Paddy gives a quick rundown on the happenings of day 2 of the Galway Festival and talks about how things might unfold on Day 3.

It’s no flash in the pan. It’s no once-off. Padraig Harrington took the step that elevates him above any accusations of fluke. Winning one major is an excellent achievement, but the fact that a second takes him beyond the likes of Ben Curtis, Todd Hamilton and Paul Lawrie reinforces the significance. It’s doubtful as to whether Tiger would have got the better of him, considering something as innocuous as an early tee time on Thursday destroyed many of the leading players’challenges before they got started.

Where does it put Harrington in terms of Great Irish Sportspeople? With hopefully several years of a successful career remaining, it is difficult to truly assess his place, but already, he must rank very highly.

In compiling a list of possible contenders, we’ve had to bear in mind their impact on the global sporting world. That means a lot of excellent GAA footballers and hurlers are unfortunately excluded. Also there needs to be success at such a level, which means Brian O’Driscoll, who was widely regarded as the best player in the world for a couple of years, and a whole host of other Irish rugby players are excluded (Triple Crowns do not count), but Paul O’Connell with his two Heineken Cups is in. Likewise Brady and Giles’ lack of a European Cup means they’re out. Aidan O’Brien makes it in, but there are a whole host of other racing figures that could have made the list, most notably the former Ballydoyle master, Dr. Vincent O’Brien.

Vote for your favourite, or if you think there are inexcusable omissions, have your say below.

With Royal Ascot starting tomorrow, punters could be feeling all-white on the night at Royal Ascot this year where white is the early favourite on Paddy Power’s famous Queen’s Hat colour betting on Ladies’ Day.

As the pioneers of Queen’s Hat betting, we’ve issued one of our most famous annual markets. Punters, racegoers, royal commentators and fashionistas alike will all be keeping a keen eye on the colour of the Queen’s hat on Royal Ascot’s Ladies’ Day.

This year’s 5-1 favourite is white and is followed by what Liz Willmore, Fashion Extraordinaire and Paddy Power’s advisor on what’s hot and what’s not in the style world tells me are the hot shades of the summer - purple and silver. Both are at 6-1 whilst last year’s winning colour cream is 7-1 and it’s 500-1 that Her Majesty ‘keeps it real’ and sports a bandana.

But will we be putting up the white flag come Ladies’ Day? We asked the household cavalry what they thought their boss would be wearing this year - and whilst you can never get a soldier to talk when on duty they gave us a subtle hint on where they might be putting their money this year…

Colour of the Queen’s Hat on Ladies Day?
5-1 White; 6-1 Purple/Lilac, Grey/Silver; 7-1 Cream/Beige; 8-1 Pink, Black & White; 10-1 Pale/Light Blue, Peach/Apricot, Black; 12-1 Yellow/Lemon, Brown; 14-1 Green; 16-1 Navy/Blue; 18-1 Red; 50-1 Polka Dot; 250-1 St. George’s Cross Pattern; 500-1 Baseball Cap, Bandana

It’s been a long time coming but we’ve finally released our new Bet Slip Version 1.999999 (Beta).

Thanks to everyone that commented on our previous blog post with suggestions. We tried to take on board everyone’s ideas but some just weren’t possible. For example one smart arse wanted the winners before the event happened. We’re still working on a flux capacitor for that one, but rest assured you’ll be 2nd to know when it happens. Well 3rd after we take our competitors to the cleaners.

We have crammed in a lot of your suggestions including:

- New In-line version of the betslip that follows you down the page.
- Option to retain the betslip as a pop-up
- One click “Add to bet slip” links
- Ability to create multiple bet types on one slip
- Ability to apply one amount to multiple singles
- Remove certain selections without removing all selections
- Winnings calculated on the fly (done wherever info is available)
- Option to retain your selections after you place your bet
- Intuitive “Further Info” links
- Enhanced price change alerts (betslip preference settings)

For more information, have a glance at our betslip tutorial.

Please keep the suggestions coming as when we get really bored in the office and Paddy won’t let us go home, we read them.

Thanks,
Web Team

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Feedback from Web Team
Over 24 hours and a few hundred thousand successful bets placed on the new betslip since we went live with it yesterday morning.

As with any new development there have been a few teething problems that we are working hard on fixing. Thanks for all of your feedback, both good and bad, as it helps us to look at issues that are important to you.

