So whos hopping on the Cheltenham Festival bandwagon next week?

Miall108

Us Irish folk do love a good bandwagon from time to time to jump on and off when we please like the rugby, cricket, superbowl etc. The latest one is the Cheltenham Festival bandwagon which sets off on tuesday. Who is hopping aboard??

BoJack Horseman

Bandwagon threads are becoming the new bandwagon.

Mint Aero

I follow racing year round OP. I do love Cheltenham too.

Isn't Cheltenham like a culchie Mecca?

Miall108

Candie wrote: »

Isn't Cheltenham like a culchie Mecca?

Mecca doesnt have a ladies day though, unless its a competition to see who looks like the cleanest/nicest postbox

Maximus Alexander

I'm still trying to figure the cricket out, bear with me.

Mint Aero

Candie wrote: »

Isn't Cheltenham like a culchie Mecca?

No. Copper face jacks is the mecca for true culchies.

Ladies day at any of these events are cringey. Competitions to see who looks the best in their new hat.

And of course they all have lovely bottoms.

Don't get going to the races, much like formula 1. I don't see the point in watching either horses or machines go round and round, it's not something I could get excited about.

Menas

Its hardly a bandwagon...every year there is a high level of interest in ireland in Cheltenham. Well, for as long as I have been following horse racing.

Kevin McCloud

I never rode a horse.

Lapin

Horse racing is by far our most consistently successful sport and National Hunt Racing even more so.

Cheltenham is the world championship of National Hunt and our trainers, jockeys and horses are constantly up there in the winner' enclosure.

It's only a bandwagon if we follow others. When it comes to Cheltenham - Others follow us.


Bring it on !

Generic Dreadhead

Candie wrote: »

Isn't Cheltenham like a culchie Mecca?

This is the best thing i've read on the internet all week. I'm robbing this

Agricola

It's weird. I literally do not spend a nanosecond thinking about horse racing the other 51 weeks of the year but when Cheltenham comes around................shure ya have to have an aul bet on Cheltenham. I did win a couple of hundred on a 16/1 four years ago, so Im hoping my lucky streak holds out. Come on Eamonn.

Jake Rugby Walrus666

"I once rode her mother" Ted Walsh

Golaco

I tend to get Cheltenham fever every year. 2 years ago when I first bet on it finished about €200 to the good. Thought 'This gambling lark is easy' and figured I'd be like JP McManus by now. Lost money last year so this year I'm going for best of 3 and hoping last year was just a blip.... I'm quietly confident

LorMal

Lapin wrote: »

Horse racing is by far our most consistently successful sport and National Hunt Racing even more so.

Cheltenham is the world championship of National Hunt and our trainers, jockeys and horses are constantly up there in the winner' enclosure.

It's only a bandwagon if we follow others. When it comes to Cheltenham - Others follow us.


Bring it on !

I wonder is it really a sport though? All the horses kind of look the same so I cannot imagine anyone getting excited about which particular one wins a race. Unless of course they own it and will win money or they have placed a bet on it and likewise. So, isn't it really just outdoors gambling with silly hats on?

Vandango

Kevin McCloud wrote: »

I never rode a horse.

Of course you did and you can blame the beer goggles for it
.

yipeeeee

Free bowl of stew with your pint.

What's not to love?

uch

Probably the only week of the year I don't go into bookies

Menas

LorMal wrote: »

I wonder is it really a sport though? All the horses kind of look the same so I cannot imagine anyone getting excited about which particular one wins a race. Unless of course they own it and will win money or they have placed a bet on it and likewise. So, isn't it really just outdoors gambling with silly hats on?

You could say that about athletics though...just a load of people, who look the same, running under some colours or other ...yet the old Olympics are mad popular.

LorMal

Trigger Happy wrote: »

You could say that about athletics though...just a load of people, who look the same, running under some colours or other ...yet the old Olympics are mad popular.

A bit of a feeble argument there TH. Would anyone be honestly bothered about horse racing if there was no betting? Doubt it.

realdanbreen

Candie wrote: »

Isn't Cheltenham like a culchie Mecca?

I guess you could say so. City folk get a nosebleed if they have to travel more than 2 bus trips away or if there isn't a bleedin Dublin accent within earshot!

Banjo String

Not me, not this year.

What I propose folk do is take out five hundred euro or a grand (whatever you can afford to lose) and tuck it away somewhere safe.

Follow the races you would have placed a bet on, keep adding or subtracting accordingly.

Come Fri evening, take out cash and breathe and sigh of relief. (you've still got cash either way)

Cost me dearly last year. Cheltenhams a hoor.

