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16 Nov 17
09:58
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Date Joined:
25 Dec 05
when david ashworth did a grand for xmas doing a course everyday for a week trying to win a grand, the myriad of different bets and the musings of the racecourse bars,paddock,cafe,sweetie shop and betting ring were always one the best reads of the year,you,d think ATR,RUK, would do a similar thing follow one of their pundits for a week with a camera and show it the next day
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The ATR pundits used to have a mythical daily betting bank which they staked on various selections over the course of a day's racing.
This didn't last long as they invariably ended doing their mythical dough and it exposed their ineptitude.
This didn't last long as they invariably ended doing their mythical dough and it exposed their ineptitude.
Some of those 'Grab A Grand' articles can still be found on the net. Here's one from 2011:
THERE'S more than one way to skin a cat. All of them must be pretty revolting, though. Take my blob system, for instance; a big blob for a big fancy, a small blob for a small fancy.
Proper punters don't have blobs, because they don't really have fancies, they just have figures. They use what they hope is their superior knowledge to work out the odds against each horse winning a race, compare their odds with those available in the betting market and try to exploit discrepancies.
They are backing their judgement against the market's. If they think a horse's actual chance of winning is 4-1 and bookmakers price it up at 6-1, they'll back it. They might fancy a lot of horses, one way or another, at the right price.
Anyway, even though I do often have big blobs at Towcester, I haven't awarded anything a big blob today. Worryingly, there's hardly a small blob in sight, either. The card is impossible but I refuse to be deflected from my goal. If Dale Carnegie was here (he isn't, having died in 1955), he'd say: "I can and I will," win pounds 800 today, for a running total profit of 27p, and pounds 999.73p tomorrow. Grand won! It can't be that difficult. I intend to make Carnegie proud of me, posthumously.
Time to seek out some trainers and jockeys for their opinions, just in case they know what they're talking about. In the meantime, I do a Placepot, even though experience suggests that I shouldn't. In the first, I've got Smokey George and Grand Article. After the first I'm out of the Placepot.
The soundest bet of the day looks to be Close House, certain to be a short price in the maiden hurdle. Tom Scudamore, looking happy (he isn't 62 and doesn't have to win pounds 1,800) says: "His bumper form was superb and he's always schooled well, so it was disappointing he didn't win first time over hurdles at Exeter - but that was probably a good race. He was very straight for that but will have benefited from the experience and deserves to be favourite."
Matt Chapman has a word (quite a loud one) with bookmaker Barry Johnson who, as a result, very generously gives me 2-1 Close House, to pounds 100, instead of evens. It seems a very good system to me and I might ask Ladbrokes if they'd like to do the same thing for the next few years. I'd already backed Close House on Betfair and, although it's a bit of a struggle, he wins. Well done Scudamore, well done trainer David Pipe, well done owner Roger Brookhouse and a toast to this great sport. Yes, I've actually backed a winner. Suddenly everything feels different. Could this be the turning point? I'd love Thedreamstillalive to win the next for Jim Old and, if he can reproduce his old form, he could. "He's better than these at his best," says Old, "but he's had a lot of problems. He's very well but is probably still not 100 per cent." Too late for doubts, I've backed him and had a saver on The Laodicean, who Andrew Thornton is quite encouraging about. "He's young, he won't mind the ground and the trip's perfect,"' says Thornton.
Thedreamstillalive runs disappointingly, The Laodicean runs respectably, I lose pounds 130. That much? Yes. How did I do that? Stupidity, I suppose.
In racing, luck appears and disappears in a flash. A few minutes ago, the Million In Mind Partnership won at Exeter with Torphichen but now their newly bought Minella Humour has to be put down after breaking a leg.
Henry Daly wins the race with Castle Conflict, only to lose it after a stewards' inquiry. I had a coward's place-only bet on Tony Dinozzo, who fell at the last hurdle when tired. Tony McCoy stays down for a while, then hops to the running rail.
Needless to say, he still rides in the following race. Amazing man.
I try to find trainer Susan Nock to ask about Picture In The Sky and am pointed in her direction, three times. None of the three pointees (possibly a new word) admits to being Susan Nock. Where are you, Mrs Nock? How many of you are there? I'M pleased to say that she soon appears in the winner's enclosure because, although I'd have liked The Falklander to compensate Daly, I'd backed Picture In The Sky, which makes it difficult to wish for a different result.