We have been working on a new betslip, specifically in response to requests received from customers over the past year, including the suggestions that came through the blog.

Many of you have posted to say “If it isn’t broken…” It’s true that the betslip worked, but it didn’t do all the things people were asking for. We are constantly looking at ways to improve things, allowing you to get bets on faster and more easily. We really do believe that the new slip enables you this.

We will hold our hands up and say that we should have given you more warning and apologise for that, we will definitely look at how we communicate these changes to you in the future.

A lot of feedback has been centred around the size of the text on the site. We are actively looking at increasing this and hope to have something for you very soon.

A number of other issues seem to be based on placing in-running betting. Again we are working on resolving issues with this and have already taken some steps to improve this.

As always we are pushing to improve the speed of the site and like any new development we will be working on this as well over the next couple of days.

One of the main improvements with the new betslip is that it presents you with all your betting options on one screen. The multiples section is directly underneath your singles section. This allows you to combine any single selections you have made into multiple bets. The multiple options will appear once one or more selections are added. One thing to note on this – if your selections cannot be combined into a multiple then the multiple option won’t appear. If the selections you have made are combinable and you are still experiencing problems then please contact our customer service team and they will help you out.

I want to take this opportunity to remind everyone that for specific issues our free Customer service team are here and ready to help you please call them on

UK:08000 565 275 (Freephone number)
Ireland:1800 238 888 (Freephone number)
World:+353 14040120
support@paddypower.com

We will also be launching a “How to” video tomorrow to help you all out.

Please, keep the feedback coming as it’s not ignored…

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Further Feedback from Web Team
There have been a few comments about the betslip not working across all browsers.

We tested the new betslip rigorously to ensure that it worked on as many browsers as possible, including Firefox and Safari.

We can see that successful bets are being placed on all of these versions (Accounting for 99.5% of all of our users preferences).

Internet Explorer 7
Internet Explorer 6
Firefox 2
Firefox 1.5
Safari 3.1.1 (On a Mac and a PC)

(Note: we don’t support Opera but we will be trying to fix some problems we have uncovered in due course)

If you are still having problems it may due to the browser settings. Please contact our free customer support and they will help you. Some browser problems only occur on certain operating systems (e.g. Microsoft Windows Vista) so it may help to have those details as well.

Web Team

Customer Service Contact Details
UK:08000 565 275 (Freephone number)
Ireland:1800 238 888 (Freephone number)
World:+353 14040120
support@paddypower.com

—————————–

Further Feedback from Web Team

A lot of feedback we have received was about the size of the text on the Betslip. We have now increased this so it is the same as the other text on the site and you are right, it does look better.

We have also added in extra information to the Fore/Tricast options for racing bets so you can see the selections you have added and the order in which they will be placed.

Paddy has put together a new video tutorial to run though the new Betslip functionality. If you’re having problems placing bets, hopefully this will be helpful. Click on the image to launch the video.

Customer Service Contact Details
UK:08000 565 275 (Freephone number)
Ireland:1800 238 888 (Freephone number)
World:+353 14040120
support@paddypower.com

Today sees the greatest steeplechase in the world and rather than have you scouring the internet for all the best build up stuff, allow us to bring you the pick of the previews.
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4.30pm:It was a great race and for once in the Grand National, the market got it right. He was being backed all day and Comply Or Die wins the biggest race in jumps racing for David Pipe. The result:

Grand National Result
1st Comply Or Die SP 7/1 Joint Fav
2nd King Johns Castle SP 20/1
3rd Snowy Morning SP 16/1
4th Slim Pickings SP 10/1
5th Bewley’s Berry SP 12/1

Don’t forget, just because we’re nice guys (let’s face it, when you don’t have the looks, you better have the personality) we’re paying a 10% BONUS on all winning Win Or Each Way bets on the Grand National.

4.27pm: Great performance from Comply Or Die! He looked like he could have gone around again come the finish line.

4.16pm:We’re off and almost on time. We’ll take that. Talk to you in about 10 minutes.

4.11pm: Four minutes to go before the scheduled off. Not going to happen.

3.46pm: A few hearts seem to be getting the better of the heads as Hedgehunter is the subject of continued support. It would be great to see him do it, but realistically, carrying top weight is a huge task and if he was to win, it would rank amongst the greatest performances in the history of the race. I can’t see him win, but am I missing something?

