The Recreational Punter

2.05 Uttoxeter - Oski  is an utter dodge pot but is surely an each way bet to nothing? Maybe put in the forecast with Beaufort West? 2.40 Uttoxeter - Barney Bateleur is going to win over fences and this is a hurdle race so small stake only but I think Stormy Flight is handicapped to win it. Again maybe dutch them and a small dual forecast. 3.10 Uttoxeter- Susy Smith has gone all the way to the (north) midlands to run Animal. I think this horse will win again one day. Currently 6/1. 5.10 Ffos Las- Saddlers Quest. Came 5th at 100/1 under a "quiet" ride at the same track on 4 February. Should be of interest in a handicap (which this is). Sorry some of them are in the same races.

Well Grooveur got me well out of trouble today with a nice win in the 3.00 at Ludlow (I'd had £20 each way at 14/1). It was much needed and a significant confidence restorer. Oh and excellent ride by Lee Edwards, a jockey I must take more interest in. Right now correct me if I am wrong but I cannot believe the current in running prices on champion National Hunt jumps jockey championship winner- Harry Skelton 4/7 Brian Hughes 11/8 Harry Cobden 20/1 Of course the championship is decided by the number of winners ridden. In my opinion the best jockey of these 3 is Cobden, but he will not win. Skelton and Hughes are about equal in terms of talent. Skelton rides all of the best of his brother's horses and a few for other trainers. Hughes rides for lots of northern trainers who I think would like to see him win the title again for "up north". Backing Brian Hughes is a good bet.  

Gary Player, the man in black, famously said, "The more I practice, the luckier I get." I never totally warmed to this outlook as the sportsmen I most admired, think of Tony Currie, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Lord Botham, C.B.Fry (no I did not watch him in person), Hurricane Higgins, George Best, Matthew Le Tissier, Alan Hudson, Barry John and even John Robertson (the great crosser of the ball - between fags - in Brian Clough's European Cup winning Notts Forest side) , sometimes gave the impression of not necessarily practicing that much and yet still being brilliant. Added to that when I went through a phase of playing golf regularly in my twenties (just after CB Fry turned down the chance to be King of Albania) I found the more I practiced the unluckier I got. However when it comes to betting on the sport I know most about, horse racing, then undoubtedly Mr Player was onto something. The more research and attention I pay to form, videos of races, studying particular stables...

and also could not train ivy up a tree! And having got those cliches out the way I have a few bets for tomorrow- 4.10 Warwick - Cherry Cola. I remember Sheena West saying how she could not wait to see this horse over hurdles. It will be ridden by Marc Goldstein, who had a 100/1 winner yesterday (and no I did not back it). 2.25 Warwick I fancy two (a bit) Always Able (unfashionable connections so offers value) and Quite Penny. 3.00 Warwick - Wind Tor and finally at Wolves in the 6.10 old favourite Sword Exceed. He is handicapped to win but has left the pretty good Ivan Furtado so it may take a while! Remember gambling is for fun and these are just fun bets - except Cherry Cola who I really fancy..... 

Rather unsurprisingly Brentford Hope was a non-runner on account of the good - err quite hard - ground. Maybe augers well for this horse to come up trumps over a mile at some point this season. Also keep an eye on Gold Souk. Ran in the Rosebery today from a long way out of the handicap and then fell out of the stalls. The odds were 250/1 but remarkably the horse was not totally disgraced. I am not sure at all what the connections are up to but feel he could at some point win at a big price.  And I have 3 for tomorrow running within 20 minutes- 3.20 Ascot - Another Crick . Classy animal who could win. 3.30 Carlisle - Tonto's Spirit. Handicapped to win and already backed this evening. 3.40 Doncaster - Bowland Park. His victory Chepstow as a 2 year old was good class. Big price (20/1) and could go in again if back to that form.

