A total of 12 grade 1 races will be run at the Cheltenham Festival 2013, including four of the most prestigious events in national hunt racing: the Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, World Hurdle and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Cheltenham Festival Betting

The Cheltenham Festival is one of a handful of racing events that attracts an audience beyond regular racing enthusiasts. The event is one of the biggest betting events in the United Kingdom, and a banker winning one of the feature races can easily leave bookmakers in the red when they close the books on the event.

Gambling Guru, an established online UK betting guide, offers a one-stop Cheltenham betting resource for those interested in placing bets on the Cheltenham Festival. Whether the visitor is new to betting and horseracing, or a seasoned punter, the site offers a combination of resources designed to offer users the best possible chance of profiting off the Cheltenham Festival.

Site resources include:

Race previews: Every race at the Cheltenham Festival is previewed, with previews assessing the form and prospects of the top three in the betting and then looking further back in the field at which long shots offer the best value. Each preview concludes with one or more betting tips for the race.

Best odds: Odds comparisons are available for every race, listing odds from the biggest bookmakers in the UK and Ireland. This ensures that punters have access to the best odds on their selection on every entry in every race.

Daily specials: Every race preview includes a list of the latest Cheltenham Festival betting specials offered by leading bookmakers, including place specials, free bets and money back specials.

Results: The site offers instant race results from Cheltenham, allowing punters to effortlessly track their selections’ results online.

Gambling Guru’s Cheltenham Festival betting site has been offering in-depth coverage of the biggest event in national hunt racing since 2008. Visitors to the website can also find race cards, race profiles, jockey and trainer profiles and a range of additional racing resources.

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About the Author: Gambling-Guru.com is an established UK online betting guide that offers broad betting coverage of a selection of the most popular sporting events, including bookie reviews, betting tips, betting tools, daily specials and odds.

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Manchester City player Courtney Meppen-Walter faces 16 months in jail after he was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court for causing two deaths by careless driving.

The 18-year-old was travelling at nearly twice the speed limit when his Mercedes hit a Nissan Micra, killing brother and sister Kulwant Singh and Ravel Kaur.

Ms Kaur’s two teenage sons were also injured in the crash, which took place just after 10pm on September 1^st 2012.

Meppen-Walter, of Blackley, Manchester, admitted the offence and was also banned from driving for three years.

Witnesses claimed that shortly before the crash, they saw the Mercedes and a VW Golf engaged in what appeared to be a race along a nearby dual carriageway.

“The driver has taken away my loving husband and father to my two children. Our life has been destroyed,” said Kushwant Kaur, widow of the driver.

“I am pleased that justice has been done and I hope that this will teach him so no family has to go through what myself and my family have been through this past few months.”

Meppen-Walter was previously given six penalty points and a £75 fine after he was caught speeding in March 2012.

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Sports Direct has acquired the Republic chain of high-street fashion shops for an undisclosed amount.

More than 2,000 jobs will be saved as a result of the buyout according to administrators of the clothing retailer, which went into administration two weeks ago.

Sports Direct will take on 114 Republic stores, the majority of stock in the business and control of its own brands, including SoulCal, Fabric and Crafted.

Hunter Kelly, an administrator from accountancy group Ernst & Young, described the purchase as a testament to the strength of Sports Direct, claiming the buyout would contribute to securing the future of the brand.

“The brand Republic is well recognised and well respected by customers for offering quality, high-fashion goods,” he said. “We are extremely grateful for the support and loyalty showed by all employees and customers during what has been an uncertain time.”

Mr Kelly went on to note that the sale comes amid a “very challenging” and “volatile” climate for retailers in the UK.

Weak sales during the autumn of 2012 prompted the move into administration and despite a resurgence in December, the chain was hit by a “sudden and rapid decline” in sales during the latter end of January.

“The brand Republic is well recognised, particularly in the North. It has a powerful website offering, owns well-known brand names, and has some very attractive and profitable stores,” said Mr Kelly.

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Andy Murray took heart from playing “the best tennis of his life” after Novak Djokovic lifted the trophy in Melbourne for a third consecutive year.

The Serb secured a fourth Australian Open title and sixth Grand Slam title overall, after a gruelling three hours and 40 minutes of action on Sunday (January 27^th).

But despite defeat, Britain’s number one remained in good spirits following the match, reflecting:

“I have to try and look at the positives of the last few months, and I think I’m going the right direction. This is the first time I’ve beaten Roger [Federer] in a Slam over five sets. I think I dealt with the situations and the ebbs and flows in that match well.

“I felt much more comfortable on the court today than even I did at the US Open, so that has to be a positive.”

Murray won the first set and made a strong start to the second, but appeared to struggle with the physicality of the contest, receiving treatment for blisters during the changeover.

And a feather played an unlikely role in the tie-break, as it drifted into the Scot’s eye-line as he was about to serve during the second set. After stropping to retrieve the object before it hit the court, Murray instantly double-faulted to give Djokovic a 4-2 lead.

