The Breeders' Cup (Fri 6 & Sat 7 November) comes around each year and when it does we get very excited at the prospect of seeing all the world's best horses perform at the same meeting!
The 2009 meeting is being held at Santa Anita Park in California -the same venue as last year. This is the first time the Breeders' Cup has taken place at the same track for consecutive years.
With a combined purse of $25.5 million for the 14 races, this meeting is incredibly lucrative and although punters sadly won't get to see recently-retired winner of the Arc De Triomphe Sea The Stars -there are sure to be plenty of other great horses on display!
The folks at Sporting Index always seem to come up with great spreads that allow you to use your racing knowledge to get ahead of the game without even picking a winner!
Here are examples of the spread markets from Sporting Index that were on offer for this year's Cheltenham Festival. When the markets for this years Breeders' Cup go up, we will have them on here straight away and tell you where to find the value...
"Going The Distance"
In each race there is a winning distance between the first and second placed horses. Add up these distances and you get a daily total; add up all four daily totals and you get a total for all 26 races taking place during the 2009 festival. Last year's total was approximately 113 lengths, so the current quote of 93-98 looks light. Buy @ 98
Sporting Index Spread
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Opening Quote
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Daily Result
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Current Quote
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Day One Distances
(6 Races)
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22-24
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16.75
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Day Two Distances
(7 Races)
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28-30
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49.25
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Day Three Distances
(6 Races)
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18-21
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26.50
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Day Four Distances
(7 Races)
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24-26
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19.25
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Total Festival Distances
(26 Races)
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93-98
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66 / 13 races
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105-109
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Biggest Winning Distance
(26 Races)
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14-14.5
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16 / 13 races
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16.25-16.75
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For the purposes of this market, Each length = 1pt, Nose = 0.05 pt, Short Head = 0.1 pt, Head = 0.2 pt, Neck = 0.3 pt. Max Distance = 30 lengths (pts).
"Festival Bankers "
A performance index for four named horses at this year's Festival. You get 25 points for each winner and a massive 100 points bonus if they're all first past the post!
Horse
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Race
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Jockey
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Result
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Quote
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Binocular
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Champion Hurdle
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A P McCoy
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3rd = 0 points
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51-55
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Master Minded
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Champion Chase
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Ruby Walsh
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1st = 25 points
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43-46
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Kasbah Bliss
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World Hurdle
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Christophe Pieux
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Francois Doumen
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Kauto Star
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Gold Cup
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Ruby Walsh
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Paul Nicholls
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This is a great index because it not only gives you an interest in the star race on each day of the festival, but the gap between races allows you to trade in and out easily.
The current quote is 43-46, which we think is somewhat on the low side considering that these four are all red-hot favourites for their respective races. Buy @ 46
"Photograph, Photograph "
Another interesting market is the total number of photo finishes during the festival.
Last year the judge called for a photograph on two occasions...
Market
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Last Year
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Opening Quote
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Quote After Day 2 |
Total Photos x 10
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2 (x10 = 20)
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20-24
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7-10
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As you see there were some great spread betting opportunities at this year's Cheltenham -just as there will be for the Breeders' Cup meeting, so check them all out at Sporting Index on their horse racing markets page.
Rather than simply backing a horse to win or backing it each way, why not:
1. back your favourite jockey or trainer to have a good day or a good meeting
2. spread bet on the number of lengths that all the winners one day win by
3. Buy or sell how well the favourites will do throughout the card on a particular day
4. Bet on the aggreagate total of winner's starting prices throughout the card
There are a huge variety of horse racing spread bets that can provide enjoyment and interest throughout the day. See the Sporting Index Website to get an idea of the variety of bets that are available not only on the big meetings and festivals, but also the normal day to day meetings....and don't forget, if you open an account today you will soon be eligable for 2 x £100 free football bets.
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