Menas

LorMal wrote: »

A bit of a feeble argument there TH. Would anyone be honestly bothered about horse racing if there was no betting? Doubt it.

Course they would. Jockeys. Trainers. Breeders. Locals supporting their own stables. Irish versus the world etc.
It is one of the sports where we irish really do rule the world!

Agricola

LorMal wrote: »

I wonder is it really a sport though? All the horses kind of look the same so I cannot imagine anyone getting excited about which particular one wins a race. Unless of course they own it and will win money or they have placed a bet on it and likewise. So, isn't it really just outdoors gambling with silly hats on?

Well for outsiders a lot of it is the "glamour" of the horse racing world, the rich people knocking around, ladies day, winning big money. The sport of kings and the very well off. So theres a lot of cache there. But I imagine for people who actually train/work with horses on a daily basis, theres a huge interest in unearthing potential champion racehorses and then watching them have a great career.
Personally I wouldnt look at a horse race unless I had money on it though.

Lapin

Agricola wrote: »

Well for outsiders a lot of it is the "glamour" of the horse racing world, the rich people knocking around, ladies day, winning big money. The sport of kings and the very well off......

Thats more of a description of Royal Ascot, or The Curragh on Derby weekend than the Cheltenham festival. Very different set up. I'm not saying there won't wealthy race goers around next week but National Hunt isn't about money in the way flat racing is, for obvious reasons.

LorMal wrote: »

A bit of a feeble argument there TH. Would anyone be honestly bothered about horse racing if there was no betting? Doubt it.

Of course they would.

realdanbreen wrote: »

I guess you could say so. City folk get a nosebleed if they have to travel more than 2 bus trips away or if there isn't a bleedin Dublin accent within earshot!

Candie wrote: »

Isn't Cheltenham like a culchie Mecca?

Ye have obviously never been.

Cormac... wrote: »

This is the best thing i've read on the internet all week. I'm robbing this

It wasn't really that funny.

LorMal

Trigger Happy wrote: »

Course they would. Jockeys. Trainers. Breeders. Locals supporting their own stables. Irish versus the world etc.
It is one of the sports where we irish really do rule the world!

Why on earth do they constantly refer to the odds when describing a race? I have NEVER seen the runners or winners listed without their odds listed beside them - not once.

Irish versus the world??? How many countries in the world are actually arsed?

Menas

LorMal wrote: »

Why on earth do they constantly refer to the odds when describing a race? I have NEVER seen the runners or winners listed without their odds listed beside them - not once.

Irish versus the world??? How many countries in the world are actually arsed?

Look at the soccer previews in the papers at the weekend. They give odds on win/lose/draw.
The NFL is the most bet on sport in the US....and no horses involved in that.

Lapin

LorMal wrote: »

Irish versus the world??? How many countries in the world are actually arsed?

Eh, a lot more than most other sports.

Racing is popular on all continents. Less so for National Hunt admittedly but as a sport in general it is fairly universal.

Look at all these Arab States with their oil rich resources building race courses like mad, and huge outfits like Godolphin trying to compete with Coolmore and the US based stud farms.

Horse racing is truly global and Ireland dominates the sport. We should be proud of it.

humanji

LorMal wrote: »

Why on earth do they constantly refer to the odds when describing a race? I have NEVER seen the runners or winners listed without their odds listed beside them - not once.

Irish versus the world??? How many countries in the world are actually arsed?

You're allowed to choose a horse to support without betting on it.

And unlike football, gaa etc, you're not expected to follow one horse through thick and thin when you've nothing to do with them. In horse racing you can choose a different horse in each race randomly or by checking their stats and cheer them on for the hell of it.

Knowing the odds adds to the fun as you can get an idea of their chances without having to look up the horses history. It's fun. Simple as that.

Generic Dreadhead

Lapin wrote: »

It wasn't really that funny.

Who are you to tell me what I find funny or not?

Wacker The Attacker

Kevin McCloud wrote: »

I never rode a horse.

D'ya like dags?

Wacker The Attacker

I'm a bookie. It's my job.

Son Of A Vidic

Miall108 wrote: »

Who is hopping aboard??

Not me, but I will be glad if the festival finishes without the deaths of any horses.

The Peanut

I'm jumping on the going to Cheltenham and then staying on in Wales to go the rugby match bandwagon.

Aongus Von Bismarck

I'm flying into Bristol on Wednesday. Will meet my Father there. Heading to the races in Cheltenham on Thursday and Friday. I'm not a big gambler, £50 or £100 every other race. Going to bet in Euros this year due to the exchange rate.

