GBR Fantasy Jumps Series 2014-2015

What a finale to the 2014-2015 Fantasy Jumps Series! Our season-long strategy of focusing on the jockey-trainer-horse combinations paid dividends with Leighton Aspell and Oliver Sherwood combining to win the Crabbies' Grand National 2015 with 25/1 shot Many Clouds.

The trainer and jockey each earned 480 points for their success and meant our stable accumulated a fantastic 1,180 points on the final day of the series. An excellent haul.

This meant our stable finished with just short of 6,000 points and comfortably inside the top 150. It looks like the competition winners finished with around 7,150 points.

Crabbies' Grand National 2015: race preview

The money continues to come for Shutthefrontdoor, the final ride for champion jockey AP McCoy in the Crabbies' Grand National. McCoy has hinted that if he wins a second Grand National he will retire that very afternoon rather than ride on until the end of the season. If he does win then a few bookmakers might want to retire too!

Shutthefrontdoor was 8/1 but is now 6/1 with Ladbrokes overnight on Friday. The 2014 winner Pineau De Re lines up to defend his crown at a similar price of 25/1 as he was last year.

An injury to jockey Robbie McNamara on Friday could mean a late spare Grand National ride for Katie Walsh on Lord Windermere (50/1).

GBR Fantasy Jumps Series 2014-2015

After six months, starting with the Paddy Power Gold Cup back in November, the GBR Fantasy Jumps Series comes to head with the Crabbies' Grand National at Aintree on Saturday 11 April.

Our stable goes into the final two races on the calendar placed just outside the top 200 with more than 4,800 points.

That position owes much to Thistlecrack (25/1) and Tom Scudamore winning the Doom Bar Sefton Novices' Hurdle at Aintree on Friday.

That win notched up 235 points for our stable, a good chunk of our day's total of 485 points.

A big-priced winner in the Grand National finale could still shake up the final leaderboard.

Crabbie's Grand National 2015 - weights

Crabbie's Grand National, Aintree, 11 April 2015

The weights have been announced for the 2015 running of the Grand National, with its GB£ 1 million total prize fund.

Currently, joint top weights are Carlingford Lough (trainer: John Kiely) and 2014 Gold Cup winner Lord Windermere (Jim Culloty). Both horses have been allocated 11-10.

Oliver Sherwood's Many Clouds is next in the weights with 11-09.

Last year's Grand National winner Pineau De Re (Dr Richard Newland) is given 11-00 to carry this time around.

A maximum of 40 runners can face the starter on 11 April. Shuthefrontdoor (11-02) is already as short as 9/1 favourite for the race.

BHA Head of Handicapping Phil Smith discusses the weights here:

http://www.britishhorseracing.com/bha-head-handicapping-speaks-2015-crabbies-grand-national-weights-lunch/

Top 10 horse races by betting turnover - January to June 2014

The top ten races by betting turnover in the first six months of 2014 were as follows:

1. Crabbie's Grand National
2. Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup
3. Investec Derby
4. Ladbrokes World Hurdle
5. Stan James Champion Hurdle
6. Coral Scottish Grand National
7. Qipco 2000 Guineas
8. Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle
9. BetVictor Queen Mother Champion Chase
10. Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle


Source: HBLB

Top 10 horse races by betting turnover - April to June 2014

Top 10 races by betting turnover in Q2 2014, according to HBLB data:

1. Crabbie's Grand National
2. Investec Derby
3. Coral Scottish Grand National
4. Qipco 2000 Guineas
5. Investec Oaks
6. Ascot Gold Cup (Royal Ascot)
7. Prince of Wales's Stakes (Royal Ascot)
8. Qipco 1000 Guineas
9. St James's Palace Stakes (Royal Ascot)
10. Diamond Jubilee Stakes (Royal Ascot)

Crabbie’s Grand National 2014 weights

The weights were announced for the 2014 Crabbie's Grand National this week.

The race takes place at Aintree on Saturday 5 April 2014 and will be a GB£ 1 million race for the first time (total prize money).

Paul Nicholls’ 13-year-old Tidal Bay has been allocated the top weight of 11st 10 lbs, one pound ahead of former Gold Cup winner Long Run (Nicky Henderson).

Last year’s winner Auroras Encore has been retired through injury so cannot defend his crown. But last year’s beaten favourite Sea Bass is entered with a weight of 11st 2 lbs. Teaforthree (third in 2013) is also back with a weight of 10 st 12lbs.

If the race were being run this weekend, given the UK’s current weather, one imagines Tidal Bay (16/1), There’s No Panic (40/1), Storm Survivor (50/1) and Tranquil Sea (100/1) would all be popular for their names.

Full list of weights on the BBC Sports website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/horse-racing/26135845

Crabbie’s Puts Fizz Into Grand National

The Aintree Grand National has unveiled its new sponsor from 2014 in the form of Crabbie’s, maker of a rather tasty alcoholic ginger beer.

Crabbie’s will sponsor the famous race for three years and 2014’s running will have a purse worth GB£ 1 million for the first time.

The sponsor will also see its name attached to the Fox Hunters’ Chase and the Topham Chase at the Aintree Grand National meeting.

John Smith’s had sponsored the race between 2005 and Auroras Encore’s 66/1 win in April 2013.

There were reports that Aintree wanted to avoid a bookmaker sponsoring the race if possible, so Crabbie’s will be seen as a success. This is a strange position to adopt, given how much Ladbrokes did to save the race from extinction in decades gone by.

The role of bookmakers in sponsoring races should not be underestimated. In 2012 the betting sector sponsored over 3,000 races, some 41% of the total. Bookmakers put up nearly GB£ 32 million in prize money in the sponsored races out of a total of GB£ 82 million.

Food and drink companies sponsored just 502 races (7%) and these races contributed GB£ 6.5 million in prize money.