Living down to my worst Cheltenham betting fears
Unlike last year, as regular readers will recall, Iām going to finish ahead for the meeting. But given that Iām so comfortably in the black as it is, will it not represent a mild failure if Iām anything less than ā¬200 up by teatime tomorrow? I ponder this knotty existential issue.
Enough pondering. I study the card. It does not inspire. Suddenly I remember why. It is the Thursday of the Festival. The extra day, the afterthought, the spare to the heir, the Prince Harry minus the amusing idiocy.
I take my second executive decision of the meeting and vow I am not going to blow my stash on a bunch of nags Iāve never heard of. Iām sorry. I know it would be more fun for you were I getting seriously dug into every race.
I know it would be even more fun for you were I getting seriously dug into every race and losing, to be carried out at the end of the card. But tomorrow is Gold Cup day and the powder is going to stay dry until then.
If you donāt like it, tough. My biggest bet of the afternoon is a fiver each way on Valseur Lido. Granted, heās only 9/2 but someone advised me a couple of years ago to always back each-way if the animal is 4/1 or more, on the basis that youāll get your money back if itās placed and that over the course of the year these things add up.
Three euro each way on Whisper, about whom Iāve heard a few, well, whispers. And for the sake of it I invest the princely sum of ā¬7.50 in an each-way Lucky 15 comprising the equine luminaries that are On The Bridge, Eduard, Caid du Berlais and Benbens, all of whom have been mentioned here and there over the past 24 hours.
Valseur Lido is placed, third behind his stablemate Vautour, who gives a swashbuckling performance. And I do get my tenner back, plus 63 cent on top of it. These things add up, remember.
On The Bridge runs like the 40/1 shot he is.
Decent performance by Eduard in the Ryanair Chase, looking a danger rounding the home turn but not quite seeing out the trip. Fourth. Unfortunately theyāre only paying three places.
For Eduard read Whisper, who runs a very similar race in the World Hurdle to finish fifth. Unfortunately theyāre only paying four places.
Caid du Berlais finishes 16th. Gulp.
Into the bookies to scan the field for the 4.40. Yer man Pricewise in The Racing Post fancies Champagne James ā ridden by Katy Walsh, trained by her dad ā at 10/1. Look up at the board. Turns out thereās been a power of money for Champagne James, whoās now trading at 5/1. Much too skinny for my liking so I stick two euro each way on Benbens, the final component of that Not So Lucky 15.
Hand over docket. āOh, he fancies it too,ā announces the lady behind the counter, pointing to one of her colleagues. My heart soars.
āIām not giving it back to them,ā the guy three chairs from me confides to a crony. A man after my own heart. My petty, smallminded, fainthearted strategy for the afternoon has been gloriously vindicated.
Benbens unseats on the first circuit. My heart sinks. But no NaCl ā just about the only thing I remember from Leaving Cert chemistry ā is applied to the wound because Champagne James fails utterly to live up to his name. Thatās it for the day, a day that has lived down to my worst fears. Because I saw it coming, however, Iām down only 20 quid. Go me.
I wander home for my tea.
* Running total: ā¬108.01, Further tips welcome @endaendamac95