Funny time of year for us gamblers. The going changes from heavy, to good, to firm rendering horse racing recent form almost irrelevant (that's my excuse for my last 3 bets reading fell, pulled up and unseated). Cheltenham is over, there are some low grade jump fixtures and it is then a damp squib opening to the flat turf season. In other sport the golf is match play (which is a total lottery where many of the best players only seem to be there for the appearance money). Rory Mcllroy hit his ball into a lake but not content with that found a swimming pool with the replacement! At least there is football? Well no the Premiership is suspended for a live international matche on terrestrial TV, namely England versus San Marino. Crawley Town would thrash the butchers and bakers from San Marino which gives you an idea of how competitive that is. My focus will be on 2 things- 1. The Lincoln (at Doncaster). This straight mile handicap has been farmed in recent years by top trainers (Gosden...

Slightly odd post this because it will primarily be about Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum (sorry if I have spelt any of that wrong). When I going racing (it seems a long time ago now) I am an avid paddock watcher. Of course that is mainly at Plumpton, Fontwell and Brighton but just occasionally it includes York and Goodwood. And when I have gone to the latter smarter tracks Sheikh Hamdan has been in the paddock, race card in hand watching the horses (including the ones he owns) as avidly as me. He smiled and took notes, as some rather muscular men with short haircuts circled nearby with a finger on their ear talking into their sleeves. It seemed to me from my small observations that Sheikh Hamdan, for all his wealth and other responsibilities, was a genuine racing fan. I was sorry to hear today that he has died and only hope that Shadwell Stud (and everyone who worked there has only praise for their boss) can carry on the great work he started. Having been saddened by news of Sheikh Hamdan...

Taunton 2.12 Defining Battle. Promising run at Newbury after a long absence and pulled too hard.  Maybe too short but if he settles should win this lower class race (not a great price though). Taunton 3.47 Chess Player. Keeps running well in bumpers and finally this might be the day over hurdles. Interesting jockey booking in Jamie Moore. His never say die style of riding could make the difference (hopefully not between victory and a fall!). Huntingdon 3.10 Always Able. Unfashionable connections but handicapped to win.

Too late for me, as usual, I noticed a post by Rory Delarghy last evening in 'punting pointers' on the Sporting Life website. He was highlighting a very strange bit of handicapping for a horse called Blood Eagle in the 4.20 at Plumpton today. I am not sure of the exact argument as I cannot now find the original post (conspiracy theorists take your chance) but in essence this horse had some good form on the flat when trained by Andrew Balding. It has then run 4 times over hurdles for David Jeffreys and been hopeless at massive odds. There was some kind of question mark of how it should be handicapped but to cut a long story short it is entered in a low grade handicap hurdle at Plumpton and is 22lb out of the handicap - i.e. if its handicap rating is correct it has no chance. When Rory highlighted this apparently you could back Blood Eagle at 66/1. On the basis of its form over jumps for David Jeffreys it should have been 250/1 plus - but if it ran to its Andrew Balding form then...

Old Friend (OF) "Quick question. Can u do an acca. on rugby with Betfair?" Me "Basically yes" OF "Ta. Realised it has to be multiple matches not just multiple bets!! Duh" Me "Yes it is not an acca if same match - what used to be called a related contingency. You should be able to build a bet on the Betfair sportsbook" OF "Is that on the app?" Me "Yes think so. Go from exchange to sportsbook. same login" OF "Still won't let me for some reason. Just offers singles" Me "There may not be enough demand for it on rugby" OF "Seems so. Tennis comes higher on the list than rugby" Me "Tennis very popular in Eastern Europe (OF lives in Kosovo) for betting" OF "Explains it" ........ 16 hours later OF "I am so glad I didn't get that bet on" Me "Not backing a loser is as good as a winner. But not backing a winner is worse than a loser". Then over to my son who is ...

I am always pleasantly surprised that I do not feel a sense of let down, of after the Lord Mayor's show, at the end of the Cheltenham Festival. It was a good week, with some great performances - notably Honeysuckle, Tiger Roll, Rachael Blackmore, The Shunter and Henry de Bromhead. Of course it was a such a pity the crowd were not there. The roar from the Irish cheering home these wonders would have been heard in Bristol. Punting wise Flooring Porter in the stayers meant I can afford a takeaway kebab this evening. He was given a really well-judged ride by late substitute Danny (yet another) Mullins. Frodon jumped exuberantly in the Gold Cup but as feared did not stay. I suspect he would have won the Ryanair had he gone for that but I understand why the owners had a go at the blue riband event. I backed Minella Indo in last year's RSA (pipped on the line) and at Leapoardstown at Christmas (fell) but - like Racael Blakemore with her one mistake of the week - inevitably left him al...

