Leading Up To The Epsom Derby

I was convinced Carlingford Castle would win the Derby and was on at large prices a long while before the race.  2nd
Convinced it wanted further, I then backed it for the St Leger.
3rd in a tight finish.

I had a hand in 'organising a raffle' for the 1981 Derby via a well known London store.  Tickets were £1 for 10, there were thousands sold, and if you got a runner, you got a fiver. I entered my sisters name and address for the Shergar ticket. £250 for an Alan Whicker, lovely jubbly!!

A student in 1983 with all the poverty that implies.

I forget the name of the lecturer (Mike somethingorother) but he was an Irish guy, who'd kissed the Blarney Stone and  who always wore a rollneck and V-neck sweater (superfluous detail there) who took us for Business Studies.

Anyway all through the summer term he'd finish the lecture with '.....and back Teenoso for the Derby'. This was well before I got into racing and these days I'd have been far too much of a smart-ar$e to have followed someone elses tips, but back then I thought this guy clearly knew a thing or two and got on, for a few quid a week, in the weeks leading up to Epsom.

You know the result of the race. The result for me was, short-term, me face-down in the gutter, singing 'The Goblin Song' on the Saturday night of the Derby.

Long term it was responsible for me getting into punting the horses in a major way.

Great story Roger.

The first derby I remember watching was Shergar's aged 11.

I remember getting home from school in time to see the race and what a performance he put on that day.

Punting wise though it's not been too kind to me over the years.

The 1895 Derby, first horse race to have ever been filmed, found in an attic 99 years later

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rjLomiRRjw

In my time as a bookmaker, me and a mate did the book for a private party in the centre of the course. We got a limo to take us there and back. We got the lot. The floor of the limo was covered in cash at the end of the day!

You know the result of the race. The result for me was, short-term, me face-down in the gutter, singing 'The Goblin Song' on the Saturday night of the Derby.

Will be a pedant here and say it would've been a Wednesday night though, but a good story all the same. Which brings me to my yearly moan about how it's never been the same since they changed it to a Saturday. Best Derby I attended I was on Secreto ("but look at El Gran Senor - he's absolutely cruising"),and then had a big ew bet on Wiki Wiki Wheels in the last who romped home at 33/1. Happy days.

that was the first derby I attended HH, never had wiki but managed a decent bet on pennine walk of jeremy tree's, 7/2 paid the day's exes 

The Wednesday Derby saw a hell of a lot of 'phoning in sick' in the London area.

You're right of course HH, but being a student, Wednesday night? Saturday Night? Who cares ? :)

"See the little Goblin and his little feet......"

HH

that was my first Derby ... I backed the 2nd fav trained by Guy Harwood

my wife picked out Secreto ... I think it was about 12-1

we watched them (Secreto and El Gran Senor ) flash past us with about a furlong to go

First Derby bet I did myself was on Hot Grove, went into the William Hill shop in Leytonstone, I was sixteen but looked about 12 !
Still amazed they took my bet to be honest !

I was 14 and watched the 1965 Derby on our black and white television.  I remember rushing out to the kitchen to tell my parents I saw the best horse ever winning the English Derby.
Their reaction was "You stupid boy".  It was Sea-Bird.

Jun 4, 2014 -- 7:23AM, call me a taxi wrote:

The Wednesday Derby saw a hell of a lot of 'phoning in sick' in the London area.

I never had to bring a note to school the next day to explain my absence as they all knew I would be at Epsom with my Dad.