Life On The Trail
Ever wondered what it's like to follow a professional horse racing service throughout a National Hunt season? Well wonder no more!
Life On The Trail is the story of one National Hunt season following The Cheltenham Trail service told through the previews, analysis, bets and results, of author Andy Gibson, plus the experiences of 25 members of The Cheltenham Trail. A wonderfully diverse group of National Hunt enthusiasts including a market trader, managing director, solicitor, head teacher, racing club manager, a few independent bookmakers plus a Grand National winning jockey!
Acclaim for The Cheltenham Trail
"The amount of time, love and care that Andy puts into The Cheltenham Trial is there for all to see, but it is also his thoughtful, and thought-provoking, analysis that I enjoy reading. He asks you to look at form and horses…and races….in an unusual way and in a manner to which maybe you might not have done so previously. I am always amazed at the sheer body of work he produces, not to mention he is not often wrong with his observations.
"If I am placing a bet myself, or researching races for upcoming podcasts or interviews, I always ensure I am up to date with Andy’s analysis and have read the latest musings from The Cheltenham Trail. To have not done so would be akin to a batsman walking out to the middle without a bat or a box, asking for a mark and then turning to face a fast bowler pelting full speed towards him. Now that would be considered to be dangerously unprepared for the job ahead, wouldn’t it?"
Ed Nicholson - Head Of Racing For Unibet
“Horses took over my life from the age of 9 years old. I started riding ponies and rode my first racehorse at the age of 13. That 60 seconds when I rode my first racehorse on the gallop was a minute in time that changed my life forever. Being able to ride something that powerful was a buzz like no other – from that moment, I wanted to be a jockey”.
Mick Fitzgerald – TV Racing Pundit and Retired Jockey
"The Cheltenham Trail seems to me at least to work off the Chinese proverb: ‘Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
Tony Keenan – Racing journalist and teacher
“I therefore use TCT both to identify betting opportunities on a personal level, and as a guide as to which horses we may seek to ‘get in the book’ if Star has a pitch at the racecourse that day”.
Steve Brewer – Head Of On Course For Starsports Bookmakers
“I really enjoy TCT although I am not one for reading any of his notes!! (Sorry Andy!!) Unlike most of his members, I simply scroll to the end of his work to see if he has had a bet. I have been a member for several years which tells its own story”.
Keith Sharrock – Retired Engineer
"Personally, I have never come across such nuanced NH/Festival analysis. The Cheltenham Trail is thought-provoking and extremely perceptive; the work Andy must put in from November onwards must be borderline overwhelming such is the time and effort he so obviously puts in."
Dan Hague – Independent Bookmaker
“The second feature of Andy’s analysis that grabbed me was his belief in a mantra I have now become so used to hearing him say; “the value of a horse’s rating is not in the rating itself but in how that rating was attained”. It is obvious when one thinks about it but that simple rule carries so much discipline, thought and analytical skill”.
David Parry – Managing Director
“Whilst following TCT has been very profitable for me, I think it has been equally beneficial in challenging my own approach, which by comparison is very one dimensional! I've now developed an "Inner Andy" voice (to go alongside all the other voices in my head!) that talks to me before I place a bet saying such things as "think of good reasons not to back it"…."It’s not for me today but I'll happily watch it win"….”.
Phil James – Retired Business Executive
“I have used Andy's work as on course bookmaker to give me an edge when laying horses over the national hunt season. I use his methods and views to decide on the price I should be laying certain horses in a race”.
Danny Collier – Independent Bookmaker