It was presumably at this point that a punter in Pontypridd, having asked for a £10 bet at 7-1, found his bet had been matched at 999-1, thanks to Betfair's system of giving backers the best odds available at the split second their bet is made. Horses of the calibre of Straw Bear, Sweet Wake, Buena Vista and Sublimity were in front of him and going better. But he'd lost his position at the top of the hill and Ruby Walsh was hard at work after Noland flattened the third-last.Īs the field swung round the final turn, he disappeared off the edge of the TV picture in about 10th place. Here's my countdown of the five biggest Betfair stories so far, the ones that I reckon will live longest in betting lore.Īlready a Grade One winner, Noland had obvious claims for the Supreme Novice Hurdle that opened the 2006 Cheltenham Festival and he was sent off as the 6-1 second-favourite.

Solitary punters who knew no one else interested in racing unexpectedly found themselves swapping views with professional gamblers and stable lads.Ībove all, the advent of Betfair created a new kind of story, as people won and lost at odds that had never previously been heard of, in circumstances that had never previously existed. The rapid ebb and flow of prices was absorbing, but not so absorbing as the Betfair forum, which offered an astonishing collision of wit, mindlessness, priceless information, worthless drivel, ribaldry, bragging and furious invective. Suddenly, through Betfair, you could bet against a particular horse, back a horse and then trade out for a guaranteed profit (or a loss, if the market had moved against you) and continue to bet during the race. I think it's fair to say there was a certain staleness about the old system, under which you took a price from a bookmaker and then, after a decent interval, threw your betting slip away.

Whatever your feeling on these subjects, there is no denying that the existence of Betfair makes betting on horses so much more interesting than it was.

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