Goodwood Betting 2009
Free bets fans with a weather eye for picking a race winner will be on their guard come the 28th July 2009 – 1 August 2009, when the much heralded 200 year old race meet that is 'Glorious Goodwood' gets under starters orders. With all the major online bookmakers offering the full gamut of odds compilations in the lead up to the big race meet, there's no better time for those of you looking to take your first foray into the exciting world of interactive betting to get actively involved by taking advantage of the host of free bets promotions available.
Ladbrokes, Stan James, William Hill, Bet365, Betfred, Victor Chandler, Betfair, Totesport, Sporting Bet and Boylesports will all have something to say on the runners and riders as 2009 Glorious Goodwood draws ever closer, and by checking back here nearer the time we'll afford you a greater insight into the horses taking part this year, and moreover, the best prices out there ahead of the Glorious Goodwood racing festival; until then, be sure to watch this space.
In tribute to the combination of the climatically advantageous time of year in which it's staged and the quality of racing on offer, 'glorious' Goodwood serves as the seminal summer meet for the racing world's owners, trainers, jockeys and thousands of race goers come the end of July each year. It also spells good news for the bookmakers too, as millions bet online as to the outcome of the main races over the five days worth of unsurpassed equine entertainment found on the Sussex Downs.
Betting during Glorious Goodwood Offers Something For Every Free Bets Fan
However there's an added ingredient that stands as the real inspiration for Goodwood receiving its 'glorious' crown, and that's due to the setting. The stunning panoramic vistas of a distant Isle of Wight command the horizon and lends itself perfectly to the equally as visually arresting sight of today's best thoroughbreds going hell for leather around the notoriously graduated track.
Goodwood itself is set in the magnificent grounds of the Earl of Richmond's family's sprawling 12,000 acre estate, and since the 1990s has gained even more column inches amongst sporting journals for its branding exercise. Aside from Glorious Goodwood, the family seat of the Richmonds' plays host to annual motorsport festivals, a flying club and a golf course, as well as boasting one of the oldest cricket pitches in England. There's also a 94-room Goodwood Park Hotel, country club and spa and a selection of top restaurants at the racetrack itself from which to dine at.
Nassau Stakes And Sussex Stakes Draw Most Betting Interest
Thirty-five individual races are contested over the week, with the highlights amongst the serious competitors and studs participating being both the Nassau Stakes and the pinnacle of the five days, the Sussex Stakes. Both Group 1 pattern races in their own right, they garner much interest home and away and easily account for the largest bets placed over the meet. Otherwise the festival comprises of Group 2 and 3 conditions races and an array of handicaps.
Casting your minds back twelve months, and 2008 was all about one trainer and his jockey of choice, the successful pairing of Aiden O'Brien and Johnny Murtagh. Not content with emerging victorious in the showcase Sussex Stakes courtesy of 'Henrythenavigator' and the Nassau Stakes thanks to 'Halfway to Heaven', the double act claimed the Goodwood Cup in the company of 'Yeats' to make Goodwood a memorable occasion for everyone involved last year.
The Stewards Cup Challenge proves a populist betting choice both on and off the course, and represents a good percentage of revenue for the online bookies in the lead up to the week. Ran over six furlongs, in 2008 the 30-runner handicap produced something of a shock outcome, with 40 – 1 shot 'Conquest' upset the Glorious Goodwood betting odds and leaving more than a few bookmakers counting the costs as many punters made a clean sweep at their expense. With a large field such as this, the unpredictable nature of choosing a winner adds a further element of excitement to be experienced by the hordes of online #bets# being wagered.
Glorious Goodwood Brings Out The Fashionable Race Goer Every July
Fashion are as high stakes as the race programme itself at most blue chip race meets these days, and we can tell you that Goodwood is no exception to this unwritten rule. Not to be put in the shade by the fashion frontrunners at the Grand National or #Royal Ascot#, Glorious Goodwood fronts its very own Ladies Day gathering on the Thursday of the meet, where acres of cool (and cool) linen-wear and head apparel take centre stage in the enclosures and around the course. The noted difference at Goodwood being that men play up to the part too, with Panama hats (a style cue dating back to Edward VII's Goodwood attending era), Pimms and parasols being the order of the race days as much for the menfolk as the women. Well, perhaps not the parasols. Stiletto heels – according to race literature – are not recommended we hasten to add, due to the uncompromising terrain.
Engaging Goodwood Course Challenges The Best Horses And Jockeys
Indeed, the famous Goodwood race terrain is noted for its almost roller coasterr-esque series of stomach churning twists and turns, which in themselves will give everyone including bookmakers butterflies as even their staunch predictions are put to the test by a course that centres around an irregular figure of eight layout, complete with a six furlong straight, all of which embodies a varied collection of ascents and descents en route to the finishing post. Uncompromising bends and the landscape's gradients dropping and rising are traditionally said to favour the more agile and adept of racehorses, whilst the lengthy striders tend to lose out in the long run.
More than anything, Glorious Goodwood is a stern test of the agility, physical presence and overall stamina of both the horses and their rides. Jockeys have to be at the peak of their game otherwise they'll be found out by the testing elements of the course as well as the quota of races they'll be taking part in during the week. On average there's seven races on each day, spread over the five days of competition, which by anyone's standards of fitness serves as a challenge of body and mind, with focus and concentration being equally key to emerging victorious.
Which helps to explain why when looking back over the anals of Goodwood time, the one jockey stands out more than others in terms of sheer dominance and accumulative Horse racing race-winning rides, and that man is riding legend Frankie Dettori. With 149 Goodwood race credits to his name, he dwarfs the record of his nearest competitor, Richard Hills, by the sum total of 73. Suffice to say that 46 of these victories were captured during festival week itself.
