Here’s an update on my last week or so.

Saturday 14th November….
The good news was that I had shaken off the dose of place-itus that had plagued me the previous week. Unfortunately the bad news was, I had now caught the much worse and more severe no-where-itus. Having really fancied a few horses at Cheltenham it was most disappointing to see them all beaten. The combination of heavy ground, the Cheltenham hill and poor picking meant that my betting slips with £20ew Trumpstoo, £30 Maljimar, £25ew Maucaillou and £20 ew Psi weren’t worth the paper they were written on. Add to that my ante-post £2oew I’m So Lucky (hah, I wish) an ill fated £72 Placepot perm and all in all it really was a bad day. My saving grace was the £40ew on Poquelin I had on Friday night with Betfred but it wasn’t enough to save the day and it meant no Indian takeaway from the Tropical Tandoori this week, nope we had to make do with the KFC Bargain Bucket.

Sunday 15th…
I had just two bets at Cheltenham on the Sunday and what a difference a day makes! A sentimental £40 on one of my all time favourite ‘chasers Well Chief and £25ew at 12/1 Medermit saw me claw back some off Saturdays losses. You have to wonder just how good Well Chief could have been if he hadn’t suffered so many injuries. Since winning the Arkle as a 5yo in 2004 he has run just 13 times and, when completing, has never finished outside the top 3. I would have been just as happy to see him win if I hadn’t backed him. Chuffing brilliant.

Monday 16th….
They say that those who bet on a Monday are either needy or greedy. I’m definitely not needy!
Short priced doubles aren’t usually my thing but I couldn’t see either of Alan King’s pair The Betchworth Kid or Bensalem getting beat so I had an £80 double on the two.  Two odds-on favourites who both looked in trouble over the last and suddenly I remembered why I don’t usually bet like this. I’m not sure what it is with me and backing at short prices but I thought my heart was going to explode as Bensalem fought gallantly to get back up and land the odds. I’ve had much bigger bets than this get beat without anywhere near the anxiety and it’s probably why I much prefer to back outsiders.

My nerves had just about settled by the time I got home only for my blood pressure to shoot throught the roof again. Reading through my emails I came across a particularly charming one from a blog reader…

‘With what you said about the track at wetherby the other week if I was you I should keep your gob well and truly shut and that my friend is said just as a reminder next time you have anything to say I suggest you get of (sic) your arse come up north and have a look for yourself arsehole ’

I have to admit that at times like these I wonder why I bother. If you want to read what I said about Wetherby that so incensed this reader you can do so here>>> http://nag-nag-nag.co.uk/a-busy-week-starts-here/ 

Anyway, after responding to his email I received an even more vile reply and I have to say that it makes me wonder about the mentality of some people. It’s quite simple if you don’t like what I write - don’t read it. Cyberspace is plenty big enough to find something that does appeal to you.

Tuesday 17th….
Another ‘charming’ email from Mr Sokell started the day off on a bad note and it didn’t get much better when I missed backing Pocket Aces at Folkestone due to my daily stock delivery coming at the wrong time. Just to rub salt into the wound, I did manage to get my £40 bet on Swords in Southwell’s 3.50 just as the runners entered the stalls. Another 2nd for my collection. I reckon if every second I have ever backed in my punting life had finished 1st (and vice versa) I would be a very wealthy man.

