Cheltenham Festival final declarations are important for jockeys, trainers, fans, journalists, and bettors because they provide certainty about the upcoming races. If you are wondering when the final declarations for Cheltenham Festival are, then we answer that in this article. In the festival, the horse owners and trainers must give the declaration 48 hours prior to the race for the convenience of all stakeholders. By going through this article, find out more about the purpose of final declarations in horse racing events!
The Cheltenham Festival 2023 starts on the 14th of March and ends on the 17th of March. So, for final declarations of horses to take part in the race must be made 48 hours prior to the 14th of March. No horse can make this declaration for more than one race unless they have been removed from the race or has been moved to the reserve. The exception lies for non-novice Grade 1 contests, such as OLBG Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 1), Stan James Champion Hurdle, Ryanair Chase, Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase, the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup, and Sunbets Stayers’ Hurdle.
Final declarations are the final steps in the executive process that a horse participating in the race has to go through. It may differ from sport to sport, but the basic idea remains the same. The final declarations are crucial in determining the foundation of the race and also for betting purposes. It indicates the end of ante-post betting and the rules that regulate the horse racing betting markets. Tipsters encourage bettors to take part in racing tips which results in fundamental adjustments in the market.
Jockeys and horses are booked for the race before the final declaration process. You can consider this declaration the last chance for the jockey or the owner to withdraw from the competition without facing any repercussions. The purpose of the final declarations is to avoid situations where people are hoping a horse to run one race when it is booked for another event. Generally, horses are registered in many races so that the trainers can observe which ground conditions are suitable for them. In short, final declarations are confirmations that the horse will be running in this particular race that the other ones.
At this point, you may be wondering why final declarations are important in sports betting. These declarations are made after the ante-post betting stops and when the laws of the governing markets change. You can lose your stake in the ante-post betting if the horse you bet on doesn’t take part in the race due to illness or other situations. The best part is that you can get your stake back in circumstances like these after the final declaration stage!
Although the odds for ante-post betting are going to be lower, at least you can get back your stake. What is the point of having higher odds if the horse doesn’t run and you lost all the money you bet on? After the final declarations have been made and the new market rules come into play, Rule 4 emerges. This rule protects the bookmakers when a horse gets withdrawn from the race after the final declarations have been passed.
This occurs because the bets made after the declarations are prone to provide an inaccurate reflection of the horse’s possibility to win! This is mostly true when there are fewer horses on the racetrack. Furthermore, if a horse was taken away after the final declaration stage, the sportsbook may even suspend betting altogether. The bookmaker can also get rid of the horse and re-open the market, which is also referred to as a reformed market.
Cheltenham Festival is a prestigious horse racing event that is held in the United Kingdom every March. This horse racing event has been taking place since 1815. Although there were setbacks on the way, it has made it till now, and thousands of fans attend it every year, especially from Ireland.
There are 28 races in this 4-day event, and the winning horse takes the Cheltenham Gold Cup (established in 1924). However, other popular races in the festival are Champion Hurdle (established in 1927), Queen Mother Champion Chase (established in 1959), and Stayers’ Hurdle (established in 1912).
At this point, all the races in the Cheltenham Festival must be declared at the 48 hours stage. This rule was implemented in 2018, and it has helped the masses gain more confidence in their betting decisions. Now the media, sportsbooks, and fans can get earlier clarity about the event.
Besides, no horse is allowed to declare more than once in the Cheltenham Festival unless it has been removed from the race or proclaimed as a reserve. Exceptions exist only for non-novice Grade 1 contests like Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase, Ryanair Chase, etc.
The Cheltenham Festival is a popular event in Europe just like the English Premier League and the World Cup. This event dates back to 1815 and has been an important European horse racing event since then. Usually held in March at Cheltenham Racecourse in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. The event day often coincides with Saint Patrick’s Day, which is one of the reasons you will see a lot of Irish fans attending the event. The prize money stands second to the Grand National, so the festival invites a lot of sports bettors who are willing to spend tons of money on horses and jockeys!
This tournament used to last for 3 days until 2005 when a 4th day was added. So, now when you attend the Cheltenham Festival, you will be witnessing 28 races in total that take place for 4 days in a row! Now that we know when are final declarations for Cheltenham held and all about the roots of this festival, let’s move on to some technical aspects of it.
Horse racing is a racing event where a number of fit horses run and the one that finishes the race first wins the prize. As sports bettors, you can place bets on which horse will take the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd position, and even on the jockeys. There are many types of bets that you can place, such as show bet, win bet, and place bet. Also, there are exotic wagers like quinella, trifecta, exacta, superfecta, Daily Double, Pick (3, 4, 5, and 6), and Rainbow Pick 6.
As beginners, you can start with simple bets, but professionals like to go even beyond. They like to take on multiple bets with higher odds and higher rewards. When you are choosing accumulators or parlays, all the legs in the bet must win for you to win the cash prize.
If you are aiming to win the bet, then you have to carefully consider some important factors. For example, the race day program is packed with information that can assist you to make smarter bets. You can also choose horses that are on higher class levels based on their performances in other races. The 4 race classes are maiden races, claiming races, allowance races, and stakes races. Horses that are used to racing in claiming races may be outclassed by horses that are used to stakes races.
The surface type can also impact the horse’s performance on the racetrack. Some horses perform better on dirt tracks while others prefer artificial tracks. In this case, the race day program is going to provide valuable information about how each horse runs on each surface type.
Another point to consider when looking for the best bet is to analyze the performance of the jockey. If a jockey does well with any horse on any surface type, you have a safe bet there. Besides, it is quite easy to find information about jockey profiles on the internet, which you can do before heading to the racecourse! Lastly, look at the odds that are available for the race. The favorites have the lowest odds whereas the underdogs have higher odds. Going for the favorites may pay off if you are unsure of what you are doing, but winning is not guaranteed.
Horses that wish to take part in the Cheltenham Festival must declare that they will run 48 hours before the race. Since there is a lot of speculation about horse racing in the media and in the betting community, earlier declarations help people find more confidence in their campaigns and bets.
Punters, fans, and bookmakers prefer to receive the final declarations from jockeys and trainers because it gives them the certainty of bets. Earlier declarations improve their confidence about the horse that is going to race and the potential to win the bet.
In the festival, you may witness or bet on races which are not limited to Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle, Triumph Hurdle, Champion Bumper, Ryanair Chase, Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, RSA Chase, Queen Mother Champion Chase, Champion Hurdle, World Hurdle, and the Gold Cup.