"Women jockeys will never make it over jumps because they cannot take the falls", said a legendary former trainer. Rachael Blackmore has had 4 falls this week - and also five winners. She has had more winners (and falls) as British trainers have trained winners. I do not think she will win the Gold Cup on A Plus Tard this afternoon but if she does I suspect she is a shoe in for next Irish President.  See you later.

Day off from delivering so had expected to sit down and watch all the racing live. But no have to visit my mum as it's her 83rd birthday. Selfish having a birthday during Cheltenham and so near Mothering Sunday! Maybe it's not a bad thing though as I am increasingly convinced that the races at the Festival are so analysed and previewed by the professionals that the enthusiastic amateur punter like myself cannot find any edge. Also by the third day a certain amount of lethargy creeps in. My most successful punts have consistently been on races that few people are interested in - low grade handicaps at Brighton or on the all weather, or those 'take it turn amongst southern trainers' races over jumps at Fontwell and Plumpton. With that in mind my 3 small wagers today are  12.40 Hexham - Gamesters Icon - poor run at Carlisle last week but is well handicapped and quick turn out suggest connections are positive 1.35 Doncaster - Table Mountain - Positive vibes from the trainer...

Almost shed a tear twice yesterday. I didn't obviously though as I am a man.  First I had my injection at the Brighton 'Mass Vaccination' Centre. It was well organised, efficient, and a happy place. Made me proud to be British. No side effects so far (take that President Macron) although my wi-fi is faster this morning. Then secondly it was Honeysuckle's brilliant victory in the Champion hurdle under a superb Rachael Blackmore. Honeysuckle could be better than Dawn Run and certainly the best Champion Hurdler since Istabraq. Could feel myself welling up when Henry de Bromhead was being interviewed on racingTV but managed to fight it off. Unfortunately Goshen proved as hard to steer as a broken shopping trolley so that fairytale did not come to pass. My son texted me as I waited in the (short) jab queue to praise the each way Eldorado Allen punt (at 66/1), which rather spoiled the anticipation for when watching the recording later. Eldorado Allen was given an excellent ...

I am busy delivering trees for a nursery (yes really) so my focus on Cheltenham has been more casual than professional - or maybe truly recreational after all. Nevertheless here are my bets for day 1- 1.20 Irascible e/w - should get 28/1 plus. 1.55 Eldorado Allen - 66/1 (yes each way). 2.30 Aye Right - Interesting to see Richard Johnson on board. 11/2 to win. 3.05 - So hope (for different reasons) either Honeysuckle or Goshen win, but no actual bet. 3.40 - Whitehotchillifilli each way - at 200/1 (so no hope really), and 4.15 - Nassalam each way 25/1. If one even places we will be lucky but at least there is an interest as I watch the replays recuperating from my Champion Hurdle clashing jab.

Frustrating Saturday trying to build up some ammunition for next week. Starting with the good news I did back Mums Tipple in the Lady Wolfruna Stakes at Wolverhampton. I was at York the day this horse won a 2 year old sales race so easily that the owners received huge (rumours of £500k plus) offers from the likes of Coolmore and Godolphin. They bravely turned them down and since then Mums Tipple had been pretty much useless - so much so that he has suffered the operation which means he will not be heading to the breeding sheds. There was though a bit of potential in his first run this season at Lingfield and I backed him at 4/1 Friday evening as anything near a repeat of the York run would see him win.  Worryingly Mums Tipple drifted before the off but Ryan Moore at his very best got him home, getting up a shade tidily at the end. As I still get BOG at Bet365 the 9/2 was a welcome bonus. I rather suspect the market will overreact to this long overdue victory and will probably look ...