Wednesday 18th…..
After Monday’s ordeal of backing an odds-on double I decided against doing the same with Khor Dubai and Calzaghe but, seeing the ease with which both managed to win, I doubt I would have suffered the same sort of heart failure this time. My dad, who is a big Liverpool fan, has been following Fernando Torres (the equine version) this Summer and was quite sweet on it’s chances in the last race at Kempton. Needless to say I didn’t take any notice of him until I received a text later that night to tell me he had just scored at 33/1. Bloody sentimental backers…

Thursday 19th….
A day of mixed fortunes with a couple of ante-post bets on the way to work and a couple of bets in the afternoon providing widely differing outcomes. First up was £20ew at 14’s with Hills on A New Story for the Becher Chase. As we all know now the race went from looking likely to be a really competitive Handicap Chase over the National Fences to a pathetic 8 runner renewal which didn’t include A New Story. I also had £10ew on Joe Bugner to be King of the Jungle but having changed from idol to idiot in 24 hours I’ve as much chance of collecting on that bet as Jordan getting back with Peter. Things took a turn for the better when my £80 on Sereth proved him to be the good thing he looked. Dave’s Dream and Caroles Legacy looked like a double that equated to buying money but I preferred to lose £30 on Wizard of Odds instead.

Friday 20th….
It’s not been my week for readers emails and after, what I thought, was a light hearted look at the I’m A Celebrity contestants I recieved another load of abuse from readers for ‘dissing their favourites. It was all done in jest but I apologise to any Jordan, Sam Fox or Colin and Justin fans I may have offended and I promise I won’t be making any further comments on the program. Sometimes I wonder why I bother. Again, I decided to give the blog a miss for  a while.

Back to the betting. Ascot has been a killer for me this Summer but it’s now back to being one of my favourite tracks as I enjoyed a fantastic weekend of small bets but big winners. First up was £10ew Inventor who had form every bit as good as Manyriverstocross on the flat but while that one went off at 1/2 Inventor was available at 14/1. In receipt of 10lb it’s one of those bets that makes you ask, why didn’t you have more on it? Pyschomodo was up next and he’s a horse we mentioned a few times in our Trends Guides last season. He had top weight but took a big drop in class and the rest, as they say, was history. Another £10ew at 14/1 and I was on a roll. £40 on Zabeel Palace and I was 3 from 3. I love Ascot.

Saturday 21st….
It was my turn to take Dylan and his best mate to the cinema in the morning but I managed to pass them both off to grandma straight after the film finished and I made the bookies just in time to get my bets on. This was probably the worst thing that happened all day as my first bet, £40 Pure Genius in the 12.55, was a very bad investment. £40 Zaynar and a stupid tenner each way on Straw Bear was good enough to return a profit in the 2.35 and following £20ew on another trends favourite of ours, Alberta’s Run, my love affair with Ascot was well and truly back on.

Things weren’t going so well at Haydock as my £30 Starluck and £20 Imperial Commnader bit the dust but a tenner each way on Kia Kaha in the last got me a little back. I was kicking myself for not backing Diamond Harry but you can’t do them all (although I do try!).

It was time to move over to the sand as sometimes you see a horse that simply can’t be out of the frame and is available at an great each way price. The 3.40 offered such an opportunity with Tranquil Tiger at 11/2. Yes Presvis looked a good thing and was the highest rated of all the runners but Tranquil Tiger was himself clear of the other 7 runners and was getting a generous 6lb from the favourite. He is also a very consisitent horse in this grade and my £60ew (took 5/1) looked like a bet to nothing. Another great ride from the young Mr Queally rounded off a highly satisfactory day.

Sunday 22nd….
I couldn’t get excited about the racing at Aintree after seeing the Becher Chase reduced to just 8 runners although I did have a tenner each way on A New Story in the Troytown Handicap over the Irish Sea just in case Michael Hourigan was pulling a fast one and he was going to win there instead. He wasn’t and it didn’t.

Any trainer or owner with a half-decent handicap chaser who ever moans about the level of prizemoney again should be made to answer why they didn’t run their horse in the Becher Chase. A hundred grand in prizemoney with 52k to the winner and run on softish ground. Surely you couldn’t get a better opportunity to race for some big money. 8 runners is disgraceful.

Monday 23rd…
Betting on a Monday is for the needy and greedy.
I had £50 on Whiteoak at 6/4 and £50 Calzaghe at 4/5.

Good luck,
Gavin.

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