With Cheltenham now just three days away, Irish punters admit to faking a fondness for Champagne, flashing cash and wearing flat caps at Cheltenham, Paddy Power reveals.
A poll commissioned by the bookies found racegoers do things at a race meeting they wouldn’t normally do.
Almost a fifth, 19 per cent, admitted that while they wouldn’t touch the stuff under normal circumstances, they regularly swig prosecco or champagne when they go racing.
More than one in 10, 11 per cent, sup pints of the black stuff when they wouldn’t usually opt for Guinness in their boozer.
Around 30 per cent of punters are more likely to carry cash instead of a card on race days.
And 13 per cent of racing fans said they wear a flat cap to the races.
While the Peaky Blinders-inspired trend may be mostly associated with UK fans, it turns out that eight per cent of Irish punters wear tweed at the track.
Most Irish punters, 41 per cent, rely on their knowledge of a well-known jockey when it comes to placing their bets and 38 per cent go on the name of a horse.
Just eight per cent will go on how the horse looks, while seven per cent make their selection based on the number of the horse.
And six per cent place their bets based on the colour of the jockeys’ silks.
A spokesperson for Paddy Power said: “I’m a firm believer in faking it until you make it, but these findings show that horse racing fans take it to a whole other level.
“It’s fascinating to see what fans base their choice on though when we take a racehorses form out of the equation.”
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
