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Diary of a Spread Bettor Week 26
Thursday 12th NovemberA veryboring little day indeed with nothing much to report on the punting frontexcept for joining the Ballyfitz Paddy Power Gold Cup gamble. NigelTwiston-Davies? nine-year-old had been backed from 25/1 into 12/1 and wascontinuing to shorten with every drop of rain. Therefore, with a deluge ofbiblical proportions expected before the weekend, there was every reason tothink Ballyfitz could shorten even further. Beating the price was one thing, picking the winner? a completely different proposition! Friday 13th NovemberFriday 13th? unlucky for some and in reality, not so great for me either. The drive to arain-soaked Cheltenham took no time at all andthe day got off to the perfect start when Mirabella won Lingfield? s 1. 05pm. Ihad bought? 10 at 16 and was? 340 up before the runners had even arrived downat the start for the first at Cheltenham. However, Notabotheronme was beaten a cool 52? lengths in the opener having attractedplenty of support and I had given back? 110 within minutes. I fancied SafariAdventures to play a big part in the 2. 25pm of his flyweight, but sadly thepoints don? t go down to sixth place and I? d lost another? 120. Yet, the biggestdisaster was my? 10 sell of French Opera at 19? connections were reallyworried about his ability to handle the soft ground and others had questionwhether he could put in a clear round. Well he jumped like a stag and loved theground and lost me another? 310 in the process. I was suddenly not only soakingwet, but? 200 down having been? 340 up less than an hour and a half earlier. Well, thesong says that things can only get better? but, they didn? t. I bought Openide for? 10 at 6 in the CrossCountry Chase because I had passed him in Brendan Duke? s horsebox on themotorway. He finished fifth, just outside the points and I continued to bleedcash. He looked slow in his box when I shot past on the way to the course and wassadly even slower in the flesh! However, themost painful reverse of the day came in the last when Knockara Beau was beatena neck by Weird Al. Jan Faltelsek is a Northern journey-man jockey and I? dwish, quite frankly, he hadn? t made the journey South. I watched on from thestands, with a host of decent jockeys who hadn? t manage to get a ride in therace (including a certain R Walsh), as Faltelsek was out ridden from the last. I had bought? 10 at 20 and a? 300 profit was reduced by? 250 in the dyingstrides! Saturday 14th NovemberI had spentthe previous evening in Winchcombe at the White Hart Inn? Wally Pyrah sent hissteak back because it was too chewy. I told him he must have been wearing hisTV teeth rather than his eating ones, but he wasn? t having any of it. We thenbumped into Sporting Index? s very own? Chief? and his friend Bob in the earlyhours at Wesley House. You would have definitely liked to have been a buyer ofChief? s red wine minutes as,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], by the time we arrived, his lips we moving out ofsequence with every word he was trying to utter. He looked like a badly dubbedmovie. He was out celebrating a good day? s punting with his mate Bob, who keptcalling me Bill Elisaad? where did he get Elisaad from! It makes me sound likeeither a member of Al-Qaeda or a two-year-old that could easily be trained byMarcus Tregoning for Hamdan next year. Well, thepair were insistent that we should all sell points in the Bath v Ospreys game in the mid 30? s as therewas plenty of rain expected. Their recommendation became my first bet of theday and my? 20 sell at 33 looked terrific right the way up to the 72ndminute. Sadly, two late tries were extremely expensive and meant a make-up inthe low twenties suddenly became 32. Anyway, a profit is a profit and I beganthe day? 20 up. I wasn? t? 20up for long though as Kanpai? s disappointing showing in the Novice Chase costme? 50. The formbook will show that he finished third and he has a decentlooking? 3? next to his name for next time. However, the? 3? should really bean? L? as there were only three runners and he finished last,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]! Thingsdidn? t improve and even though Don? t Push It ran a cracker, I backed him to winand he found Gallant Nuit too good. I had backed Ballyfitz each-way earlier inthe week at 12/1 so was pleased he finished fourth in the Paddy Power Gold Cup, but could have done with him winning. However, theday? s real disaster was not backing Zitenka at Wetherby! Regular readers ofthis diary will know that I had a crack on this horse a few weeks ago at Carlisle and wrote that it was too early to give up on him. Well, cut a long story short, it drifted out to 16/1 and I opted to leave it. It bolted up and left me feeling even more sick. As it sailed over the last, ears pricked and scooted away up the run-in, I felt my mouth going numb? alittle bit like Chief? s less than 24 hours earlier. I left Cheltenhamfeeling disconsolate! I didn? tsell points in the England vArgentinagame either as they had crept down to a pretty low level before kick-off. Itwas another mistake as a? 20 sell at 36 would have yielded a? 220 profit. However, I did manage to nick back? 105 by selling goals in the Ireland v France game at 2. 05 for? 100. Iwish I? d sold more when the full time whistle went,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], but that? s always the wayat the end of a bad couple of days. Sunday 15th NovemberAfter? BlackSaturday? it was important to get back to winning ways and Fosters Cross wasjust the trick in Cheltenham? s opener. Thatwas right up until the point he crashed out at the third last and cost meanother? 180. Well Chief got me back on a level path when seeing off MasterMinded in the Connaught Chase, but Raise Your Heart and Issaquah cost me dearlyin the Greatwood Hurdle. I was interrible form and the one certainty left in a shocking weekend was that Johnand Edward wouldn? t be booted of the X Factor. In fact, it was certain thatthey wouldn? t be in the bottom two either. Step forward Jamie and Lloyd? Iwasn? t saying goodbye to Jedwood, I was saying goodbye to the? 150 investedearlier in the week. Monday 16th NovemberI? d like totell you that I bought? 10 of Dravid Runs at 45 on the first day of India? s Test with Sri Lanka,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], but I didn? t! He went onto make a cool 177 in his side? s total of 385/6. The day wasexpensive as my wife took my bank card (rather than me) off Christmas shoppingin the evening. I think the pair of them had a cracking time, although I? m notquite sure of the damage yet. Tuesday 17th NovemberAnotherdreadful day of sport with some pretty ordinary looking racing at Folkestone, Fakenham and Southwell. I liked the look of Mark Johnston? s Solicitor (thehorse that is, rather than the person who handles his legal affairs) in the1. 20pm contest, but so did everyone else. After the weekend I? d had, Icertainly wasn? t going to start backing 4/9 shots. I was going to buy it in amatch bet over the field but eventually decided to give it a miss? of course, it won by nine lengths. When it rains, it pours! Wednesday 18th NovemberI? m off toTwickenham on Saturday so was keen to see the first of the handicap linesappearing for the New Zealand game. My theory was that themajority would get carried away with England? s poor performance lastweekend and put in the All Blacks as high-teen point favourites. You cantherefore imagine my disappointment to see an opening show around the 13 mark? damn it, I? m going to have to be a lemming and side with the visitors too. Anyway, Isnapped up the last of the 3/1 available about Notre Pere winning the BetfairChase. I know he has Kauto Star to beat, but he loves it heavy and last year? sGold Cup winner looked legless when falling at the second last in this 12months ago. Come on Notre Pere? come on the rain!Topics related articles：


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