What proportion of favourites win?

Across the whole of horse racing, the fact that, on average, approximately one-third of favourites win or, conversely, approximately two-thirds of favourites lose, is well chronicled. However, the proportion of winning favourites varies widely according to the type of race being contested, the number of runners, the odds on offer and so on.

For example, it stands to reason that non-handicap races should produce a higher proportion of winning favourites than handicap races, in which every horse, theoretically, has an equal chance of winning; in fact, in non-handicap races, approximately two-fifths, or 40%, of favourites win. Similarly, it might be expected that the proportion of winning favourites is inversely proportional to the odds on offer and this is, in fact, the case; less than 23% of favourites sent off at 2/1 or longer win, but 45% of those starting at 15/8 or shorter do so, as do 86% of those starting at prohibitive odds of 1/4 or shorter.

Which is the oldest racecourse in Britain?

According to Guinness World Records, the oldest racecourse, still in operation, in Britain is Chester Racecourse, on the banks of the River Dee in Cheshire, North West England. Also known as the ‘Roodee’, or ‘Roodeye’, meaning ‘Island of the Cross’ – a name that dates from the Roman occupation of Chester – the racecourse was established by Henry Gee, a.k.a. ‘The Reforming Mayor of Chester’. The first recorded race was staged on February 9, 1539, during the reign of Henry VIII, and Henry Gee decreed that a horse racing meeting should become an annual event, thereby creating what has since become the oldest continuous venue for the sport in the British Isles.

In which race did Frankel achieve his highest Timeform rating?

On October 15, 2011, on the final start of his three-year-old campaign, Frankel ran on powerfully to beat Excelebration by 4 lengths in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, over the straight mile at Ascot, as a result of which he was awarded a Timeform rating of 143+. At that stage of his career, Frankel was rated just 2lb inferior to Sea-Bird, awarded a Timeform rating of 145 after winning the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe by six lengths, although the ‘+’ attached to his rating indicated that he ‘may be be better than rated’. Indeed, Timeform hailed the ‘bold and refreshing decision’ by owner Khalid Abdulla to keep Frankel in training as a four-year-old.

So it proved, because on June 19, 2012, on the second start of his four-year-old campaign and his eleventh start in all, Frankel recorded an extremely impressive 11-length victory over his old rival Excelebration in the Queen Anne Stakes, over the same course and distance, to achieve a Timeform rating of 147+. Frankel did not better that rating when stepped up to a mile and a quarter, and beyond, in the Juddmonte International Stakes at York and the Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot, but nonetheless remains the highest-rated horse in the history of Timeform.

Will Royal Ascot go Ahead in 2020?

With due respect to other summer racing festivals, such as the Moet & Chandon July Festival at Newmarket and the Qatar Goodwood Festival, Royal Ascot is the undisputed ‘jewel in the crown’ of the summer racing programme in Britain. Indeed, the Royal Meeting is renowned as one of the greatest sporting and social events anywhere in the world.

In 2020, Royal Ascot is scheduled for Tuesday, June 16 until Saturday, June 20 but, at the time of writing, Britain has been under lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic for two weeks. Current speculation is that, if Britain mirrors China – which, in early April, reported no coronavirus deaths for the first time since January – the Government could be in a position to, at least, consider lifting restrictions by ‘early summer’. Of course, the ‘astronomical’ summer does not start until June 20 so, while the Ascot authority is considering ‘a range of options’ with regard to future race meetings, Royal Ascot 2020 is still in the balance.

“It may prove possible to run the Royal Ascot races behind closed doors, dependent on government and public health policy and the approval of the BHA [British Horseracing Authority] for us to re-start racing,” said Ascot Racecourse’s chief exec Guy Henderson.

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