Taking control of the match, Djokovic went on to win the second, third and fourth sets to power to victory and become the first man since 1967 to win three Australian titles in succession.

Speaking after the match, the champion said:

“It’s an incredible feeling winning this trophy again. It’s definitely my favourite Grand Slam, my most successful Grand Slam. I love this court.”

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Andy Murray prepares to face Novak Djokovic in the final of the Australian Open after powering to a dramatic victory over Roger Federer in Friday’s semi-final (January 25^th).

The close-run match saw Murray storm ahead in the first and third sets, but demonstrating why he holds a record 17 Grand Slam wins, Federer bounced back in both the second and fourth, forcing the game into a fifth set.

In the end it was the Brit who came out victorious, winning 6-4 6-7 6-3 6-7 6-2 overall.

Sunday’s match will be the sixth Grand Slam final for Murray, who was seeded third before the tournament. He said:

“I’ve obviously lost some tough matches against him in Slams, so to win one, especially the way that it went tonight, was obviously nice. I’m sure both of us will play each other again in Slams, so it will help having won once against him.”

It appears there was no love lost between the pair, who have met in a number of highly-charged games in recent months. A heated exchange of words punctuated the thrilling four-hour contest, with Murray joking afterwards that it was “very mild” compared to those of other sports.

And though Murray entered the court fresh, whilst Federer came off the back of Wednesday night’s gruelling 5-set victory against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, sportingly the 31-year old Swiss denied that fatigue was accountable for his defeat. He reflected:

“Definitely it was more of a chase. Obviously you’re going to go through a five-setter with some regrets. But overall, I think Andy was a bit better than I was.”

The victory will be a welcome confidence boost for the Scot, who will return to the Melbourne final for the third time in four years.

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Over the weekend the Cosford-based businessman celebrated his win after the 11-year-old grey beat Sunnyhillboy in one of the tightest finishes the Grand National has ever seen.

However concerns over the safety of racing were raised after the deaths of Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Synchronised and According to Pete.

Mr Hales said: “The Grand National is part of British sporting heritage. It’s the greatest steeplechase in the world. Everyone must accept it’s a sport that has risks. Aintree couldn’t have done any more”.

Neptunes thrilling win at the weekend has been placed among Hales’ greatest achievements in racing, alongside the feats of legendary chaser One Man. 

The 11-year-old has claimed his place in the rich history of the most famous steeplechase in the world.

Neptune Collonges’ – who won the race by a nose – was a success for the 72-year-old owner following the death of his star performer One Man at Aintree in 1988.

Before his death One Man had built up an impressive collection of top National Hunt prizes on offer: winning two King George VI Chases at Kempton and the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham.

Reflecting on the success Hales said: “He sits up there with One Man. Both hoses have made history. One Man was a Champion Chaser. We have now won the Grand National which just leaves the Gold Cup. Then we will have own the lot”.

Overwhelmed by Saturday’s events, Hales admitted that he would have been delighted if Neptune Collognes has been pipped to glory in the tightest finish in Grand National history. 

He added: “My family was split over whether to run to him and when he came over the last, I had no comprehension he was going to win.

“All I could think of once he jumped the last is that he is safe, he is retired and he’s coming home. Then I heard the crowd building up to a crescendo and I saw them crossing the line both together.

“I was so proud of him and I would have been very happy to come second in the Grand National”. 

Jockey Daryl Jacob was praised by the owner for his performance, and revealed that it was the first time Neptune Collonges had jumped obstacles of that size. 

Neptune will return home to Hales’ daughter Lisa’s Shifnal farm.

Article by Charlotte Greenhalgh

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In his struggle to complete his triathlon for Sport Relief, he endured crippling pains and was seen wearing kinesio tape, therapeutic tape that provides support and compression for injuries.

As he reached the end point in London his wife was their to great him with a hug, he later admitted he was ‘blown away’ after being told he had raised a staggering £1.6m for the charity.

The grueling five day triathlon started in Paris and ended in London, at times it looked like he might not be able to complete it as he had to have physio and acupuncture towards the end of the five days.

But he overcame his back and shin problems and ran the three marathons in the same amount of days.

Giving him an extra boost two out of three of his sons turned up to run with him through London, along with footballer Robbie Savage.
Hundreds of fans greated him as he completed the five day triathalon, chanting ‘Bishop, Bishop’ as the Liverpool anthem ‘You’ll never walk alone’ played.

The modest comedian insisted it was his fans that deserved recognition by helping to raise so much for vaccinations for African children.

The money raised will go towards vaccinating 250,000 children in Africa, as well as help with projects in the UK.

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However the 23-year-old is sure that this won’t hinder his gold medal ambitions for London 2012.

Brownlee will be wearing a protective boot, an Aircast Walker, for the next month whilst his injury heels. However he is still planning on competing at the San Diego World Triathlon Series in May, which his coach is confident he’ll be back on top form for.

Brownlee, who won the Olympic test event in Hyde Park last year, told the Telegraph:

“I felt pain in my calf and ankle. Alarm bells sounded.

