The 9 para explanation to show that the race in question is not technically a handicap will be a stonker.
Dan, no need for nine paragraphs – the original discussion was about the Ebor handicap at York. I edited the quote to remove stick’s first part about the odds that were available as it was not worth arguing with insufficient facts available to me.
When stick claimed that it is the “biggest gambling race of the entire season”, that was palpable nonsense. We all know the one race that half the country bets on and this is why it always tops the turnover table; however, it is a statistical aberration.
I am currently trying to find a link to the list that Coral published showing the top 40 races by turnover. We know what is number 1 but out of the other 39, 19 of the others were races run at some place called Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. I have a feeling that the Cheltenham Gold Cup is number 2 and the flat races on the list are dominated by handicaps like the 2000 Guineas and The Derby.
This is the Horserace Betting Levy Board’s list of the Top 10 races of 2014 by turnover:
1. Grand National, Aintree
2. Cheltenham Gold Cup, Cheltenham
3. Epsom Derby, Epsom
4. Ladbrokes World Hurdle, Cheltenham
5. Champion Hurdle, Cheltenham
6. Scottish Grand National, Ayr
7. King George VI Chase, Kempton
8. 2000 Guineas, Newmarket
9. Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle, Cheltenham
10. Queen Mother Champion Chase, Cheltenham
Just how many handicaps are there in the Top 10?
In 2014, the Ebor did not even make the Top 10 for July to December; and it came in at number 8 for July to September with the St Leger beating the Cambridgeshire (a handicap!) to top the list.