3.31pm: A powerful ride from Ruby Walsh drives Forest Pennant to victory in the handicap hurdle, but he plays down the significance of it for the Grand National saying “the two times I won it, I didn’t even have a ride before the race.” Probably the most significant thing to note about the race is the heavy rain that came during the race. The going is Good (Good to soft in places), but that rain could have an impact. The result:

3.25 Handicap Hurdle
1st Forest Pennant SP 9/2 Fav
2nd Superior Wisdom SP 11/1
3rd According To Pete SP 16/1
4th Reel Charmer SP 28/1

2.55pm: A great win for Al Eile in the Aintree Hurdle as he powers home for his 3rd victory in the race. Why he can’t seem to do it anywhere else is anyone’s guess but he loves Aintree. The result:

2.50 Aintree Hurdle
1st Al Eile SP 11/4 Joint Fav
2nd Osana SP 11/4 Joint Fav
3rd Straw Bear SP 15/2

Non Runners - Elusive Dream, Chomba Womba

2.20pm: Bewley’s Berry and Backbeat could get some support after Tidal Bay romps home in the Maghull Novices Chase. It wasn’t long ago that Johnson’s stable was in desperate form, but it has improved of late and a win in the 2.15 at Aintree does no harm to the stable’s chance in the National. The result:

2.15 Aintree Maghull Novices Chase
1st Tidal Bay SP 6/4 Joint Fav
2nd Takeroc SP 5/2 2nd Fav
3rd Modicum SP 40/1

Withdrawn: Perce Rock.

2.15pm:

“I’m backing Chelsea Harbour because Kian and I used to stay in the Chelsea Harbour hotel all the time when we first started dating.”

It may not be the best of reasons, but Hollyoaker and Westlife lover Jodi Albert reckons Chelsea Harbour is well worth a poke.

1.50pm: The final day of the Grand National Festival gets underway in a similar vein as the other 2 days as the favourite gets pulled up, allowing Pearl King to take advantage. Phillip Hobbs is the trainer, but he’s got no runners in today’s feature.

1.45 Aintree Handicap Hurdle
1st Pearl King SP 10/1
2nd Khachaturian SP 33/1
3rd Heathcote SP 25/1
4th Serabad SP 16/1

Non Runner: Crossbow Creek

1.35pm: Jon Dyson has had a look at our little tipping video and he’s extremely grateful.

“Great video! Thanks for the tips. By ignoring your staff’s 11 different choices, you have narrowed the field down to 29 for me. Bargain!!! “

Glad to help in whatever way we can, Jon.

1.10pm: Pop guru and Mr. Tayto doppelganger, Louis Walsh says he’ll be backing Backbeat in the race because “he’s the only horse with a name that relevant to the music industry.” That’s not quite, word on the street is Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty are big fans of Contraband.

1.02pm: There’s not a whole lot of news to report regarding the big race. There have been a few market moves, but nothing too significant. In the absence of real news, the Sun are reporting that Kieren Fallon has found himself a girlfriend twenty years younger than him. She’s … er … eh … let’s just say that it’s good to see that although he’s got 18 month ban, Fallon is still involved with the horses.

12.55pm: Paddy and his dodgy tie make a surprise appearance on Sky News. He continues his mission to jinx every horse in the race by suggesting that Bailys Breeze is good value.

12.21pm: GRAND NATIONAL SWEEPSTAKE KIT SWEEPSTAKE
Everyone’s chipped in with their version of the sweepstake kits, making for one of the most exciting Grand National Sweepstake Kit Sweepstakes in years! Why not print out the following Grand National Sweepstake Kit Sweepstake and cheer on your sweepstake to victory? I fancy our one because ever since the days of Make And Do, I’ve never been the best with the auld scissors and getting the thing emailed to you saves a lot of possible finger loss and fixing. I reckon the Peterborough Evening Telegraph’s is the one that will be limping home lamely a couple of hours behind the others.

The brilliant Paddy Power one
Name:

The Guardian
Name:

Easy Odds
Name:

Scribd.com Sweepstake Kit
Name:

The BBC’s version
Name:

Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Name:

The Mirror
Name:

The Daily Mail
Name:

12pm: The best jockey never to have won the Grand National reckons that the next best jockey never to have won the Grand National won’t be shedding that unwanted tag just yet. John Francome puts up Comply Or Die for the race, meaning another barren year for Tony McCoy - although the news that Paddy Power says he’s got a great chance will probably diminish everyone’s enthusiasm for the horse.

