Gm, Equinauts

This will be fun…

Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUNDUP

🏘️🚧 KEMPTOFF?

Mixed messages have emerged this morning via the Racing Post.

The publication initially reported that a planning application for more than 2,000 homes at Kempton Park is expected to be submitted before the end of 2026, according to local MP Lincoln Jopp.

Speaking at a public meeting in Sunbury, Jopp said he had been told by the Jockey Club and developers Barratt Redrow that plans would be lodged later this year.

The proposal would see the racecourse demolished and replaced with housing. Jopp described the news as "devastating" and said he would seek support from across the racing industry to help save the venue. Trainer Nicky Henderson is among those backing the campaign to protect Kempton.

Kempton's future has been uncertain for years. An earlier proposal for around 3,000 homes was put forward but was eventually shelved after fierce opposition from racing figures, local residents and the council. However, Redrow retained an option to purchase the site should planning permission ever be granted.

Local residents remain firmly opposed to redevelopment, citing concerns over traffic, public transport, infrastructure, pollution and biodiversity.

You'd think the Jockey Club would be the last organisation you'd need to protect a racecourse from. Yet here we are—with the local MP, the council and residents all trying to save Kempton from the fucking Jockey Club.

However, since the article was published, Barratt Redrow has denied that it is submitting a planning application, leaving everyone wondering exactly what is going on.

More:

🏇GRAHAM BRADLEY

Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning jockey Graham Bradley has died at the age of 65 after living with semantic dementia.

Bradley bagged the conditional jockeys title in the early 80’s and went on to score 686 career winners in Britain. His biggest success came aboard BREGAWN in the 1983 Cheltenham Gold Cup (the year Michael Dickinson famously trained the first five finishers in the race!). He also won the King George VI Chase, the Irish Grand National, the Champion Hurdle.

He was leading jockey at the 1983 Cheltenham Festival.

He was a bit of a lad too it seems. In 2002, he received a big racing ban for passing confidential racing information to a known criminal associate. Although the suspension was reduced on appeal, it prevented him from working within racing until 2009.

John Francome paid tribute, describing Bradley as a "lovely person", praising his race-riding, judgement of pace and natural talent in the saddle.

After retiring in 1999, Bradley became a respected bloodstock agent and helped source several top-class horses, including Grade 1 winner WELL CHIEF.

Bradley moved to France with his family in 2020, where he was later diagnosed with semantic dementia.

 📉PREDICTING THE FUTURE OF FLUTTER

Once seen as the industry's untouchable leader, FLUTTER has lost 35 billion off its market cap over the past year is facing increasing pressure from investors as hedge funds bet against them.

Repeated cuts to earnings forecasts and slower-than-expected growth at its US brand, FanDuel, have left investors increasingly questioning what was once considered a banker bet.

It's no coincidence that Flutter's struggles have come at the same time prediction markets such as Polymarket and Kalshi have become the darlings of the US betting market.

Unlike traditional sportsbooks, these platforms operate under federal regulation in the US, allowing them to offer markets in states where sports betting remains illegal and attract younger customers.

If you can’t beat them, join them.

While some analysts believe the impact on Flutter's revenues is currently overstated, the company is taking the challenge seriously, launching its own FanDuel Predicts platform and reportedly planning to invest up to $300 million in the product this year.

With increasing market competition, stale growth and big players openly betting against the company, Flutter now faces one of its toughest periods in recent years as it looks to reorganise itself and try get back on top.

The one thing we would say is that prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi are dominating social media. Combined with the fact they operate under federal financial regulation rather than the state-by-state gambling laws that restrict Flutter, it's easy to see why they're emerging as serious competitors to traditional sportsbooks—and they look here to stay.

WE’RE PROFITABLE. SO PROFITABLE. PROBABLY THE MOST PROFITABLE GAMBLERS EVER (SAID IN DONALD TRUMP VOICE).

SO SUBSCRIBE BELOW TO ACCESS OUR DAILY BETS:

By becoming a premium reader you get access to all the big race previews and the days best stats and bets!

Already a paying subscriber? Sign In.