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The swollen belly of a cheltenham monday .
If my rather frantic misplaced sunday words have
somehow orchestrated the apposite earthy words above
it has proven a very good day to forsake the church.The long expectation of Cheltenham
transferred to a physical birth
is better than myth, manwithaplan.I have a poor pair of forceps
and have little to guess at what comes out
bar a large cup and huge gangly horse
that would sneer at the word foal
and might easily trample a mother to be
at the chance of securing the big cheer.The ghost of monolulu..
the skies the skies
bet late bet late
splatDid he or did he not get it on? I still wonder…
A discreet enquiry at the bookmaker’s
should have put your mind at rest.
Just before lock-up would have been
the most appropriate time.
as rules change when you are going home.I believe in making your own luck over the long term.
The only slightly hard luck story I know of was when my brother in his youth backed a horse at Stratford. It was in a photo with another animal and so my brother decided to hedge by backing the other runner with the on course bookies who had priced up the result of the photo finish, his thinking being that he would win whatever the result.
Unfortunately the result was a dead heat so his photo finish bet lost and his payout on the horse he backed was also reduced – so much for trying to be clever.
I went to Hexam and backed a horse of Athur Eubanks many years ago.
The race was pretty poor and Jonjo was riding a horse called Irish Owen.
Rozinanate the horse I bet was the only horse in the race with any form worth a hoot on firm ground and was 33/1.
I was having a good day too many gin and tonics and got weighed into the horse…..betting in hundreds I have no idea to this day how much I had on him but I backed him myself down to something like 12/1.
Got beat in a photo only there was no photo at Hexam back then judge called it the wrong way……….big Boooooooo went up made no difference I lost out big time.Probably getting a psychotic disorder when I was 17, what with the hospital admission and all that was ******* hard to get over and get my life back.
On the horse racing front, had a £20 treble on Best Mate, Baracouda, and Polar Red at Chelters 02 when I was 16. First two went in so it all went on Polar Red, the 2/1 "certainty" in the last, which obviously got beat [or stopped?]. Not sure thats a hard luck story but it’s the closest I came to big win in my youth anyway.
I remember watching that Polar Red race in a betting shop. Seemed the whole shop was on it and the language in there was certainly industrial.
Not a hard luck story – more a nearly story…
2002 Tote 10 to follow a friend and I were 50/50 on a line which was sitting in 3rd place going in to the last day which was Grand National Saturday. We were the only list with the ante post fav Ad Hoc so actually sat down to watch the race knowing a win for him meant sharing a 1st prize of £360k
Comments in running were – "travelling well on heels of leaders when brought down 4 out"
A hefty each way double on Master Oats (Welsh National), and Barton Bank (King George) in the mid 90s.
Master Oats of course won, and Barton Bank had his infamous last fence ‘unseated rider’ when clear.
Still hurts to this day. It would have been my biggest win of all time.
Many years in ago in 1985 myself and a group of friends of mine not only drank underage in our local pub (we were 17) but we also dabbled in betting in our local independent bookies (sadly it is no more). None of us really had any clue what we were doing but we staked our 50p win bets and years later we are all hooked and understand it a whole lot more but don’t do any better
Anyway one saturday in late 1985 we were studying the form in the pub when the local window cleaner came in and seeing what we were doing offered us a tip for the 1986 Grand National. We banked the name away and carried on with our drinking and poring over the papers.
Come the big race several months later I spotted the horses name in the field and reminded my mates about it. We scraped together £60 between us ( a huge amount) and off we went to the bookies. Backed the horse to win. The bookie raised his eyebrows but took the bet nevertheless, we had never staked more that a pound before.
We watched the race and were cheering our horse on but were gobsmacked to see West tip win. The horse we had backed was Young Driver at 66/1. Not one of us had thought to put the money on each way!