“It’s hard to put into words just how frustrating it is not being able to train. For me it is the loss, for a month at the very least, of the thing I love.

“Triathlon drives me and I don’t do it for the money, I do it for the love of the sport.

“This is not just a job for me, it’s my passion, so the setback has hit me hard.

“It’s hard to tell at the moment but if I can get this boot off quite quickly and get training, I have plenty of time to get myself fit.

“I’ve shown before that I can return from injury to championship-standard competition in the space of a month.

“However, I won’t be overdoing it in training to make up for lost time as that can be very dangerous – I’ll just return at my own pace.”

His coach, Malcolm Brown, added: “Alistair has a small tear in his left Achilles tendon and is wearing an air cast as a precaution.

“Obviously this isn’t an ideal situation, but I can say that this has been his best winter’s training, probably ever. We had scheduled a break from training at the end of the winter period anyway, so I am not overly concerned at this stage.

The Aircast A60 Ankle Brace is available from www.physioroom.com.

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The clip, which was filmed when the Duke of Cambridge visited Birmingham in the aftermath of the August riots, has recently surfaced on several football forum websites.

During the one-minute long video, a cheeky member of the public shouts out to the Prince just before he gets into his car – asking for his opinion on McLeish’s appointment.

It is unsure whether the royal was taken by surprise by the question or understood it, but his hilarious reaction, to throw back his head and simply roar with laughter, has gone down well with fellow Villa supporters.

The decision to unveil former Birmingham City boss McLeish at Villa Park was met with a mixture of shock and anger by supporters – and the majority of the Villa faithful have not got over the Scot’s appointment over six months ago.

Commenting on the video on a football website, one fan said: “Genius, he’s a proper fan, loves the game and team and is quite knowledgable.

“Everything Randy (Lerner, the club’s American owner) isn’t. Surely he should ask granny for some extra pocket money to buy us.

“Berlusconi owns Milan and the Qatar royals have fingers in a couple of pies so I don’t see the problem. It took a millisecond for him to react when questioned though. He feels the pain with the rest of us.”

While another fan added: “It’s a shame he didn’t say ‘off with his head”.

McLeish, who has recently signed Robbie Keane on loan from LA Galaxy, has led Villa to a comfortable mid-table position in the Premier League – with the club sitting in 13th place after 21 games.

But for the majority of the team’s supporters, it seems that nothing the Scottish manager does will ever be good enough for the fans who can’t forget his ties to their fierce rivals Birmingham City.

“I’m surprised Prince William laughed, because the rest of us were crying when we found out he was our new manager last summer,” said 30-year-old Mark Taylor who has had a season ticket at Villa Park for the last decade.

“I still support the team but I can’t back McLeish as our manager. Even if he wasn’t the former manager of the enemy up the road, he is too defensive tactically.

“The fans will never come around or like him, it’s just an unwritten rule of football that you don’t cross local rivalry borders.

“McLeish is the laughing stock of the Holte End and it seems like he’s the laughing stock at Buckingham Palace too.

“I didn’t think us Brummies had much in common with the Royals.”

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Former Premier League star Walter Pandiani earned himself the unflattering accolade after drenching a shirt in his own perspiration as he felt the heat at a press conference.

He started off wearing a light grey shirt while he was addressing reporters after he netted a last-minute winner for his team last Friday.

But his performance off the pitch was drowned out after the garment slowly became soaked in the RCD Espanyol forward’s sweat.

And to add to 35-year-old Uruguayan’s embarrassment, the video of the Spanish League player has become an internet sensation.

In the eight-minute video, Pandiani, formerly of Birmingham City, is shown speaking in to a microphone after the clash between his side and rivals Getafe.

Wearing a smart light grey shirt, he speaks quickly as he recounts the events of the game.

After just 90 seconds, dark patches begin to appear on the shoulders of the garment, first on the left, followed shortly by the right.

Obviously feeling the heat, Pandiani mops his brow, which is already moist with sweat.

By the time he has spent three minutes in front of the press pack, the player looks like he has just walked in from a rainstorm, rather than a football pitch, his shirt dotted with tell-tale sweat patches.

Beads of sweat glisten on his brow, and Pandiani begins to shift nervously in his chair.

The video then cuts to the former Birmingham City player hastily stuffing a sopping wet towel under the table in front of him.

But it does nothing to stop the flood of sweat, and by four and a half minutes there is barely a dry patch left on the shirt.

Pandiani bravely battles through to the end of the eight-minute grilling, but by the end just one tiny patch of the shirt’s original colour remains visible.

The video, which has already notched up almost half a million views, has drawn a number of amused responses from fans.

‘Mentionly’ said: “must have been some serious questions he got from the reporters. If i was him, i would leave the conference instead of being humiliated by millions”

‘ihmen’ said: “If he sweats this much just sitting down, imagine how much he sweats when he goes to the gym.”

Others mocked him for his shirt selection.

One user said: “bad choice of clothing in this situation…”

Another, ‘lollipopxx’, said: “He should’ve worn black!”.

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