General Chat

[Guinness Village]

I take on board all of the comments about this year's festival. I'm the last man standing in our group of festival goers over the past 25 years. They've all declined to renew their membership and not attend the festival for a few years now. Much for all the reasons discussed above. I've come to the same conclusion now, and I don't think that it's because I'm now a crusty old fart. The experience for me, just wasn't enjoyable, and not certainly how I recall from years ago. We've decided to try something different over the past few years, 8 years at the Punchestown festival and 3 at the DRF. What a difference!! It's simply no contest. Unless the festival experience changes significantly, I don't plan to go back.

[Istabraq]

I take on board all of the comments about this year's festival. I'm the last man standing in our group of festival goers over the past 25 years. They've all declined to renew their membership and not attend the festival for a few years now. Much for all the reasons discussed above. I've come to the same conclusion now, and I don't think that it's because I'm now a crusty old fart. The experience for me, just wasn't enjoyable, and not certainly how I recall from years ago. We've decided to try something different over the past few years, 8 years at the Punchestown festival and 3 at the DRF. What a difference!! It's simply no contest. Unless the festival experience changes significantly, I don't plan to go back.

Interesting, and it seems a few have similar views GV.
Cheltenham aren't going to hitting any reverse button, they are chasing the pound note like never before across the board, I remember joining as a member and the first correspondence I had from them was a price list of car parking spaces, seats etc, it did feel a bit commercial at the time.
I've let my feelings be known in a lengthy e-mail, I suspect I won't be the only one, but I have no doubt that a standard response will appear about inflation, staff availability etc and nothing will change, but come early March next year I'll still be like a kid on Christmas Eve and look forward to my week away.
That's not to say I wouldn't enjoy Leopardstown too...

[GetUpGaulois]

Having read through a good portion of the ante post diary’s for the festival, I couldn’t help notice that a lot of people seem to use plenty of free bets. My question is what do people find is the best way to collect these throughout the next year? Obviously Sky do the ?25 a week get a ?5 on the Monday, are there any other firms that do anything similar?

[Ice]

Having read through a good portion of the ante post diary’s for the festival, I couldn’t help notice that a lot of people seem to use plenty of free bets. My question is what do people find is the best way to collect these throughout the next year? Obviously Sky do the ?25 a week get a ?5 on the Monday, are there any other firms that do anything similar?

Paddy do 5 ? ?5 bets and get free fiver or 5 x ?10 bets and get a free tenner.

[Stormez]

Having read through a good portion of the ante post diary’s for the festival, I couldn’t help notice that a lot of people seem to use plenty of free bets. My question is what do people find is the best way to collect these throughout the next year? Obviously Sky do the ?25 a week get a ?5 on the Monday, are there any other firms that do anything similar?

5 pound free bet every week off Hills when you spend ?20 on accumulators of 3 legs or more.

365 give occasional free ?5 bets too, though not sure what triggers these as I don’t get them

Not sure about other bookies as they’re the only 3 I use.

[somer1]

WH do one. Means betting a blue drinking voucher for a free ?2 bet sometimes. ( scratch of the day )

[big H]

I went to the DRF for the first time this year - it was a cracking weekend. The only criticism was that it struggle to get a drink on course both days but this was mainly down to the difficulty of getting staff at such short notice as the festival was only given the go-ahead a few days earlier.

On the plus side - tickets were great value, flights from Stansted were ?40 return, you could stay near the course or choose to stay in the city because transport links were good, hotel prices weren't extortionate (despite Ireland having a home 6 Nations game the same weekend), the quality of the racing was top notch, viewing was good. I spoke to quite a few other UK racegoers whilst heading back home - everyone was overwhelmingly positive about the DRF and they were all planning on returning in 2023. Most had been regulars at the Cheltenham festival for many years but they'd given up on it in the last few years for the same reasons raised again this year.

We are already booked to return to the DRF in 2023.

[Istabraq]

I’d expect all free bets to disappear soon.
The regulator, for whatever reason, can’t seem to differentiate the skill in studying horse racing form from the crackheads that spin a fixed wheel so whatever incentives exist currently I think we should expect to be culled…

[robith]

I’d expect all free bets to disappear soon.
The regulator, for whatever reason, can’t seem to differentiate the skill in studying horse racing form from the crackheads that spin a fixed wheel so whatever incentives exist currently I think we should expect to be culled…

They are already technically banned in Northern Ireland

[FinalFurlong91]

Having read through a good portion of the ante post diary’s for the festival, I couldn’t help notice that a lot of people seem to use plenty of free bets. My question is what do people find is the best way to collect these throughout the next year? Obviously Sky do the ?25 a week get a ?5 on the Monday, are there any other firms that do anything similar?

Worth noting that each Saturday on the football sky do a player in the 12:30 kick off boosted from 1/5 to evs to have a shot on target ?10 max

But these bets pop up on Friday morning so you can actually do them twice as the ?10 max resets after 24 hours

You literally can't lose long term on these bets and they are how i farm the weekly free bet pre Cheltenham

[Stormez]

Worth noting that each Saturday on the football sky do a player in the 12:30 kick off boosted from 1/5 to evs to have a shot on target ?10 max

But these bets pop up on Friday morning so you can actually do them twice as the ?10 max resets after 24 hours

You literally can't lose long term on these bets and they are how i farm the weekly free bet pre Cheltenham

Didn’t know that, thanks!

[HoldenTheReins]

https://twitter.com/nathanbaugh27/status/1505890197086552066

Interesting thread on how 'Drive To Survive' has impacted F1.

Makes you wonder what it can do for horse racing if this series goes ahead.

[robith]

https://twitter.com/nathanbaugh27/st...90197086552066

Interesting thread on how 'Drive To Survive' has impacted F1.

Makes you wonder what it can do for horse racing if this series goes ahead.

The DTS effect is tangible - the last day of the f1 season, it felt like my entire twitter feed including those with no interest in sport were all talking about it

[Stormez]

Seems all sports are trying to get in on the act. They’re doing one for cycling centred around this years Tour De France, though that’s been in the pipe for over a year.

[Exar Essay]

Seems all sports are trying to get in on the act. They’re doing one for cycling centred around this years Tour De France, though that’s been in the pipe for over a year.

Never going to beat the Movistar docs!