Popbitch guide to horse racing: part IV

Part 4: Tips and Oddities

Even if you don’t know anything about horse racing, it’s easy to follow with this short crib sheet.

Get to know the very best week of horse racing in the world - The Cheltenham Festival

Cheltenham Gold Cup Alphanumerology – 2010 edition

If you don’t follow form, and you don’t really think picking a cute name is the best way to part with your cash, how about using pseudoscience to make your bets? Our alphanumerology experts have been researching the last 10 years of the Cheltenham Gold Cup to find some mathematical interpretations of the formbook. And it doesn’t look good for Denman.

Results

	+/- total char	+/- total value	+/- av. char	total +/- diff.
Carruthers	0.4	2.2	0.3	2.9
Albertas Run	0.6	2.2	0.9	3.7
Casey Jones	0.4	7.2	0.2	7.8
Aran Concerto	1.6	6.2	1.2	9.0
Kauto Star	1.4	7.2	1.2	9.

Denman is 80+ points out of step with these patterns – pseudo science is not backing The Tank.

Previous Winners:

We researched every gold cup winner since 1999:

1999
See More Business                             = 15
(19 + 5 + 5 13 + 15 + 18 + 5 2 + 21 + 19 + 9 +14 + 5 + 19 + 19)        = 188
Av.     = 12.5
2000
Looks Like Trouble                             = 16
(12 + 15 + 15 + 11 + 19 12 + 9 + 11 + 5 20 + 18 + 15 + 21 + 2 + 12 + 5)    =   202
Av.   = 12.7
2001 – No Race

2002
Best Mate                                     = 8
(2 + 5 + 19 + 20 13 + 1 + 20 + 5)                          = 115
Av.    = 14.4
2003
Best Mate                                     = 8
(2 + 5 + 19 + 20 13 + 1 + 20 + 5)                          = 115
Av.    = 14.4
2004
Best Mate                                     = 8
(2 + 5 + 19 + 20 13 + 1 + 20 + 5)                          = 115
Av.    = 14.4
2005
Kicking King                                = 11
(11 + 9 + 3 + 11 + 9 + 14 + 7   11 + 9 + 14 + 7)                   = 105
Av.   = 9.5

2006
War of Attrition                                 = 14
(23 + 1 + 18 15 + 6   1 + 20 + 20 + 18 + 9 + 20 + 9 + 15 + 14)           = 189
Av.   = 13.5
2007
Kauto Star                                    = 9
(11 + 1 + 21 + 20 + 15   19 + 20 + 1 + 18)                       = 126
Av.    = 14
2008
Denman                                       = 6
(4 + 5 + 14 + 13 + 1 + 14)                           = 51
Av.     = 8.6
2009
Kauto Star                                    = 9
(11 + 1 + 21 + 20 + 15   19 + 20 + 1 + 18)                       = 126
Av.    = 14

Results

Average winner total characters                       = 10.4
Average winner name value                       = 133.2
Average winner character value                       = 12.8

And then we turned our attention to 2010:

