Oh what a beautiful morning!

Feeling on top of the world this morning as my two big ante post winners Shelbourne Aston (42/1 average price) and Slip The Lark (33/1) fought out one of the most pulsating Irish Greyhound Derby finishes of all time last night.
Few things can beat the arenalin rush of a race like this when you've got an involvement and would even have to turn down a night of hanky panky with Raquel Welch and Sophia Loren combined to experience the high of last night!!
Though having just checked wikipedia and found out that their combined age is now 142 perhaps that wasnt the best idea I've ever thought of anyway, doesnt time fly when you're having fun, lol.
Back to the action and the race panned out like a dream for me with Slip The Lark showing his paces to take the first bend in front, however unlike in the heats where he skipped clear much of the time, this high quality field remained on his tail throughout the race except of course for Shelbourne Aston who was in his customary position two or three lengths behind the rest of the field at that stage.
On to the final bend the two short runners Lark and Johnny led them around so you knew it was far from cut and dried but the fast finishers were struggling for room as they began to make inroads, however Aston was having none of it and bulldozed his way through the pack to come flying through and take it literally on the nod in the very last stride, absolutely breathtaking!!
Even the commentator thought Lark had held on but with the rather dodgy camera angle from the Sky coverage it was very difficult to tell until the camera panned to the winning trainer Pat Curtin who broke down in tears, even then I wasnt sure whether it was joy or despair, at that stage wasnt too bothered as I was a winner whatever the result.
It was amazing that this dog won the flagship Champion Stakes before this competition started yet people were still prepared to dismiss this as a fluke and lay over 40/1 beforehand, just as a footnote if the premium charge had applied in this instance, the extra value would have been well and truly negated and the return only pretty much in line with the bookmakers best price of 33/1.
Theres something enthralling to me about these horses and dogs that finish with a wet sail, I always remember an old handicapper called Densben (he passed away in 1999 I've just found out) who used to finish like the proverbial rocket up the hill at his favourite course of Pontefract, as he got a bit older he got a bit slower and needed dropping in class.
So as a favourite of mine I saw him entered in a 6f selling handicap race at Haydock in September, a course with a gradual uphill finish but more importantly there was juice in the ground to help bring his stamina into play. Also a certain K Fallon was booked. The rest was exhilarating, I had a nice punt and was a great spectacle to see him come from last to first.
Seem to remember being there the following the year for the same race again and pretty sure he did the double. A year or two later a horse with a similar profile Mu Arrik was running in the same event and he did the business too for me at very big odds, great memories, people decry these low quality races but to me it doesnt matter if you take the trouble to find out a bit about the characters in some of these events. The following year the race went out of existence.
I must say these big winners are the ones that keep you ahead of the game much of the time, at the smaller odds you're quite often winning a bit and then giving it back again so although they dont come around so often (the last real big one I had was Silver Birch at 50s in the National I think) they are essential to the long term.
Just going back to the greyhound scene, I have to say how much easier it is to keep up with the form for the Irish dogs, there is a fantastic site at "greyhound data" where enthusiasts post up their videos of most of the top races on a day to day basis and the IGB stream races online too if you bet into their tote pools.
Contrast that with the UK scene and its hard to find any similar source of video reference, indeed some of the big bookie chains that own some of the BAGS courses are allegedly trying to stop videos and DVDs being sold to punters to try and enhance their advantage, not content with the overround, a sorry state of affairs indeed if its come to that.
So much as I've enjoyed the competition, its a pretty much impossible task to keep up with the form over here on a day to day basis so thats why I'll only be occasionally dipping my toe in to the dog betting, will be keeping an eye out across the Irish Sea for some of my favourites from this event though.
The rest of yesterdays action didnt go so well, Pro 40 outright bets Kent lost the toss against Essex and had to bat on a dampish pitch and while they made a decent fist of it, you had the feeling the conditions were a whole lot better by the time the visitors went out for their innings.
So it proved, though if a certain Robbie Joseph had shown a bit more intent in the field when danger man Grant Flower had skied a ball into the deep it might have been different, or at least thats what his team mates seemed to imply as they collectively threw their arms into the air after seeing him take the easy option by ambling in and letting it bounce a few yards in front of him.
The aussie rules bet also went down, despite having 27 scores to 21 in their favour, my picks Collingwood seemed to have gone to the Mr Magoo school of kicking and most of their efforts were minor scores (through the outside posts) worth just one point.
The main scores in this sport are worth six points which are gained by an accurate kick through the middle posts, in which discipline St Kilda excelled, with 17 of their 21 kicks hitting the jackpot.
So I think when I review my betting next year the aussie rules will be near the top of the hit list to go, its been my biggest loser over the year and although that was mainly due to a couple of acts of buffoonery on my part, firstly misreading a spreadsheet and lumping on a short priced fav that I shouldnt have done and then making a halfhearted attempt to chase my losses with a multiple bet that also went down (albeit at the last gasp) the following week, theres always a mug punter in there trying to get out!!
Sometimes I think I'm gambling's answer to Inspector Clouseau but as long as we both get the bad guy in the end I'm not so bothered lol.
Nothing on the menu today to match yesterdays efforts, but will have a dabble on Lancashire (10/11) to beat Somerset in the Pro 40 relegation clash at Liverpool, both teams have been disappointing in this event, the Cidermen perhaps a bit more suited to the slower scoring rate of the County Championship. Lancashire made short work of my team Derbyshire twice in the 20 20s though (probably no great feat lol) but I will give them the edge in front of a decent sized home crowd probably.
Being as I'm feeling flush I'll also throw a few quid at the 10/1 offered for the draw in the under 21 hurling clash between Kilkenny and Tipperary at Wexford, the draws dont come round so often in GAA but at those odds probably worthwhile between two closely matched teams.
Can't go without mentioning my football team Derby who finally got the monkey off their back with a great win over Sheffield United last night, I think it was some kind of record of about 30 league games without a win (oh dear) but now they've got one I'm fancing they may get another at Swansea on Tuesday.
The young lad the Rams have brought into midfield Miles Addison looks a real find, he was a real colossus yesterday and the closest thing we've had as a real tough ballwinner since Lee Carsley, I think I may be having a lay of Swansea at least in midweek without getting carried away.
Anyway thats about it, I think I can hear Sophia and Raquel calling me from upstairs, oh go on then, being as I'm feeling in a good mood.
All together now "I'm just a luv machine, and I won't work for nobody but you, hey yey"
See you soon
Rick