I probably first noticed Football Index about 6 months ago when I became aware of a podcast called, funnily enough, Football Index Podcast . I listened to one episode on my daily walk but was not that impressed. From what I could gather you bought "shares" in footballers and then got "dividends" based on that footballer's performance (goals, shots, tackles etc) and - this seemed a bit bizarre - mentions in the media. It appeared you "owned" a share for 3 years (not sure what happened then), the share could go up and down in value and you could sell it. The trick to winning big was to buy a "share" in a young player who then burst on the scene with some eye-catching performances and went up in value - although the potential for insider trading with this is all too obvious. Alternatively pick a controversial player with wayward tendencies and you might gain from the media mentions. Eric Cantana would have paid a good dividend! The Football Inde...

Punting light this week as I attempt to build some ammunition for Cheltenham. I have only been to the Festival once. It was 1996, the year that Alderbrook was runner up attempting to win the Champion Hurdle for the second successive year. A man next to me in the crowd had obviously backed him large because when he was beaten he declared Alderbrook to be "dog meat, just dog meat" which as well as being unfair was also untrue as the horse was (unusually for a jumper) still entire. Instead of the canning factory he went on to have a moderately successful 'career' at stud. My experience - and the Festival has got even bigger since - is that the course was so crowded that you had to decide whether to go to the paddock, have a bet or watch the race as it was only possible to do one of these things. Meanwhile the Irish visitors stayed in the bar drinking Guiness.  The atmosphere was fantastic but I prefer to watch it on TV - which of course we all will be doing this year.  P...

Having been busy clearing out the garage (I know, I know) I drove to the tip in Newhaven and had to wait for an hour before carefully recycling my rubbish (think I might have got away with a few old tiles in the waste to energy skip). That excitement meant that for the 2nd day running I had no bets (if you do not count the ante-post golf scramble on Sunday ). To make up for this there are a few for tomorrow at overnight prices- Lingfield 3.20 Enough Already - to win Lingfield 4.30 dutching Aasleagh Fawn and Gold Souk - both to win Kempton 5.45 Bowland Park each way Kempton 7.15 Elusif each way Fontwell 1.30 Zafar each way Fontwell 3.02 Quiet Penny each way and finally a trip to Ireland for the 2.55 at Wexford Silk Worm each way. If one of them wins that will be okay.

My football betting is hopeless, as is my cricket. I do ok with rugby league but that is off for pandemic reasons (and may struggle to come back if bookmaker sponsorship is banned). Horse racing continues to consistently return an small profit and for reasons I cannot entirely fathom golf remains ok. Yesterday evening I was actually enjoying watching the climax of the Arnold Palmer Invitational from an annoyingly warm looking Florida. I was against Bryson DeChambeau (too big and muscular) and favouring Lee Westwood for 2 reasons - 1, he is a horse racing fan, and 2, he has small paunch! My bet was Christiaan Bezuidenhout, each way at 70/1 first 8 places. With the wind blowing there was a moment where the South African looked to have a chance of winning but the 2 leaders played really well but at least I knew the place part of my wager was going well. At 10pm English time (late for me) I was still watching when Christiaan plonked his 2nd into the water at the 18th. That was it. I could ...

I have to confess that I have been suffering from a mild case of vaccine jealously - especially when I saw a photo of David Cameron being jabbed and knowing that he is considerably younger than me. Therefore there was delight yesterday on receiving confirmation of my appointment - Tuesday week in the afternoon. It then dawned on me that there was a clash ...... with the Champion Hurdle! I briefly considered changing the time, "Hello busy vaccination people. I would like to amend the date for my jab." "Ok we can do that in exceptional circumstances. Why do you need to change?" "So I can watch Goshen and Honeysuckle in the Champion Hurdle."  That is obviously a non-runner. Instead it's set Racing TV to record and then, like that brilliant episode of the Likely Lads, trying to avoid all people and media till early evening so I can watch the race without knowing the result. Just 2 bets today - The Ogle Gogle Man 2.55 Sedgefield, and Table Mountain 3.05 Hun...