11.40am: You’d think with a ride on Snowy Morning in the big race, jockey David Casey would be happy enough, but it turns out he’s about as optimistic as a turkey in December. Writing in the Irish Independent, Casey says “his lack of experience is the main worry” and puts up the hot favourite, Cloudy Lane as his selection for the race. Is he right to be so pessimistic about Snowy Morning?

11.15am: A bit like most of the girls Rob targets on our staff nights out, I always thought Turko was a bit too young to go for in good conscience, but Paul Nicholls is extremely bullish about his chances (Turko’s not Rob’s) in this morning’s Racing Post – he reckons he’s well handicapped and mature enough to handle the rough and tumble of the National. The words of the Champion Trainer are enough to have me wavering in my staunch support of Butler’s Cabin. Does Turko really have a chance?

10.50am: Qually O’Birkenhead commented on our Grand National Tips post that

YOUR CLOCKS AN HOUR SLOW

He/she (is Qually a man or a woman’s name?) is undoubtedly correct, but as it makes it look like I got into work an hour earlier than I really did, it will be staying like that!

10.37am: Our gracious leader Paddy Power, has just made an appearance on Sky Sports News, his pink tie more than hinting that he got dressed in the dark. He finds time to come up with possibly the greatest understatement since sliced bread – “Ruby Walsh is a better judge of a horse than me” – cue the sound of thousands of foreheads bringing slapped across the globe. Alex Hammond reveals that her tip for the big race is Comply Or Die, but unfortunately Paddy endorses it, making a first fence exit a formality. What horse are you praying that Paddy doesn’t jinx by saying it will win?

10.31am: It just occurred to me that ‘dart throwing all night’ sounds a bit like smutty innuendo. I can assure you it’s not. Sadly.

10.30am: I’ve been practicing my dart throwing all night so hopefully my apparently ‘random selection’ will land closer to the Butler’s Cabin part of the racecard than the Contraband part.

We may not be the prettiest bunch, but at least we know our horses. Actually, that’s probably not true.

Try again - we may not be the prettiest bunch and we may not know a lot about horses, but at least we can string a coherent sentence together. Again, that’s not strictly true.

One last try - we may not be the prettiest bunch and we may not know a lot about horses and we can’t all string a coherent sentence together, but here’s a video of our tips for the Grand National to distract you from our obvious flaws.

Have your say on the National or the video. Leave a comment before the Grand National gets underway on Saturday because the best comment will win a £/€100 Free Bet.

As the above extensive research by our Marketing Department proves, women don’t normally care much for horse racing, which makes betting on the Grand National a bit complicated. Why not check out our Celebrity Related Preview which should make it easier to understand for the smaller brained amongst us.

And to patronise means to talk down to someone - you didn’t know that, did you?

Easy to understand because it’s got pictures of celebrities Grand National Betting Preview

What is a steamer? Not what you think.

It’s a horse that is coming in - rapidly! Half the time, it’s a sign that a gamble is on - one that might be worth getting involved in I reckon. Oh, and if you are new to racing and wondering ‘coming in’ means, it’s a term to describe a change in price from long odds to short odds. Say from 20/1 to 10/1 for example.

So with all that in mind we’ve added a live “Steamers” page to Paddy Power’s horse racing site. You can see it linked on the right of the top dark green navigation bar. Or just take a look here. Once you get in, you’ll see a list of horses that are coming in right now, with current price, former price, and a handy % drop figure - in case it’s all getting too confusing.

Even better, you can link straight to the bet slip so you won’t waste any precious time. It’s got to be better than relying on my tips (which isn’t saying much).

We at Paddy Power understand that speed is important. Sure as they say in the movies, “time is money”. For this reason, we’ve once again paid the Paddy Power geeks an extra 4 pizzas and a free Atari T-shirt to build us a set of RSS Feeds to help you get to the information you need even faster.

(more…)

Some of you believe that the Kangaroo boxing thing which kicks off in June is an April Fools stunt. Well, it isn’t. Paddy is in fact in Australia, and true to form, he’s been trying his best to get some attention while he’s down under. He’d do absolutely anything to get on TV. Despite carrying top weight, the boss almost manages to win the below race, but unfortunately he finishes last. (P.S. He’s on the good ground on the stand side)