‘I tasked AI to pick my winners at Cheltenham… its 195,000/1 accumulator shocked me’

Ever wondered if A.I. can make you a million at the races? Well the Daily Express tried at Cheltenham – and you’ll never guess what happened! We all know the free-thinking brainpower of artificial intelligence bots but can they take into account a stubborn nag, a sore fetlock, a lazy mount or a misplaced hoof?

So we decided to put Chat GPT (other AI’s are available) to task on Cheltenham’s ‘St Patrick’s Day Thursday’ by asking it to pick us the seven winners of all that day’s races. The Daily Express chanced a £1 each way accumulator – so we would get a return even if all our seven horses placed but a windfall if all seven won – at combined odds of 194,905/1.

We decided to tell you all now, and not the morning AI picked them, so we could not be accused of encouraging readers to potentially throw their cash away on a bot.

Would it just plump for the seven favourites or would it melt its servers by squeezing out those nuggets of info to target the seven hidden gems the bookies missed?

First of all, here are Thursday’s seven Chat GPT selections:

1.20pm – Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle – Sixandahalf 85/40 (Favourite)

2pm – Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase – Firefox 4/1 (Favourite)

2.40pm – Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle – Zain Nights 20/1

3.20pm – Ryanair Chase – Protekorat 5/1

4pm – Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle – Teahupoo 7/4 (Favourite)

4.40pm – TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase – Jagwar 3/1 (Favourite)

5.20pm – Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup – Midnight Our Fred 8/1

We filled out a betting slip on Thursday morning at the Cheltenham track with a well-known High Street bookmakers and waited to see how AI’s hot tips would fare.

But the afternoon started worrying when Sixandahalf in the first race only came second – behind jockey Rachael Blackmore on 16/1 outsider Air Of Entitlement.

In the second race Firefox limped home sixth – as Sir Alex Ferguson’s Caldwell Potter won at 7/1 – then in the third 25/1 Doddiethegreat won, while our pick Zain Nights pulled up halfway through.

By now our bet was obviously all over but we watched on as our pick Protekorat came fourth to a blitzing winning run by 6/4 favourite Fact To File.

In the fifth our pick – the favourite Teahupoo – was nipped on the line again by jockey Rachael Blackmore, this time she was riding 8/1 Bob Olinger.

Why didn’t AI pick us more Rachael Blackmore mounts? She is after all the first female jockey to win both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National!

By the sixth race we were frankly fed-up and ready to give AI its marching orders.

We had Jagwar at 3/1 … and it won!!! Better late than never I guess.

But fear not, by the last and seventh race AI was back it its usual form and its pick Midnight Our Fred was pulled up.

Our verdict? A.I wouldn’t bother!