Horse racing betting

This could be the penultimate year of the traditional Tuesday start to Cheltenham. The idea of a Saturday climax to the Festival, previously deadbatted by the organisers, was given fresh momentum yesterday when Edward Gillespie, the managing director, indicated it was very possible in 2012.

Gillespie ascribes the development to Racing For Change. Saturday is not an option while we have to buy our way into it by acquiring someone elses fixture. It makes no business sense simply to make another course rich. But were aware that the opportunity may now arise through Racing For Change opening up the fixture process.

I wouldnt say were under pressure to do it but I do feel there is an appetite for Festival Saturdays. In my view, 2012 is the earliest it could happen and its not inevitable even then. We havent begun any consultations but wed be competing with Premier League football and international rugby, so wed need to be sure-footed.

Gillespie, who dismissed all thought of a five-day Festival, revealed that Friday is currently twice as profitable as any of the other three days, casting doubt on whether the Gold Cup would be moved to a Saturday. Opinions are divided on that one, he said.

More than 190,000 Festival tickets have been sold so far and Gold Cup day is close to capacity. Also approaching sell-out is the stock of 5,000 scarves purchased by Cheltenham to promote the third duel between Kauto Star and Denman. Kauto is outselling his rival 60-40.

Daffodils were finally beginning to bloom on the roundabout at Cheltenhams entrance yesterday but Simon Claisse, the clerk of the course, admitted that severe winter weather has put his preparations behind schedule. Its been the coldest winter for 31 years, Claisse said. We had six weeks of snow cover or frost after Christmas and the average January temperature here was 1.7C. Its been a very testing season for the groundstaff and the place doesnt look as good as we would like.

The going at Cheltenham is soft, good to soft in places, but forecasts suggest this will improve. There is no rain predicted until at least the end of next week, Claisse said. Watering, then, is not yet ruled out.

Spare a thought for Anthony Cosgriff. Having boldly brought two horses halfway round the world, hoping to be the first Australian-based trainer to compete at Cheltenham, Cosgriff has been dogged by ill luck. Gorge, his principal hope, has suffered a stress fracture, while his efforts to get an exploratory run into Onajet – a speculative entry for the three-mile novice hurdle – have been foiled three times by abandonments. Its taken the wind out of our sails, Cosgriff says with understatement.

Cheltenham offers a rare chance for racing to migrate into general news and sports media but marketing men seeking such exposure are having mixed fortunes. On the plus side, page three girls from The Sun will adopt racing themes in Festival week and a picture shoot with Go Native, the Champion Hurdle aspirant, is already fixed. Negative reaction, though, from Skys Soccer AM programme, which politely rejected the chance to have Tony McCoy and Ruby Walsh – fans of Arsenal and Manchester United respectively – on a March show.

Perpetual trophies are an integral part of the Festival but the same has curiously been untrue of the Derby. Until now, winning connections have received a one-off memento rather than something readily identified with the race. Investec, the new sponsors, are about to rectify this.

Charlie Langton, the renowned artist, has been commissioned to design an iconic trophy, intended to represent the Derby just as the Ashes urn or the World Cup characterise those contests. It will be launched by John Oxx, trainer of last years winner Sea The Stars, at Epsoms April meeting and then be taken on tour around the Derby trials.