Forum Replies Created
- Posts
Sorry to say TTC that neither Peruvian Chief or The Tatling are on this list, although a very similar sort is…
Mike
Number 10
LEANDROS (1982) Richard Hannon
What? You’ve never heard of Leandros? (Not the decent Irish handicapper of the 2000s by the way). Don’t worry, nobody has.
One is allowed to bet in the UK at the age of 18, this happy milestone turning up for me on Monday 29th March 1982. Now this legal technicality was more honoured by myself in the breach than the observance as I’d been punting at a very small level for a few years. However, I was determined to remember this day betting-wise as well as for other reasons, and so walked into William Hills to solve the first at Leicester, a 2yo auction stakes.
With no form to go on at that time of year, I took a price of 3-1 about Leandros, trained by a youthful Richard Hannon and ridden by the reliable Roger Wernham. It finished third behind a facile winner, the Extel commentary mentioning Leandros only forlornly whilst irritatingly pointing out that the winner was “drawing right away”.
I had legally done my money for the very first time but this was a race that taught me plenty about racing. I understood that I basically knew very little about odds and how subjective they are and that betting without form is probably not a strategy I should pursue. I also learned that in gambling, as in life, someone always knows more than you do. And likewise, because of this race, I was to come to understand that some people will go to any lengths to ensure they finish in front.
It wasn’t Leandros who taught me these lessons – he was to become a modest seller-winner before disappearing from view, just like the thousands and thousands of other ordinary horses who exist only in fading form book print or the recesses of our memory. Rather, it was the 20-length winner of that five furlong Leicester stakes.
His name was Flockton Grey.
Mike
It’s impressive that one afternoon’s racing at one course every year can get the “proper racing” crowd so animated.
A bit like The Hundred in cricket, there’s nothing more upsetting to the trad-cognoscenti than seeing large amounts of people enjoying the sport in completely the ‘wrong’ way.
Long may it continue!
Mike
Nice little follow-up article in The Graun (who, as Marlinford predicted, go with “Unhappy Monday”) which also informs us that any of the horse’s winnings will be going to Coffee 4 Craig a Manchester-based homeless charity.
Mike
I have been watching Cazoo with some interest.
The company made a £19 million losss on £150m revenue in it’s first year yet has attracted a bottomless pit of investment – presumably off the back of it’s much-respected gaffer Alex Chesterman (Lovefilm, Zoopla) – much of which has been splurged on a raft of sponsorhip & promotion deals.
It operates in an extremely mature market with tight margins with a seeming USP of selling remotely with a 14-day money-back guarantee. All other dealers now offer this service. Cazoo claims to have sold 20,000 units last year (when other dealers have often been shut), for comparison Arnold Clark averages 250,000 units a year.
It will apparently be floating for anything up to an $8 billion valuation on the NYSE.
It’s good to have a new sponsor for the Derby.
Mike
Will be following this one with interest. Does anyone know if jockeys have liability insurance?
I’m guesssing, but I can’t believe otherwise to be honest. The potential for lifetime bankruptcy at any moment following a mistake would probably leave us with very few jockeys if not.
Mike
In fairness Mike, MH issues can frequently manifest themselves with physical symptoms, so I suspect that’s why the question appeared.
Absolutely agree with that but this was the strange thing, it was such an isolated question. It occurred after questions on alcohol and tobacco intake and there were no other mental health questions. Frankly, there’s a million other potential queries medics could make about financial and other stresses (especially in current circumstances) yet the one that appeared was about gambling.
My opinion is that this is reflecting the current success of the anti-gambling lobbies (every bookmaker’s advert nowadays seems to be telling you to stop betting, which is an interesting take) combined with our own natural hairshirted-ness to elevate a problem that whilst serious, is surely no more widespread and concerning than many others. Still, it could be worse:
1 Do you spend too much time concerning yourself with low-grade staying hcaps at Ponty? YES
2 Should you stop? ERR…
3 Where exactly does it hurt?Mike
Or alternatively, a punters plot.
Lay out the grand sum of £50 on some multiples overnight, then sit and lay the same horses at unrealistic low prices all day long. And maybe back the likely winners as well at enlarged prices.
Not another Ferrari, AP?
Mike
That walkover was a freak – the race in question is only open to horses that were eliminated from a handicap chase at Cheltenham. In past years, that has been OK to produce a competitive event. It was always designed as a consolation race with those conditions.
Cheers Alan, I didn’t realise that. I do think such conditions make you a bit of a hostage to fortune, mind!
Mike