Not only were we extremely p*ssed off at our stupidity but in the pub that night drowning our sorrows were even more dismayed to be greeted by the window cleaner who was buying drinks for everyone after clearing up with some significant ante post bets – all of them each way.
Hate it whenever the race is shown again to show how good West Tip was……all i can see is Chris Grant on Young Driver.
Back in the days when I knew precisely zilch about racing I became irrationally convinced that Papillon was gonna win the National.
I tried to convince everyone it was a good-un and a few mates backed it, amongst other bets
Sadly, I had not a penny to my name and no way of borrowing money for something as frivolous as a bet…
Cue horse winning…
More of these I read the more I remember the silly things you do.
I was in the bookies on a Saturday having a not very good day……..to cap it all off I bet a horse and had some lose change……thought I would do a tricast………..quickly wrote down the numbers………comes up…..all chuffed…nice 1?…300 quid +….NOPE had looked up at the betting when writing out the line and put the prices of the horses down instead of their numbers…..
ive had more hard luck than good luck .but my bigest one was.when i went all the way to ascot by train on my own.to back one horse for one of the big h/caps.thinking i would get a better price there than at the bookies.the best price i saw was 25/1 rubbing my hands i thought this is great.it won! and the s/p was 33/1 .it will stay with me forever.my friends had a good laugh at my exspence.at least it won
Mine’s one shared by many, at least of my generation. piled up over £300 in ante post vouchers at all prices on Dancing Brave for the 1986 Derby.
Needless to say I didn’t feel that Greville Starkey was hard done by when jocked off in favour of Pat Eddery.
20+ years later that’s still the most I’ve ever bet on one horse, I guess I learned a lesson.
First time i started serious laying on betfair, layed £10 @ 10-1, the horse in question was Marienbard in the jockey club stakes, my thinking at the time was Kutub was the form horse for Goldophin (4 wins on the bounce with 3 being group1`s), , thought Marienbard was never going to be good enough and was clearly second string, but he was good enough, and got home by a neck, lost a £100 and he went onto win the Arc that season, out of principle i wouldnt back the horse, wish i had though.
Im 22 and was working part time in laddies as a student for a few years and have a few not so much hardluck stories but entertaining none the less.
1. A chap i had never seen came to the shop and placed a large bet on a horse called Salute in a staying handicap at sandown(June 2006). After getting clearance to allow the bet at 25s i believe, being a skinto student i fancied my chance of lining my pockets. Needless to say I bottled it when arriving at the local coral and included it in smallish lucky 15s, luckily i had two other winners and made another to keep the booze flowing. The other chap cleaned up. Fairplay to him. (I hasten to add the times that strangers appear in betting shops placing large sums on horses is rather common and most lose, this is the reason for my bottling)Sandown bing close to guildford i assume he was from the stable.
2. Feltham Chase 2004, me and a good friend both took to different horses in a highly competitive field. I L’ami and he Your a gassman. After leaving the local in anticipation my friend suggested that L’ami was a shoddy jumper and would struggle in a tightly contested race, i in turn responded with a "He will probably fall and bring yours down" obviously joking and worried for my bet after my pals negative spin. Sure enough L’ami takes a fall and brings your a gassman to ground. I turn to see my mate the otherside of the bookies just eyeballing me as if ive killed his mum. Obviously there was no laughter at first but once the horses are announced safe and we are back in the pub dizzle humour prevails as we toast to one of our favourite horses little Magern.
3. I used to go to my local bookies when i was 17 all the time and on my 18th birthday nipped in to have a bet before the real celebrations. The local constable popped to say hello to the manager and as i had just placed my bet proceeded to ID me. As i explained it was my 18th he turnt to the manager and repeated it. The manager then gave me a "thats close ive been serving him for ages look". I am so glad i didnt get him in trouble. That was the only time i have ever seen a copper in the bookies, except when chasing two chinese fraudsters who attempted to hide a handful of nicked credit cards(different tale). Dont understand why the age limit is 18!
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