First of all Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone, will have a look back over the last 12 months betting at the end of this but until then lets concentrate on the last week.
Firstly the news I heard today that the bloke who once nabbed my £350 winnings at Wolverhampton racecourse in 1999 is now starting a seven year stretch for fraud having done a runner with £16m worth of college funding. Don't want to go into great detail but you can find the bones of it on the Betdaq forum, he apparently had an account with the oncourse bookie in question and must have somehow persuaded them it was his bet rather than mine. When the tape recording was replayed in front of the ring inspector the bogus punter wouldnt admit that it was my voice rather than his so a very unsavoury character, as indeed was the bookies ledger man who destroyed my ticket in a fit of panic probably.
Anyway on to the current betting and I forgot to mention last week that Europe landed my Mosconi Cup bet with a very comfortable 11-5 success over the USA in Malta the week before last, the result was never really in serious doubt and there does seem to be a changing of the guard in international pool just lately with the Americans looking like they need to oust a few of the old guard. Certainly bad boy Earl Strickland was very muted both on and unusually for him off the table too.
In the UK snooker I had a good run from two of my outright bets who reached the semi finals but despite being favoured by the bookies in their respective matches, both Ali Carter and Stephen Maguire bit the dust and Shaun Murphy eventually lifted the trophy after winning a deciding frame shootout with Marco Fu in a scrappy final.
Made a decent profit over the whole event though with a more selective approach and the next event on the baize will be Matchroom's Championship League in the first week of January which acts as a qualifying tournament for the Premier League proper next season.
On the greyhound front my ante post picks fared less well than the on the day race bets. Hello Hippy could only finish third in the Ted Hegarty Marathon final at Harolds Cross in Ireland where the brilliant Flying Winner gained all the plaudits with a record breaking romp. Hippy's chance was totally ruined by a terrible bump early in the race though that knocked him from third back to last place and he did well to at one stage regain second before tiring on the run in. Would have been a much better spectacle had he avoided any crowding but its all part of the sport.
In Britain Boherduff Monti was also baulked in the final of the Nottingham Sprint Cup, finishing fourth behind old stager Horseshoe Ping in a bunched finish so no luck there either.
However did pick up some winners over the week at varied prices of 1/5, 4/6, 8/11, 8/5 and 4/7 so mainly shortish ones but kept me in front overall (obviously some of them were SP so were unknown at the time of the bet, one problem with the dogs when compared with the horses).
Had a winner and a loser on the ice hockey but will probably concentrate mainly on the more successful teams I have backed in the outrights as and when I fancy them in a bid to erode my current deficit in the NHL betting markets though will again be pretty selective.
Since the central defenders got injured at Derby County Football Club, I have aborted my laying of the opposition on our travels after just one reversal which is just as well looking at the results since then. Have got tickets for our trip to non league Forest Green Rovers in the FA Cup third round tie which should be interesting closely followed as it is by the two-legged League Cup semi final with Manchester United for which I shall also be attending for both matches.
Will also maybe have a dabble on Japan's high profile Arima Kinen Grade 1 horse race at the weekend at Nakayama with course specialist Matsuridah Gogh trying to win it for the second year in succession up against last years runner up Daiwa Scarlet and Japan Cup winner Screen Hero, whose sire won this weekends event twice in the past too not to mention the consistent Meisho Samson also in opposition. None of these have fared fantastically well in the draw for stall positions though.
Looking back over the year, a satisfactory one from a betting standpoint. Highlight from a monetary aspect were the 125/1 and 100/1 bets landed on Ricky Walden for snooker's Shanghai Trophy event but for pure adrenalin rush Shelbourne Aston's 40/1+ success in the Irish Greyhound Derby has to come tops with a spectacular last to first rush. Also enjoyed Viewed's Melbourne Cup success at 33/1 though that was a smaller stake and didnt get top price either as the horse surprisingly drifted on the day in his home country.
Had a good year on the gaelic football betting including Tyrone's final win as underdogs against Kerry as well as backing Tipperary for their Hurling League success at decent odds.
The aussie rules, rugby league, cricket and ice hockey didnt go quite so well but have kept records which might highlight where I've gone wrong on those if and when I want to continue with them, am operating a watered down service currently on the NHL lol!
Hoping to recapture my glory on the horse racing markets in 2009 after a bit of a hiatus, the loss of Superform is a bit of a blow to me as it was a great publication in my eyes so have been looking around at some of the online alternatives, though will still keep the formbook annuals on hand too.
Which brings me on to the saddest aspect of the betting year, