The website will restart for The Jumps Season Service 2025/26 on October 24th
23/4/25
And so ends our tenth year since I set up this website. Or it will do in four days’ time after Sandown. And a good one I’d say it was at that, especially given the changes which worked for the better looking back at the feedback and results.
Therefore, with no Sunday column to keep things ticking over for six months this year as wanting to give myself a full break, the website will effectively close down for six months’ hibernation from April 27th returning in mid-October for The Jumps Season Service 2025/26 so I’ll next be in direct touch with members shortly after the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
With the service centering around the Cheltenham Festival as usual, it was pleasing to make another nice profit on that long series of columns and then to follow up with an equally-pleasing set of Aintree results where Gentleman De Mee (33/1 for the Topham) was our best individual result of the season.
Other racing highlights earlier in the season were Val Dancer (18/1 for the Welsh Grand National) and Banbridge (ante-post at 10/1 for the King George) so we enjoyed a very good Christmas after nailing the big double at the Cheltenham November Meeting with ante-post plays on Il Ridoto at 10/1 for the Paddy Power Gold Cup and Burdett Road at 8/1 for the Greatwood Hurdle which got us off to a flying start.
On the sports side of things, our highlight was Shaun Murphy winning The Masters snooker at 16/1 and we also did alright on the golf version of The Masters collecting in various markets. Fingers crossed that Leeds can hold off Burnley in the Championship for the 12/1 double with Birmingham to win League 1.
Looking forward, the Eurovision Song Contest is on May 17th where I hope to continue my long run of success in that event. I nailed my colours to France even before hearing their entry when they were 8/1 fancying that it would be a belter after Louane was named as their artist as she’s class (and they are desperate to win it for the first time since 1977, as are the EBU who put the show together) and ending up starting a short-priced favourite. That hasn’t happened though as they are virtually the same odds now that all the entries are in but I do think it’s between third-favs France and the 11/10 fav, Sweden, so a save on the Swedes is one option.
Actually, I think the best bet here and now is France each-way at 17/2 (Paddy Power and Betfair Sportsbook) as I really can’t see them finishing out of the top four.
It’s the only song that I would be confident will finish in the Top 4 in both the Jury and Televote and I prefer them to second-favs, Austria, which is a little too close to last year’s winning genre for my liking and that doesn’t usually go down great. I’m also expecting classy staging from France to make it a more intimate performance (it is being directed by Frederick Rydman who did likewise for the winner last year and the second in 2023 plus Sweden when they won a decade ago) than when poor Louane was suspended in the air in the Stade de France in front of 80,000 rugby fans when it was premiered.
In fact, I see 15/2+ about France as a strong each-way bet here and now with all firms betting down to fourth in a contest where only five or six have a realistic chance of finishing Top 4. I’d say France will win or finish second in the Jury vote and hopefully then have a big enough lead over Sweden from that, who will certainly outscore them on the Televote. Expect big market moves in all directions once the dress rehearsals start the week before the event. It will be crazy stuff.
As for my annual preview with on-the-night recommendations, it’s not confirmed as yet but after a couple of years off I might be providing it for the Attheraces website which is where you can also find my Big Race Trends articles for Royal Ascot and other big races on the flat this season.
My thanks to Andy Richmond for his Beating The Bias and NFL content over the last six-and-a-half months and he’ll be returning next season where I don’t think there will be any further changes. We might have an addition though with another sports writer as Graham Wheldon has offered to provide his musings for us once again, like he did in the very early years of the website launching.
And finally, one last plug for Fifty Years In The Betting Jungle which I wrote with Gary Wiltshire and published by Weatherbys looking back at his half a century in the game. It’s getting lots of nice reviews and Gary has been appearing in various podcasts promoting it. It’s a very easy read so ideal if you are looking for something to keep your mind occupied during a summer holiday.
Best of luck over the next six months.
