Mystery over top secret Cheltenham Festival leak as furious Ruby Walsh blasts ‘unfair’ advantage to certain punters
CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL bosses are scrambling to find out how top secret information that gave certain punters an unfair advantage was leaked a day early.
Mystery surrounds how details on the weights horses would carry in the nine handicap races secretly got out.
Walsh gave a passionate speech slamming racing chiefs for allowing the leak of top secret information to happen
Furious Ruby Walsh said the leak gave those punters privy to the information an unfair advantage.
Respected ITV pundit Kevin Blake claimed the weights were ‘released behind closed doors’ last Tuesday, a day before Wednesday’s noon embargo.
Walsh, Cheltenham Festival’s top jockey, roared ‘that’s not fair!’ as he delivered a passionate speech slamming chiefs for not keeping the information under tighter wraps.
The weights of all the horses were due to be released at a press event at Cheltenham racecourse.
Handicappers employed by the BHA assess the horses, give them a rating and weight to carry, and pass the information onto Weatherbys before it is received by The Jockey Club.
According to the BHA’s Andrew Mealor, the weights were finalised on Monday, before being sent to Weatherbys, who do the admin for the governing body.
OFFERS OF THE DAY
William Hill: Bet £10 Get £40 in free bets – CLAIM HERE
Betfair: Bet £10 Get £30 – CLAIM HERE
Paddy Power: Bet £20 and get it back as Cash if it Loses – CLAIM HERE
Sky Bet: Bet £10 on Racing and get £30 in free bets – CLAIM HERE
Coral: Bet £5 Get £20 – CLAIM HERE
William Hill: 18+. Play Safe. When you sign-up via Mobile using promo code P40 and place a bet of £10/€10 or more we will give you 4x £10/€10 free bets credited after settlement of first qualifying bet, free bets will expire 30 days after the qualifying bet is placed, payment method/player/country restrictions apply. Virtual markets excluded. #ad begambleaware.org
Betfair – Place a min £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of min 1/2 (1.5), get £30 in Free Bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly 18+ begambleaware.org
Paddy Power: New customers only. Place your FIRST bet on any market at odds of min 2.0 (EVS) and if it loses we will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is £20. Only deposits made using cards will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply. 18+ Begambleaware.org
Sky Bet: New customers only. First single & e/w bet only odds of 1/1 or greater. 3 x £10 bet tokens. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets only redeemable on horse racing. Free bets are non withdrawable. No free bet expiry. Eligibility restrictions and further t&cs apply.
Coral: Eligible UK+IRE players. Paypal & some deposit & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4x £5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. No cash-out, restrictions & T&Cs apply. 18+ T&Cs Apply. Begambleaware.org
The Jockey Club then receive the figures and make them public to trainers, owners and punters.
Somewhere along the line the data of almost 600 horses was passed on early – but at the moment, no one appears to know or is able to confirm who did it, how or when.
Some punters were able to find those horses given good marks and place their bets – hours before anyone else knew.
Speaking on Racing TV’s Road to Cheltenham on Thursday night, Walsh said: “The weights were actually released behind closed doors on Tuesday by the BHA, etc etc.
“Some people had a headstart for those who wanted to punt ante-post.
“Now the BHA is all for transparency. That’s not a level playing field if you’re a punter.
“Whoever they are, some people had access to them before everyone else.
“Now this is the watchers, the BHA, who are into transparency and into looking at what everyone else is doing… we’re looking at you. That’s not fair!”
Co-host Lydia Hislop rightly pointed out that more than one body was involved in the process and that it was tough to put the blame at the door of any one body or individual.
Walsh added: “Who is in charge of that particular product? That is owned, the handicap is owned by the BHA. That was their material to release.
“They’re in charge of integrity. That was not done with integrity in mind.”
The process of releasing the weighs was changed this year to avoid what happened in 2022.
The Jockey Club, who own Cheltenham and 14 other racecourses, were forced into a mad dash to package the information then due to how close to the embargo the handicappers submitted their ratings.
Punters have been betting on this year’s Festival since the end of last year’s.
Bookies predict some £1billion will be staked on the 28 races over four days from March 14.
FREE BETS GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
Never chases their losses
Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
