Champion Hurdle Trial

The Champion Hurdle Trial is a Grade 2 hurdle race run over 1 mile, 7 furlongs and 144 yards at Haydock Park in January. Open to horses aged four years and upwards, the race was inaugurated in 1981, but was elevated to Grade 2 status in 1992. Since 2018, the Champion Hurdle Trial has been sponsored by online gambling company Unibet and, since 2019, has been run as The New One Unibet Hurdle in honour of the horse that won four consecutuve renewals in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Nowadays, the Champion Hurdle Trial is the penultimate leg in a season-long series of six races sponsored by Unibet and hence known as the 'Unibet Road to Cheltenham'. The series starts with the Elite Hurdle, run at Wincanton in November, and culminates with the Champion Hurdle itself, run at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

The New One aside, Nigel Twiston-Davies also saddled Mistinguett (1997) and Ballyandy (2020) to victory in the Champion Hurdle Trial and is the leading trainer in the history of the race with six winners. Other notable winners of the race include Granville Again (1992), Flakey Dove (1994) and Rooster Booster (2004), all of whom won the Champion Hurdle – although only the second-named did so in the same year as her victory at Haydock Park – together with three-time Stayers' Hurdle winner Inglis Drever (2005) and three-time Aintree Hurdle winner Al Eile (2006).

If recent seasons are anything to go by, the likes of Constitution Hill, Honeysuckle and State Man, who currently head the ante-post betting market for the Champion Hurdle are unlikely to run at Haydock. Nevertheless, recent trends suggest that a likely winner of the Champion Hurdle Trial will be aged 7 years and upwards, rated 150, or higher, and possess recent, preferably winning, form.

World Cup 2022 Semi Final: France vs Morocco

For many Africans, this will be the game for the ages. Morocco become the first side not only from North Africa, but the entire continent, to make the last four. Their defensive solidity, though, will be tested against the best attack in the competition. A defensive miserliness has made Morocco a nightmare to play against, with clean sheets against elite teams like Croatia, Belgium, Spain, and Portugal.

France, the world champions, are a different prospect entirely It is hard to say where this one will go, but the defensive solidity of Morocco will be tested like never before.

France News

Although Aurelien Tchouameni, with his stunning goal against England to help knock out the Three Lions, missed training in the build-up to this game he should be fit for the semi-final. As such France come in with no real selection dilemmas, and no real problem.

With Olivier Giroud finding form at the perfect time and Kylian Mbappe still terrorising defences, France will be extremely confident coming into this one. They have nothing to worry about, nothing getting in the way of selections, and no reason to fear Morocco.

Morocco News

The Atlas Lions meanwhile are missing a gluttony of players. Romain Saiss and Nayef Aguerd, their left-handed defensive pairing, are out barring a miracle. Walid Cheddira misses out after being sent off in the Portugal game. Even more worrying, though, is the potential loss of Noussair Mazraoui. The full-back is expected to miss out, meaning that three of Morocco’s first choice back five are missing.

For a talented but shallow team so focused on defensive zeal, that will be too much. The fact that Abdelhamid Sabiri might miss out, too, means that Morocco are down a gluttony of their most important players. Hakim Ziyech should make it, though, giving them an impetus in attack once again.

Verdict

France may well have too much for the team of the tournament. If Morocco were fully fit then they might make it, but it looks like they will come up short in the end-up. The injuries are simply too many, leaving a defensively focused team with one hole too many to fill-in.

Score: 3-2 France

World Cup Preview - England v Wales

The Three Lions will, just as they did in UEFA Euro 2016, play Wales in a major tournament. Having had Scotland in the last Euros and now Wales in this FIFA World Cup, England are getting used to a little domestic punch-up at competition level. This game, though, could prove the most challenging of the group for two reasons. One, they will face Wales who might already be in a qualification position – and two, they will be facing Gareth Bale.

