Gift Horses
The online sports betting sites can't get it right all the time. Every once in a while in the world of horse race betting an outsider comes through for horse race betting punters. When people usually bet on horse racing they leave the rank outsiders well alone, but perhaps these famous horse betting upsets will give you reason to think again before you do any more safe online horse racing betting.
1964 Cheltenham Gold Cup
By all measures this was the best horse race of all-time attracting big money from fans of horse race betting. The 1963 Gold Cup winner and hope of England, Mill House, was up against the best from Ireland, Arkle. Most horse racing betting sites favoured the home runner, but Arkle won the first of his three Gold Cups with impressive ease. Arkle was simply the best racehorse to ever jump a fence and his unique combination of speed, jumping ability, class, stamina and courage marked him down as the horse by which all others are judged.
1965 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
People who liked to bet on horse racing would have had a difficult time picking a winner as arguably the greatest ever field assembled for a flat race lined up over a mile and half at Longchamp on the first Sunday in October of 1965. The decisive winner, showing his trademark finishing burst, was the mighty Sea Bird. The French trained three year old had won the Derby in imperious fashion and when pitched against the very best of all generations from all over the world in the Arc, he demonstrated that he was in a different league to his rivals and this was reflected in the horse race betting.
1975 King George & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes
A brutal clash of the generations took place at Ascot in late July 1975 when the reigning Derby winner, Grundy, took on the best older stayer in training, Bustino. The latter's trainer Dick Hern used two pacemakers for Bustino in an attempt to run the finish out of his younger rival and they helped to set up a truly memorable day for horse betting. Despite the ferocious gallop, Grundy was still able to stay in a challenging position and in the final furlong fans of horse race betting were on the edge of their seats. Grundy stayed on grimly to narrowly beat Bustino.
1989 Cheltenham Gold Cup
Desert Orchid became a true favourite to all horse race betting fans with his flamboyance, but his best races were on right-handed tracks on good ground. When he lined up for the 1989 Gold CupGold Cup at Cheltenham, he was racing on a left handed course on heavy going resulting in much longer odds for Gold Cuphorse betting punters. Defying conditions and a track that didn't suit him, Desert Orchid put up his most memorable performance, digging deep to repel the gallant Yahoo up the hill for a famous victory.
1980 Templegate Hurdle
The late 1970's/early 1980's was by all measures the golden age for hurdlers and at Aintree in the race before the 1980 Grand National, two of the best from that era ran in what was subsequently rated to be the best hurdle race of all time. The horse race betting was intense as Night Nurse and Monksfield - the pick of the English hurdlers against the best from Ireland and after a fantastic battle, when both horses led at some point up the run-in, the race went to a photo finish. Chaos ensued as horse race betting fans argued about who crossed the line first. In the end it seems justice was done as a dead heat was called.
1995 Melling Chase
The cliché goes that 'jumping is the name of the game' and when Deep Sensation, Martha's Son and Viking Flagship lined up for the 1995 Melling Chase at Aintree, this top class trio gave horse betting fans one of the best displays of jumping at speed. Coming to the last fence, after almost two and half miles of racing, still only a matter of inches separated the three great horses ensuring that plenty of horse betting punters still felt they were in the fight. Jumping as one, they then battled hard up the run-in with victory being decided only in Viking Flagship's favour in the final strides.
1983 Cheltenham Gold Cup
Most great races live long in the memory because of the exploits of the winner, the 1983 Cheltenham Gold Cup is an exception. Michael Dickinson showed in the early 1980's what a great trainer he was, consistently sending out a team of jumpers to plunder major prizes. Known for his great attention to detail, Dickinson had performed wonders to get five runners to the start in the 1983 Gold Cup - history shows that the miracle was complete when they filled the first five places; a feat that will never be surpassed.
1986 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe
Dancing Brave proved himself a great miler when he won the 1986 2000 Guineas at Newmarket. At Epsom, Dancing Brave proved himself to be one of the unluckiest Derby losers when jockey Greville Starkey rode an ill-judged race. After restoring his reputation in the King George under new rider Pat Eddery, Dancing Brave traveled to Paris to face one of the strongest fields ever assembled for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Ridden with supreme confidence by Eddery, Dancing Brave powered home wide and late to win decisively.
1986 2000 Guineas
Vincent O'Brien was the greatest trainer ever seen by followers of horse race betting, sending out winners of Gold Cups, Grand Nationals and all the best flat races in England, Ireland and France, yet he had a special place in his affection for El Gran Senor. Impressive in the Dewhurst at Newmarket as juvenile, El Gran Senor returned to the Rowley Mile the following May and showed a fantastic turn of speed to beat a top quality field and attract plenty of horse race betting. The fact that the beaten horses at Newmarket went on to win a hatful of Group winners proved what a horse El Gran Senor was.
1990 Breeders' Cup Mile
Lester Piggott won the Derby nine times, won a total of 27 English classics and earned a reputation amongst horse betting punters as the best flat jockey ever. Time and again he appeared as the favourite on horse race betting boards. The genius that was Lester Piggott fell from grace when he was jailed for tax evasion in the 1980's, but remarkably he came out of retirement to ride again at the age of 55 in 1990. Classic success on Rodrigo De Triano showed that he still had what it took, but what he went on to do at Belmont Park in the Breeders' Cup Mile defied belief. Riding for his old boss, Vincent O'Brien, Piggott amazed the world by steering Royal Academy to an emotional win in one of the world's richest races - pure drama, pure Piggott!
