How Can I Get It So Wrong And Yet So Right?!
Undulating, dear reader, is the nature of the unique test that is Cheltenham racetrack. It is also a perfectly fitting way to describe the zeniths and nadirs of this blogger's day.
Working a half day, and wending my way to the Brown Bear in Leman St, in a less salubrious corner of the City, to join my racing chums, I was enshrouded by a funk. I was feeling pessimistic, bordering on morbid.
I'm not sure why, but it may have had something to do with leaving my unmatched £400 on Sizing Europe overnight, and discovering I'd been matched at my requested 3.55 (just over 5/2), but that the horse was now trading at 3.8. Immaterial now of course, as it always is when I go 'lumpy'.
Anyway, let's get back to the start. A cup of tea and Guinness (its my way to stop getting too drunk too quick) down the track, and it was 2.00 and time for the first of six battles between man and orc (or bookmaker if you prefer).
An insoluble race with squillions of imponderables proved exactly that. Unless, of course, you backed Captain Cee Bee who, as fourth choice in the ring, was far from impossible to find. Naturally, I couldn't find him. Nor could I find the 2nd or 3rd for my placepot - from six selections! - and the early bath ensued.
Incidentally, the trends pointed very strongly towards a 5 or 6yo winner. So, no surprise to see a 7yo beat a 4yo home! Ahem...
Bloodied but unbowed, we moved to the Arkle, a much easier race in which to find the winner, by dint of the smaller number of protagonists and the fact that the Irish couldn't win this race if they started five minutes earlier.
My regular reader knows that I was strong on Tidal Bay and strongly against Noland. Long and short of it was that Tidal Bay was much too good for them, and Noland ran an excellent race in finishing third (surely he wants further?). The 10/1 ante post in the pocket.
Next up was the biggie, my biggie of the week, the Champion Hurdle, and the monster that is Sizing Europe. My lump safely in betfair's escrow account, and happy that at least the price had contracted to 7/4, I settled in nervously to watch the race.
As it panned out, I actually felt vindicated and confident. He oozed class, and strolled up to the hare, Osana. But, in a few shortening strides, he went from heir apparent hero to problem apparent zero. I'm not sure if the form figure will be a '0' for last place, or a 'P' for pulled up, but those layers can count themselves extremely fortunate in my book (Kev, you know you got lucky!!)
Take nothing away from 'feline faeces' (that's Katchit to you), who remains my favourite jumps horse in training, and who has become the first Triumph Hurdle winner for forty years (!) to win the Champion Hurdle the following season, naturally as a 5yo. He is amazing, and his Cheltenham record of five wins and a second (when Osana arguably nicked the race at the start) from six starts is uncrabbable (new word).
As for me, well my staking plan is clearly the worst since Dracula discovered his very bad allergy to wood... (geddit?!)
Onwards and downwards, and my confidence battered, I looked to the William Hill Chase. Having backed Fier Normand, Mattock Ranger and King Harald ante post, only to discover none of the three turned up on the day, I recalled from the trends that An Accordion only blew out on account of being favourite.
Except of course that he wasn't favourite. I only had £26 in my pocket, and I split it win and place on said nag. I also texted two mates and asked them to stick a score on for me. One was home, and obliged. The other was not, and did not.
No matter: the record shows that An Accordion won at 7/1 (I got the 15/2), and I had actually covered my losses from Sizing as well as the eighty I dropped on the opening race.
Rejuvenated by this revelation, we moved onto the fifth race of the day, and the each way steal of the meeting. Most runners in the cross country races are the equivalent of octogenarians hankering after the good old days (with due respect to any octogenarian readers, who may or may not hanker for bygone times), and it is quite easy to whittle the number down to something more manageable.
Moreover, weight is pretty much immaterial as they amble round the assortment of curious impediments that prevent this being four miles of dizzying rail chasing, and charge for the last half mile.
Hats off to Nina Carberry, who is an exceptionally talented jockey, from a family of the same. She won the race last year on Heads Onthe Ground, and she did so again this year on trends horse, Garde Champetre. I'd backed it already, but had another pony each way at the bookies. Never in doubt: a brilliant ride as well. And that is now the last three winners of the PP Hogan Memorial race at Punchestown who have come here to score.
So to the last and the handicap good thing, Ashkazar. Or was he? Now, I had already stated that this race was tricky and that the trends were not that enlightening (given that there had only been three previous runnings).
Funny then, that I put up Crack Away Jack, Ashkazar and Grand Schlem on the blog (as well as River Liane), and they provided the tricast for some (but not me). I did, though, top up my score on Jack with another £15 e/w on the winner (as well as £40 on the second and £15 e/w on the still running Chapoturgeon).
So at the end of the day, despite chucking four ton at another unfortunate (misjudged?) good thing, the trends have bailed me out to the tune of a decent sum, and I really ought not to lose on the week now. But it's never as easy as that, is it?!
Onwards to day two, and - if you weren't as lucky as me today - remember these fine words from Ben Stein, professor and author:
"The human spirit is never finished when it is defeated. It is finished when it surrenders."
