Are all races equal as a punter?

I think you will cheer home a 2/1 at Lingfield just as heartedly if you win money. Maybe the exhilaration of the Gold cup might get you a bit worked up. If you have done your research, mulled the form over and found the winner I am sure it's a very sweet experience regardless of the race at Cheltenham

Are all races equal as a punter?

No. At least at Cheltenham you can presume certain trainers are not turning to their jocks as they leg them up to utter the immortal words, "not today, son......"

you old cynic pedro...

what makes people think like this

No, not at all. Getting the winner of the Gold Cup would bring me far more pleasure than backing the Foxhunters winner.

All races are equal but some are more equal than others.

I tend to trade out for no-lose situations where possible at Cheltenham whereas all other meetings I typically just bet. That approach means I can just enjoy the racing and not be too motivated by money. Might sound a bit silly to some but these four days are the greatest of my year and I don't ever want to make them purely about betting, whereas I happily do that the rest of the year.

Absolutely not - Betting is and never will be all about the money. It's also the test of your analytic skills over others and the feeling you get when you prove the consensus wrong.

Typically the bigger buzz for me is when I've gone against the grain the most but for some its the bigger the race. Although not my biggest win Synchronised for the Gold Cup ante-post was certainly the most satisfying in that most people had him pegged wrongly as a one-dimesional mudlark that wouldn't have the pace for a GC.