Is the LAFC star in his vintage? Absolutely not. But, as his goal in the MLS Cup Final showed, he can still do it when it matters. And if you don’t believe that a passionate Welshman would not love to cap his only World Cup with a goal against England? Well, what do you believe?

Wales will be 100% up for this, and given it is the last game of the group they need to win and for a draw in the Iran vs USA game to make it into the knockout match. It's doable, but approaching longshot territory for both to happen.

Who will win this tie?

Both teams will be up for this, as much as they were in 2016. Yet while Wales have regressed to an extent since then, England have improved, but have had recent rocky form. They crashed out of the 2016 tournament in joke circumstances, but have since reached at least the Semi Finals of both tournaments since.

Wales are a good team – well-structured and capable, and have an immense team spirit. Expect them to be up for this, but in my view to just fall short.

VERDICT: 2-1

Lucky Day at the Races Slot Game

 Intro

Powered by Pragmatic Play, Lucky Day at the Races is a horse racing themed slot with 5 reels and 20 paylines. Whether you play on desktops, tablets, or mobile phones, it's sure to offer some immersive gameplay. The wagering amounts start from 0.20 to 100.00 per spin. Players can win up to 7500 coins by picking horses in the Play the Ponies Bonus feature.

In addition to the bonus features, a whopping 60 Free Spins can also be won, as part of the Free Spins feature. Get ready to hit the finish line and saddle up for an exciting ride.

Lucky Day at the Races Bonus Features.

The Trophy symbol is the Wild symbol in Lucky Day at the Races, replacing all other symbols except for Scatters and Bonuses. A payout of 10000 coins is given when five Wilds land on a payline.

Upon landing three or more horse and jockey symbols, you'll trigger the Play the Ponies Bonus. Next, you need to choose a horse from a list of horses. Depending on where your nag finishes, you will receive a cash prize. This also depends on how many bonus symbols are activated, the following rewards are offered:

• 3 bonus symbols pay 75-375 coins

• 4 bonus symbols pay 375-1875 coins

• 5 bonus symbols pay 1500-7500 coins

You will trigger the Free Spins feature when you land three or more Lady with Binoculars symbols anywhere on the reels. After that, you will receive 7 Free Spins. If you land 4 Scatters on the reels, you'll receive 15 Free Spins with a maximum of 30 Free Spins. You can retrigger up to 60 Free Spins by activating the Ponies Bonus feature during the Free Spins.

This entertaining horse racing themed game, Lucky Day at the Races from Pragmatic Play has a lot to offer.

Royal Ascot - Seven-fold accumulator

 

Friday, June 22, the penultimate day of Royal Ascot 2022, proved eventful, for contrasting reasons, for two punters who placed through-the-card, seven-fold accumulators. You may have already read about the unfortunate Bailey Grant, who missed out on £83,638.75 by cashing out his £1.06 each-way accumulator for just £463.75 after his first four selections were successful.

However, there was better news for an anonymous William Hill punter. Like Grant, John Doe correctly selected the first four winners, Meditate, Perfect Power, Candleford and Inspiral, in his £2.50 each-way accumulator. Unlike Grant, though, he kept faith in his remaining selections and gained just reward when Heredia, Changingoftheguard and Latin Lover all prevailed, making his bet a winner at accumulative odds of 122,889/1; for the record, those are longer odds than for dying in a skydiving accident or aliens landing on Earth. In any event, for his modest outlay of £5, the plucky punter received £307,464.02. The lucky winner was unavailable for comment but, no doubt, felt a sense of satisfaction that he had held his nerve and prospered in a situation where others had come unstuck.

Tony Kenny, Head of External Communications at William Hill, said, 'Many of our customers try going through the card at the bigger meetings like Royal Ascot or Cheltenham, but few manage it. However, one pulled off the incredible feat of successful choosing all seven winners on the penultimate day of the Royal Meeting at a frankly ridiculous price of 122,889-1.' In the words of Mandy Rice-Davies, 'Well, he would, wouldn't he?'