So don't surrender today, for the early battles may be over, but the war is far from won or lost...
More Day Two trends later.
Matt
Working a half day, and wending my way to the Brown Bear in Leman St, in a less salubrious corner of the City, to join my racing chums, I was enshrouded by a funk. I was feeling pessimistic, bordering on morbid.
I'm not sure why, but it may have had something to do with leaving my unmatched £400 on Sizing Europe overnight, and discovering I'd been matched at my requested 3.55 (just over 5/2), but that the horse was now trading at 3.8. Immaterial now of course, as it always is when I go 'lumpy'.
Anyway, let's get back to the start. A cup of tea and Guinness (its my way to stop getting too drunk too quick) down the track, and it was 2.00 and time for the first of six battles between man and orc (or bookmaker if you prefer).
An insoluble race with squillions of imponderables proved exactly that. Unless, of course, you backed Captain Cee Bee who, as fourth choice in the ring, was far from impossible to find. Naturally, I couldn't find him. Nor could I find the 2nd or 3rd for my placepot - from six selections! - and the early bath ensued.
Incidentally, the trends pointed very strongly towards a 5 or 6yo winner. So, no surprise to see a 7yo beat a 4yo home! Ahem...
Bloodied but unbowed, we moved to the Arkle, a much easier race in which to find the winner, by dint of the smaller number of protagonists and the fact that the Irish couldn't win this race if they started five minutes earlier.
My regular reader knows that I was strong on Tidal Bay and strongly against Noland. Long and short of it was that Tidal Bay was much too good for them, and Noland ran an excellent race in finishing third (surely he wants further?). The 10/1 ante post in the pocket.
Next up was the biggie, my biggie of the week, the Champion Hurdle, and the monster that is Sizing Europe. My lump safely in betfair's escrow account, and happy that at least the price had contracted to 7/4, I settled in nervously to watch the race.
As it panned out, I actually felt vindicated and confident. He oozed class, and strolled up to the hare, Osana. But, in a few shortening strides, he went from heir apparent hero to problem apparent zero. I'm not sure if the form figure will be a '0' for last place, or a 'P' for pulled up, but those layers can count themselves extremely fortunate in my book (Kev, you know you got lucky!!)
Take nothing away from 'feline faeces' (that's Katchit to you), who remains my favourite jumps horse in training, and who has become the first Triumph Hurdle winner for forty years (!) to win the Champion Hurdle the following season, naturally as a 5yo. He is amazing, and his Cheltenham record of five wins and a second (when Osana arguably nicked the race at the start) from six starts is uncrabbable (new word).
As for me, well my staking plan is clearly the worst since Dracula discovered his very bad allergy to wood... (geddit?!)
Onwards and downwards, and my confidence battered, I looked to the William Hill Chase. Having backed Fier Normand, Mattock Ranger and King Harald ante post, only to discover none of the three turned up on the day, I recalled from the trends that An Accordion only blew out on account of being favourite.
Except of course that he wasn't favourite. I only had £26 in my pocket, and I split it win and place on said nag. I also texted two mates and asked them to stick a score on for me. One was home, and obliged. The other was not, and did not.
No matter: the record shows that An Accordion won at 7/1 (I got the 15/2), and I had actually covered my losses from Sizing as well as the eighty I dropped on the opening race.
Rejuvenated by this revelation, we moved onto the fifth race of the day, and the each way steal of the meeting. Most runners in the cross country races are the equivalent of octogenarians hankering after the good old days (with due respect to any octogenarian readers, who may or may not hanker for bygone times), and it is quite easy to whittle the number down to something more manageable.
Moreover, weight is pretty much immaterial as they amble round the assortment of curious impediments that prevent this being four miles of dizzying rail chasing, and charge for the last half mile.
Hats off to Nina Carberry, who is an exceptionally talented jockey, from a family of the same. She won the race last year on Heads Onthe Ground, and she did so again this year on trends horse, Garde Champetre. I'd backed it already, but had another pony each way at the bookies. Never in doubt: a brilliant ride as well. And that is now the last three winners of the PP Hogan Memorial race at Punchestown who have come here to score.
So to the last and the handicap good thing, Ashkazar. Or was he? Now, I had already stated that this race was tricky and that the trends were not that enlightening (given that there had only been three previous runnings).
Funny then, that I put up Crack Away Jack, Ashkazar and Grand Schlem on the blog (as well as River Liane), and they provided the tricast for some (but not me). I did, though, top up my score on Jack with another £15 e/w on the winner (as well as £40 on the second and £15 e/w on the still running Chapoturgeon).
So at the end of the day, despite chucking four ton at another unfortunate (misjudged?) good thing, the trends have bailed me out to the tune of a decent sum, and I really ought not to lose on the week now. But it's never as easy as that, is it?!
Onwards to day two, and - if you weren't as lucky as me today - remember these fine words from Ben Stein, professor and author:
"The human spirit is never finished when it is defeated. It is finished when it surrenders."
So don't surrender today, for the early battles may be over, but the war is far from won or lost...
More Day Two trends later.
Matt
posted by Matt at
18:07
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