This Year’s Entrants

Kauto Star = 9
(11 + 1 + 21 + 20 + 15   19 + 20 + 1 + 18)                       = 126
Av.    = 14
Denman = 6
(4 + 5 + 14 + 13 + 1 + 14)                           = 51
Av.    = 8.5
Imperial Commander = 17
(9 + 13 + 16 + 5 + 18 + 9 + 1 + 12   3 + 15 + 13 + 13 + 1 + 14 + 4 + 5 + 18)       = 169
Av.    = 9.9
Cooldine = 8
(3 + 15 + 15 + 12 + 4 + 9 + 14 + 5)                       = 77
Av.    = 9.6
Tricky Trickster = 15
(20 + 18 + 9 + 3 + 11 + 25   20 + 18 + 9 + 3 + 11 + 19 + 20 + 5 + 18)        = 209
Av.     = 13.9
What A Friend = 11
(23 + 8 + 1 + 20   1 6 + 18 + 9 + 5 + 14 + 4)                        = 109
Av.    = 9.9
Carruthers = 10
(3 + 1 + 18 + 18 + 21 + 20 + 8 + 5 + 18 + 19)                    = 131
Av.    = 13.1
Albertas Run = 11
(1 + 12 + 2 + 5 + 18 + 20 + 1 + 19   18 + 21 + 14)              = 131
Av.    = 11.9
Madison Du Berlais = 16
13 + 1 + 4 + 9 + 19 + 15 + 14   4 + 21   2 + 5 + 18 + 12 + 1 + 9 + 19)           = 166
Av.    = 10.4
Calgary Bay = 10
(3 + 1 + 12 + 7 + 1 + 18 + 25   2 + 1 + 25                     = 95
Av.     = 9.5
My Will = 6
(13 + 25   23 + 9 + 12 + 12)                               = 94
Av.    = 15.7
Casey Jones = 10
(3 + 1 + 19 + 5 + 35    10 + 15 + 14 + 5 + 19                 = 126
Av.    = 12.6
Schindlers Hunt = 14
(19 + 3 + 8 + 9 + 14 + 4 + 12 + 5 + 18 + 19   8 + 21 + 14 + 20)             = 174
Av.    = 12.4
Mon Mome = 7
(13 + 15 + 14   13 + 25 + 13 + 5)                           =   98
Av.    = 14
Aran Concerto = 12
(1 + 18 + 1 + 14   3 + 15 + 14 + 3 + 5 + 18 + 20 + 15)                 = 127
Av.    = 10.6
Mr Pointment = 11
(13 + 18   16 + 15 + 9 + 14 + 20 + 13 + 5 + 14 + 20)                 = 157
Av.    = 14.3
Cerium = 6
(3 + 5 + 18 + 9 + 21 + 13)                             = 69
Av.    = 11.5
Notre Pere = 9
(14 + 15 + 20 + 18 + 5   16 + 5 + 18 + 5)                     = 116
Av.    = 12.9
Glencove Marina = 14
(7 + 12 + 5 + 14 + 3 + 15 + 22 + 5   13 + 1 + 18 + 9 + 14 + 1)           = 139
Av.   = 9.9
Air Force One = 11
(1 + 9 + 18   6 + 15 + 18 + 3 + 5    15 + 14 + 5)                 = 109
Av.   = 9.9
Cloudy Lane = 10
(3 + 12 + 15 + 21 + 4 + 25    12 + 1 + 14 + 5)                     = 112
Av.    = 11.2
In Compliance = 12
(9 + 14   3 + 15 + 13 + 16 + 12 + 9 + 1 + 14 + 3 + 5)                 = 114
Av.    = 9.5
Mighty Man = 9
(13 + 9 + 7 + 8 + 20 + 25   13 + 1 + 14)                     = 110
Av.    = 12.2
Money Trix = 9
(13 + 15 + 14 + 5 + 25   20 + 18 + 9 + 24)                     = 143
Av.    = 15.9
Rare Bob = 7
(18 + 1 + 18 + 5   2 + 15 + 2)                             = 61
Av.    = 8.7
Roll Along = 9
(18 + 15 + 12 + 12      1 + 12 + 15 + 14 + 7)                     = 106
Av.    = 11.8
Taranis = 7
(20 + 1 + 18 + 1 + 14 + 9 + 19)                         =   82
Av.    = 11.7
Trabolgan = 9
(20 + 18 + 1 + 2 + 15 + 12 + 7 + 1 + 14)                     = 90
Av.    = 10

Other Trends:
* Seven of the last nine Gold Cup winners have been in King George VI race on the way to Cheltenham. This year - Kauto Star won.
* All but one of the last 16 winners have been aged 7-9. Kauto Star and Denman are both 10.
* Denman has now won just once in his last five chases and has failed to complete in two of them.
* Imperial Commander has won four out of the five chases he has contested at Cheltenham.

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