Timmy Murphy rode a lovely race on the winner, who jumped nimbly. Mrs Nock, or someone claiming to be her, says she has four and a half horses. She doesn't say if the half is alive or not.
THERE'S more than one way to skin a cat. All of them must be pretty revolting, though. Take my blob system, for instance; a big blob for a big fancy, a small blob for a small fancy.
Proper punters don't have blobs, because they don't really have fancies, they just have figures. They use what they hope is their superior knowledge to work out the odds against each horse winning a race, compare their odds with those available in the betting market and try to exploit discrepancies.
They are backing their judgement against the market's. If they think a horse's actual chance of winning is 4-1 and bookmakers price it up at 6-1, they'll back it. They might fancy a lot of horses, one way or another, at the right price.
Anyway, even though I do often have big blobs at Towcester, I haven't awarded anything a big blob today. Worryingly, there's hardly a small blob in sight, either. The card is impossible but I refuse to be deflected from my goal. If Dale Carnegie was here (he isn't, having died in 1955), he'd say: "I can and I will," win pounds 800 today, for a running total profit of 27p, and pounds 999.73p tomorrow. Grand won! It can't be that difficult. I intend to make Carnegie proud of me, posthumously.
Time to seek out some trainers and jockeys for their opinions, just in case they know what they're talking about. In the meantime, I do a Placepot, even though experience suggests that I shouldn't. In the first, I've got Smokey George and Grand Article. After the first I'm out of the Placepot.
The soundest bet of the day looks to be Close House, certain to be a short price in the maiden hurdle. Tom Scudamore, looking happy (he isn't 62 and doesn't have to win pounds 1,800) says: "His bumper form was superb and he's always schooled well, so it was disappointing he didn't win first time over hurdles at Exeter - but that was probably a good race. He was very straight for that but will have benefited from the experience and deserves to be favourite."
Matt Chapman has a word (quite a loud one) with bookmaker Barry Johnson who, as a result, very generously gives me 2-1 Close House, to pounds 100, instead of evens. It seems a very good system to me and I might ask Ladbrokes if they'd like to do the same thing for the next few years. I'd already backed Close House on Betfair and, although it's a bit of a struggle, he wins. Well done Scudamore, well done trainer David Pipe, well done owner Roger Brookhouse and a toast to this great sport. Yes, I've actually backed a winner. Suddenly everything feels different. Could this be the turning point? I'd love Thedreamstillalive to win the next for Jim Old and, if he can reproduce his old form, he could. "He's better than these at his best," says Old, "but he's had a lot of problems. He's very well but is probably still not 100 per cent." Too late for doubts, I've backed him and had a saver on The Laodicean, who Andrew Thornton is quite encouraging about. "He's young, he won't mind the ground and the trip's perfect,"' says Thornton.
Thedreamstillalive runs disappointingly, The Laodicean runs respectably, I lose pounds 130. That much? Yes. How did I do that? Stupidity, I suppose.
In racing, luck appears and disappears in a flash. A few minutes ago, the Million In Mind Partnership won at Exeter with Torphichen but now their newly bought Minella Humour has to be put down after breaking a leg.
Henry Daly wins the race with Castle Conflict, only to lose it after a stewards' inquiry. I had a coward's place-only bet on Tony Dinozzo, who fell at the last hurdle when tired. Tony McCoy stays down for a while, then hops to the running rail.
Needless to say, he still rides in the following race. Amazing man.
I try to find trainer Susan Nock to ask about Picture In The Sky and am pointed in her direction, three times. None of the three pointees (possibly a new word) admits to being Susan Nock. Where are you, Mrs Nock? How many of you are there? I'M pleased to say that she soon appears in the winner's enclosure because, although I'd have liked The Falklander to compensate Daly, I'd backed Picture In The Sky, which makes it difficult to wish for a different result.
Timmy Murphy rode a lovely race on the winner, who jumped nimbly. Mrs Nock, or someone claiming to be her, says she has four and a half horses. She doesn't say if the half is alive or not.
An amazing thread as its the only one I can remember when 1st time poster was quite positive and complementary about someone or something
though I have just realised it was over a year ago
.
though I have just realised it was over a year ago.
I wouldn’t say I loved it in the true sense of the word, but in the Sporting Life I always looked out for ‘Scratchings, All Engagements, Dead’ as an informative if sad resource.
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