Boat Race Betting 2009

The Boat Race is an annual rowing race between teams from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. This year’s event, which is rowed on the River Thames between Putney and Mortlake, takes place on Saturday, March 29th. The Boat Race traditionally marks the beginning of the English Social Season but long ago it captured the imagination of the general public and has become one of the most popular events on the sporting calendar with eight million television viewers each year as well as a quarter of a million enthusiasts who line the banks and bridges of the river, come rain or shine, to catch sight of the spectacle as it unfolds.

(Oxford win this year's Boat Race)

This enthusiasm is also evident in the amount of Sports Betting activity on online betting sites in the build-up to the great day. Bookies are not slow to offer Boat Race betting fans winning odds on each team as well as prices for winning margins, records to be broken and even the chance that one or both boats might sink! It’s worth checking around to get the best deals and also look out for the Free Bets on offer from bookies keen to sign you up to their site. Many also offer live betting where you have the chance to place your bet as the race progresses and the odds change.

Boat Race Betting Favourites

It’s a bit of a tough job trying to figure out the favourite each year because the crews keep their training schedules a closely guarded secret and don’t announce the final selections until near the day. This also goes for the coxes who are regarded as a vital part of the team. As well as that, each crew is constantly examining new materials and designs for their boat construction and it’s quite common to hear that one or the other will try out a craft which is radically different from ones that have gone before.

One way or another, online bookies have decided that Oxford are favourites this year with an odds-on price of 4/9. Cambridge can’t be that bad a prospect, however, because they come in at 13/8. You can get 100/1 on the unlikely event of a dead heat. This might not be as far-fetched as it sounds because in 2007, after months of training Oxford beat Cambridge by a mere foot to win the race. The 2006 race was won by Oxford, even though Cambridge had been the strongest fancied and in 2008 the lead switched between both crews a few times before Oxford triumphed - thus demonstrating that the sides are fairly closely matched and either can win on the day.

Oxford Or Cambridge To Win Boat Race?

History bears this out because, since the race started in 1829, Cambridge has the most wins with 79 over Oxford’s 74 and there has been one dead heat. Oxford, on the other hand, has won three out of the last five and always has the incentive to try and overtake Cambridge in the numbers.

The crews are chosen from about thirty enthusiastic candidates who are subjected to a punishing regime of training and trials before the final eights are chosen. The race itself is intensely competitive and it’s not unknown for tears to be shed by the losers after the months of gruelling effort they have committed to the winning of this race.

For more information on the Boat Race you can click on the following link to visit The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race website.