If you asked the typical punter which event they most looking forward to in the racing calendar, you’d most likely be told either the Grand National or the Cheltenham Festival. Granted as a one off race the National has massive worldwide appeal (and I’m sure we all get involved in the office sweepstakes etc), but as a four day feast of top class racing the Cheltenham Festival has much going for it too.
Taking place this year from the 15th to 18th March The Cheltenham Festival is a golden opportunity to watch the best owners, trainers, jockeys and horses come together in a bid to put their stamp on an event that’s steeped in history. This year there is a really upbeat feel to the Festival along with a bustling crowd, due to the lifting of all Covid restrictions across the country. It’s a chance to soap in a top sporting event, and to have a punt, whether on course or watching the coverage from home. The racing public simply can’t wait for the ‘Cheltenham Roar’ to sound and the top class racing to begin.
To gear up to the Cheltenham Festival Betway decided to get together two well known figures in the world of trainers (one from the Premier League and another racing) to discuss the ins and outs of the role, how to maintain a successful career and how to get the best out of those you’re training (whether horse or human!). Of course there are plenty of differences between the two sports but without a doubt, on the mental side (determination etc) as well as the processes in place and expectations within the sport there are plenty of commonalities too. Once you’ve watched this entertaining exchange why not check out the betting odds for some of your favourite Cheltenham selections and have something to cheer on, during this unmissable Festival! Good luck!
Read more about Masters Champion, Tiger Woods here
In April, 2019, Tiger Woods completed what was hailed as the ‘comeback of the decade’ when winning the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Club for the fifth time and his fifteenth major championship in all. Woods, 43, had not won the Masters since 2005 or a major championship, of any description, since the US Open in 2008.
Indeed, in recent years, Woods has been plagued by back problems, which eventually resulted in spinal fusion surgery in April, 2017. However, two years later his recovery appeared complete, as he came from two strokes behind 54-hole leader Francesco Molinari – the first time he had done so in a major championship – to win by a single shot. Molinari found Rae’s Creek with his tee shot on the famous twelfth hole and compounded the error by finding water again on the fifteenth; he eventually dropped away to finish joint-fifth after a final round of 74.
Woods, meanwhile, was on the way to a two-under-par 70, which took his 72-hole total to -13 and a one-shot victory over compatriots Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka. In fact, Woods had the luxury of being able to make a bogey on the final hole, which he did, after apparently fluffing his second shot, but a safe two-putt from 14 or 15 feet sealed a momentous victory. His first major championship win for 11 years leaves Woods just one behing Jack Nicklaus’ record of six Masters Tournament victories.
Read more about Oh So Sharp in the Triple Crown