It's a wonderful place to visit. The thrill of the national hunt is almost unequalled. The crowds, the atmosphere, the content, the punter. Tens of thousands people there because they genuinely love the sport. Excited already!

Menas

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

Going to bet in Euros this year due to the exchange rate.

What does it matter which currency you place your bets in?

Esroh

Kevin McCloud wrote: »

I never rode a horse.

99% of the people who go racing or spend time in the bookies and moan about 'the ride that horse got' have never ridden a horse.

Miall108

Looking forward to it myself, I do love this time of year

Specialun

Have always followed horses but chelters gets more competitive every year

I do miss not owning horses anymore though. Jeez those syndicates were some fun

LorMal

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

I'm flying into Bristol on Wednesday. Will meet my Father there. Heading to the races in Cheltenham on Thursday and Friday. I'm not a big gambler, £50 or £100 every other race. Going to bet in Euros this year due to the exchange rate.

It's a wonderful place to visit. The thrill of the national hunt is almost unequalled. The crowds, the atmosphere, the content, the punter. Tens of thousands people there because they genuinely love the sport. Excited already!

50 or 100 quid every other race? And that's not a big gambler? Honestly would have thought that's big. I assume you are taking a couple of grand then for the duration? That's a lot of money.

LorMal

Trigger Happy wrote: »

Look at the soccer previews in the papers at the weekend. They give odds on win/lose/draw.
The NFL is the most bet on sport in the US....and no horses involved in that.

Gamblers will bet on 2 flies running up a window. That's not the point. Gambling is not central to sport - its not the main purpose. 90%+ of people who watch soccer, NFL or athletics are not betting on the outcome.
With horse racing, the only ones not interested in the betting are the horses.

Santa Cruz

Candie wrote: »

Isn't Cheltenham like a culchie Mecca?

Unlike Harolds Cross dog track which attracts Dublin geebags of the worst kind

Streetwalker

Have a real dislike of horse racing mainly to do with the tax breaks the industry gets so no won't be taking any interest at all.

Menas

LorMal wrote: »

With horse racing, the only ones not interested in the betting are the horses.

And as myself and others have said to you earlier, this is not a correct statement.

kfallon

Best week of the year, today is like adults version of Christmas Eve

LorMal

Trigger Happy wrote: »

And as myself and others have said to you earlier, this is not a correct statement.

Really? Honestly? Are you not just repeating that for the sake of argument?
I can understand people in the industry taking a professional interest obviously.

But I found it very hard to believe that there are lots of people watching horse racing with no interest in betting? What is the point?

I am not trying to be smart - if i am wrong I am wrong - but betting seems to be the point of going to the races surely?

kfallon

LorMal wrote: »

Really? Honestly? Are you not just repeating that for the sake of argument?
I can understand people in the industry taking a professional interest obviously.

But I found it very hard to believe that there are lots of people watching horse racing with no interest in betting? What is the point?

I am not trying to be smart - if i am wrong I am wrong - but betting seems to be the point of going to the races surely?

You grow an affinity for certain horses, it's like someone supporting a football team, rugby team, athlete etc!

It's not all about betting, some horses are just so good you want to see them run again and again! I think I've had one bet since Xmas, still watch the sport every day. Will be gambling this week alright but I don't feel the need to back a horse every day to enjoy the sport!

Menas

LorMal wrote: »

Really? Honestly? Are you not just repeating that for the sake of argument?
I can understand people in the industry taking a professional interest obviously.

But I found it very hard to believe that there are lots of people watching horse racing with no interest in betting? What is the point?

I am not trying to be smart - if i am wrong I am wrong - but betting seems to be the point of going to the races surely?

For many people yes.
But if you go to a meeting you can see many people there not betting. Just there for a love of the sport and a good day out.

Of course, most people do bet, but if the betting on horse racing ceased tomorrow then would the sport die? I dont think so. And that is back to the original point - Horse racing is a sport.

harry Bailey esq

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

I'm not a big gambler, £50 or £100 every other race.

Those bets would be pretty substancial to most.That said,if you can afford it go for it man although i would have thought NH would have been a bit bawdy and low brow for a chap of your calibre Aongus :pac:

LorMal

Trigger Happy wrote: »

For many people yes.
But if you go to a meeting you can see many people there not betting. Just there for a love of the sport and a good day out.

Of course, most people do bet, but if the betting on horse racing ceased tomorrow then would the sport die? I dont think so. And that is back to the original point - Horse racing is a sport.

Fair enough. Enjoy. Be careful with the few bob:)