Which was the last horse to win the Chester Vase and the Derby?

Which was the last horse to win the Chester Vase and the Derby? The Chester Vase is a Group Three contest, run over an extended mile and a half at the Deeside venue during its May Festival. The race was established in 1907, but was restricted to three-year-old colts and geldings in 1959, since when it has been considered a Derby trial. Chester Racecourse does not feature a ‘Tattenham Corner’ per se, but is not wholly dissimilar to Epsom Downs insofar that there is a sharp, left-handed turn into the straight and crowds assemble on both sides of the track.

Undoubtedly the most famous winner in the history of the Chester Vase was Shergar who, in 1981, won by 12 lengths en route to his record-breaking 10-length win in the Derby. No Chester Vase won the Derby again until 2013, when Ruler Of The World, trained by Aidan O’Brien, easily justified odds-on favouritism on the Roodeye before following up at Epsom. The Galileo colt was the last horse to win both races but, in 2017, Wings Of Eagles finished runner-up to stable companion Venice Beach in the Chester Vase before springing a huge 40/1 surprise in the Derby.

Which race used to be called the Massey Ferguson Gold Cup?

Which race used to be called the Massey Ferguson Gold Cup? The race formerly known as the Massey Ferguson Gold Cup is a Grade Three handicap steeplechase run over 2 miles 4½ furlongs on the New Course at Cheltenham. Established in 1963, the race has had various sponsors, and various titles, since the agricultural machinery manufacturer relinquished sponsorship in 1980, but its positioning in the National Hunt calendar has led to it becoming known, commonly, as the December Gold Cup. The most recent sponsor is gourmet food supplier Caspian Caviar, such that, since 2014, the race has been run as the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup.

In the initial sponsorship period, notable winners of the Massey Ferguson Gold Cup included Flyingbolt, in 1965, and Pendil, in 1973. More recently, in 2006, Exotic Dancer won the Boylesports.com Gold Cup, as the race was known at the time, en route to finishing second to his ‘nemesis’ Kauto Star in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.

When was off-course betting tax abolished?

As part of his Budget speech in March, 2001, then Chancellor of the Exchequor, Gordon Brown, announced that, from January 1, 2002, the betting levy would be abolished. Previously, the government had collected a betting duty of 6.75% from bookmakers, which was passed on to off-course punters as a 9% tax, payable on stake money or winnings. Instead, bookmakers would be taxed, at 15%, on their gross profits, allowing off-course punters to bet tax-free for the first time since 1968.

Beforehand, Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise had predicted betting duty would plummet as off-course punters sought to avoid paying tax by betting offshore or online. A spokesperson for bookmaker Victor Chandler, whose move offshore was believed to have spurred the Chancellor into action, described the proposed 15% tax on gross profits as ‘simply another stealth tax’.

Nevertheless, as announced by the National Audit Office in January, 2005, the move proved highly successful. The so-called ‘Big Three’ bookmakers, William Hill, Ladbrokes and Coral, all repatriated their offshore operations and the value of bets placed off-course increased by nearly 100%, from £27 billion to £53 billion, in the period since the law was changed.

What is an exotic bet?

What is an exotic bet? In Britain, what qualifies as an ‘exotic’ bet varies slightly from bookmaker to bookmaker but, generally speaking, the term typically applies to a range of Tote bets, above and beyond standard win, place and each-way bets. In short, an exotic bet is a bet on multiple horses in one or more races. In common with all Tote bets, all the money staked on a particular ‘exotic’ market is pooled together and, after deductions, the remaining pool is divided by the number of winning tickets to arrive at a winning dividend.

Thus, after an unlikely result, or series of results, exotic bets can produce huge dividends for a small initial outlay, which increases their attraction. Of course, exotic bets are more difficult to win than standard win, place and each-way, but it is possible to perm multiple horses in a single race, or multiple races, where applicable, to increase the chances of doing so. Another type of bet worthy in mention is in-running, or live bets. Also known as in-play bets, those looking for live betting opportunities want to take advantage of bet odds during a live sporting events.

Single-race exotic bets include the Exacta and Trifecta, which are akin to traditional forecast and tricast bets, and the Swinger, in which the idea is to select two horses to be placed in the first three, in any order, in a race. Multiple-race exotic bets include the Scoop6, Jackpot, Placepot and Quadpot.

The Scoop6 operates only on Friday and Saturday and requires punters to pick the winners of six designated races, with a consolation fund for six placed horses and an additional bonus fund for winners to play for. The Jackpot operates on similar principles, but is a daily pool, with no consolation or bonus funds. The Placepot, too, is a daily pool, which can be won by picking six placed horses in the first six races of a British meeting, while the Quadpot is a consolation pool for punters who are eliminated from the Placepot after the first two legs.

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