in your own ability and expertise, and plain hard work and determination! Mr Veitch’s approach is similar to that exemplified by the legendary American ‘gambler,’ Pittsburg Phil. He too used a network of agents to put on his bets, and had such a profound knowledge of his horses that he could ‘visualize’ how a race was going to be run. It’s easier now with videos available, but in order to have that absolute confidence in your selections, you need to have done the groundwork and investigated how races are run, how horses are trained, and how they are placed – and why they lose! Mr Veitch describes how he devoted hours studying the form book – and ruefully acknowledges that now – with so many data bases available – that work can be done in a fraction of the time. But it still needs to be done. Basically, anyone can accumulate the required knowledge – how you use it is paramount.

Mr Veitch’s approach also reminds me of the one outlined in Stewart Simpsons’ book ‘Always Back Winners,’ in that one notes horses which indicate they have greater ability than the bare form suggests.

If you take his many examples and access the data available at the Racing Post website, you can follow some of Mr Veitch’s thinking and planning. He is undoubtedly a very astute and intelligent ‘gambler,’ but he has the characteristics that would have made him a success in whatever field he chose. For anyone who has a serious interest in backing horses, this book is a rattling good read – entertaining and informative. The only thing is – he reminds me of Jerry Seinfeld!

Bad: This over-hyped account desperately needs to be sent to the knacker’s yard. It is written in such a turgid, matter-of-fact style – to be blunt, boring style – that I fear not even a set of blinkers would help. It cannot appeal to anyone without a thorough grasp of, and interest in, gambling and its only hope is to be entered in a seller at Plumpton. One to avoid at all costs.

Who is Diego Dias?

by

Indeed, that was the question on the lips of most observers when the two-year-old Mansa Musa just prevailed, after a sustained duel with the odds-on favourite, Array, in the valuable British EBF 40th Anniversary Maiden Stakes on the opening day of ‘Glorious Goodwood’ on August 1, 2023. Diego Dias is, in fact, a Brazilian-born trainer based in Rathbride, Co. Kildare and Mansa Musa was his first runner on British soil.

Dias did not saddle his first runner, Gaenari, until May 26, 2023 and, although the Inns Of Court filly has yet to win a race, she has finished second three times and collected over £25,000 in prize money. Most recently, she earned £6,000 for finishing a creditable fifth in the Group 1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh on August 12, 2023. According to Matt Eves, managing partner of Star Bloodstock, which owns both Mansa Musa and Gaenari, Dias only has ‘five or six [horses] in training’, so few would argue that he has created a highly favourable impression in what are still very early days for his fledgling training career.

A recent addition to the training ranks he may be, but Dias has been preparing young horses for the Curragh-based bloodstock operation since 2019. Prior to taking out his licence, he specialised in ‘breeze-ups’ or, in other words, briefly training two-year-olds, typically at high speed over short distances, so that they are amenable, educated and ready for sale at an appropriate ‘breeze-up’ auction. Speaking after his Goodwood victory, Dias said, ‘I took out the licence this year and that’s my second winner. I like all my horses and the horses I don’t sell at the breeze-ups have to be given another chance by running them.’

 

Diego Dias’ twitter account: https://twitter.com/DiegoDiasracing