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If you look at the full finishing order of any horse race, on the results page of the ‘Racing Post’ or a similar publication, you’ll notice that the distance between one horse and another is recorded in lengths, or fractions of a length. Of course, this is true not only of the winning distance – or, in other words, the officially declared distance between the first two horses past the post – but also the distances between the placed, and unplaced, horses, right down to last place.

Nowadays, distances range from a nose, at one end of the scale, to 200 lengths, at the other. In terms of actual physical distance, a nose can be anything between an eighth of an inch and three inches, approximately, while a length is typically between eight and nine feet, approximately. However, it is worth noting that distances are not actually calculated by measuring the length of space between two horses. In fact, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) utilises a series of computerised ‘lengths per second’ (LPS) tables, such that, in fact, all distances are a measurement of elapsed time between horses.

The scale of each LPS table varies according to the code under which the race takes place, that is, Flat or National Hunt, the official going description on the day and, for all-weather racing, the specific type of synthetic surface, such as Fibresand, Polytrack or Tapeta. Thus, scales range from four lengths per second, for National Hunt races run on good to soft, or worse, going to six lengths per second for Flat races run on good to soft, or better, going or on Polytrack.

In Great Britain, Ireland and elsewhere in Europe, Flat racing features many different levels, or classes, of competition. Group 1, Group 2 and Group 3 races, collectively known as Group races – or Pattern races, since their status is reviewed annually by the European Pattern Committee, which was formed in 1971 – represent the highest levels of competition.

At the very highest level, Group 1 race represent a pure test of class and, as such, are run without penalties or allowances other than a sex allowance, which fillies and mares receive when racing against colts and geldings. In Britain, Group 1 races include the so-called ‘Classics’, namely the 1,000 Guineas, 2,000 Guineas, Oaks, Derby and St. Leger, which, of course, are contested exclusively by three-year-olds. Nevertheless, the British Flat racing calendar also includes numerous other races of major international importance, catering for different age groups, over different distances, throughout the racing year.

Immediately below the championship standard of Group 1, but still significant internationally, Group 2 races in the calendar include the Dante Stakes,Great Voltigeur Stakes and Lonsdale Cup, all at York, the Lancashire Oaks at Hayock and no fewer than seven races at Royal Ascot. Another step down from the top tier, Group 3 races are mainly of domestic importance and, in Britain, include the likes of the Craven Stakes at Newmarket, Chester Vase and Cumberland Lodge Stakes at Ascot, to name but three. Group 2 and Group 3 races differ from Group 1 races insofar that weight penalties may be given to certain horses based on success in previous Pattern contests within a certain timeframe.

Ante-post betting is akin, in many ways, to a commodity futures contract, in which an investor agrees to buy or sell a particular commodity at a future date. Ante-post is an compound adjective, consisting the prefix ‘ante’, meaning ‘before’, and the noun ‘post’, in the sense of starting post or, in other words, the point at which a race begins. So, ante-post betting is simply betting on the outcome of a race before the runners are confirmed. It may not be for everyone, especially not cautious, risk-averse punters, but it can be tremendously rewarding.

Declarations are not finalised until 10am a day, or two, before raceday, so bookmakers may offer ante-post prices a few days or, in the case of major events, such as the Derby or the Grand National, several months in advance. To continue the commodity futures analogy, the price (i.e. the odds) and the amount (i.e. the stake) are fixed at the time an ante-post bet is struck, but beyond that there are no guarantees.

In the worst-case scenario, the horse may be withdrawn from the race in question at, or before, the final declaration stage, in which case the stake money is lost. Likewise, if the odds on offer for the selected horse skyrocket after an ante-post bet is struck, punters reap no benefit. Of course, the reverse is also true; if the odds contract sharply, as the result of other horses being withdrawn (for which, incidentally, no Rule 4 deductions are made) or subsequent events, an ante-post voucher can start to look extraordinary value for money.

Held annually over four days in March, the Cheltenham Festival is often described, justifiably, as the ‘Olympic Games of National Hunt racing.’ The Festival programme, which was extended from three days to four in 2005, nowadays consists of 28 races, including 14 at the highest Grade 1 level, in all the disciplines of jump racing. The undisputed highlight of the week is the ‘Blue Riband’ event, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, which is the feature race on the fourth and final day. The other ‘defining’ events over the four days are the Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase and Stayers’ Hurdle, although the latter nowadays co-stars with the intermediate chasing championship, the Ryanair Chase, inaugurated in 2005, on day three.

The popularity of what is, after all, the biggest horse racing festival staged in Britain, is undeniable. The average attendance over the four days is 65,000, an estimated 15-20% of which is made up of Irish spectators, who make the annual pilgrimage to Prestbury Park, on the northern outskirts of Cheltenham, in the foothills of Cotswolds.

Indeed, horses trained in the Emerald Isle have dominated the Cheltenham Festival in recent years. Since 2016, the Prestbury Cup – that is, the trophy awarded to the nation with the most wins over the four days – has, bar a 14-14 tie in 2019, gone exclusively to Ireland, including by a record score of 23-5 in 2021. Unsurprisingly, Willie Mullins, who is reigning champion trainer on both sides of the Irish Sea, is also the leading trainer in the history of the Cheltenham Festival, with a eye-watering 103 winners to his name at the last count.