The ground has changed, with good appearing in the description across all tracks. I have had some success watching and backing horses from the Neil King yard - partly because he does well at my favourite gaff, Plumpton. King's horses definitely run better on good ground, and actually I have made a small sum laying them this winter when a combination of heavy going and the stable being out of form made them unlikely winners. This afternoon he has Boulting For Glory running in Doncaster's 4.40. It's a long trip up there from the yard in Wiltshire but he definitely will get the good ground I suspect he prefers. Neil King gave the horse a favourable mention in one of those stable tour things last year and - like it seems almost half the horses in training - has had a wind op (being a vet attached to a stable must be quite lucrative). Last night Boulting For Glory was available at 50/1. This morning there was 25/1 briefly and now he's 16's. It seems to me the stable fanc...

Doing the cards this morning (it's an enjoyable ritual) I am intrigued by Saintemilion, due to run in the 3.00 race at Newbury this afternoon. This horse was formerly trained by Paul Nicholls and it is fair to say that the description of its performances as 'generally disappointing' is pretty accurate. Normally I would automatically avoid an ex-Nicholls horse on the basis that there is no way another trainer can improve a horse that was with the best trainer in the UK. Chris Gordon has done ok with a few but only after they have dropped down the handicap to well below their winning mark under Nicholls. In this case the horse has gone to Jimmy Frost, who it appears is also the owner. Saintemilion's best run was when beaten by a neck in a fairly valuable chase at Wincanton on Boxing Day 2019. The jockey that day was Bryony Frost (Jimmy's daughter). Presumably Bryony must have given some kind of positive assessment of the horse. Saintemilion is 20/1 today. Bryony is ri...

As mentioned previously on here I no longer bet in running on horse racing because of the advantage that the drone flyers and corporate box renters obtain through having access to what is happening seconds before those of watching Racing TV, Sky or (even slower) ITV. I now turns out that football bettors are at a disadvantage when it comes to team news. This can be very important - look what happens to the odds when Wilfred Zaha cannot play for Crystal Palace, or Jack Grealish is unavailable for Aston Villa. It seems that "professional" gamblers have invested in robots which electronically track the fantasy league selections of premiership players. That's how they knew before anybody else that Grealish was injured. 3 Villa teammates had removed him from their fantasy league team!

After a bad start to the month I did back Sergeant Tibbs  in the 6.50 at Kempton. I looked at the race yesterday evening when my tracker popped him up and with Bet 365 he was 50/1 so instead I invested £20 each way with the Betfair Sportsbook because they were 100/1 (not best odds guaranteed). Just watched the race and Sergeant Tibbs was a very credible 2nd at ...... 200/1. I would have got best odds guaranteed with Bet365 so a win felt great but also felt a little bit like a loser. A winner but with the gloss taken off! And of course I never did a accumulator on the wonderful Hollie Doyle, who managed only her usual 5 winners on the card.

Unsurprisingly horse racing news continues to be dominated by the Gordon Elliott business. It has reached the stage where the pile on him is so great I am feeling a bit sorry for him. I have worked in situations where people have died and there was often a bit of "gallows humour" to get you through it. If everything done had been filmed/photographed and then circulated on social media there would have been justified, but out of context, outrage. As far as the punting is concerned it has not been a good start to March. The winter proved profitable but now spring is almost here, and the going has changed, my bets have been way off target.  I fancied 2 in the 3.40 at Leicester on Tuesday:  Roseisaroseisarose is a mare I have followed for months and I felt sure she would be in the first 3 after wind surgery. Like all good each way things she came 4th, and Festival Dawn, for whom there was good money, travelled well for much of the way until the important bit after which she d...

Horse racing is in trouble again with a dreadful own goal from leading Irish trainer Gordon Elliott. A photo 'surfaced' on Sunday showing him sat on a dead horse, talking into his phone and doing some kind of victory (or 2) sign with his fingers. The reliable medium of Twitter was divided 50/50 as to whether the picture was photoshopped. Elliott issued a statement late on Sunday confirming it was genuine, apologising and adding- "I was standing over the horse waiting to help with the removal of the body, in the course of which, to my memory I received a call and, without thinking,  I sat down to take it. Hearing a shout from one of my team, I gestured to wait until I was finished". Elliott is one of those  trainers  who have lots of horses and a high turnover. He is also something of an outsider, having no  background  in racing when growing up. His achievements are admirable but may well have been completely undone by this - and his "explanation" for his ac...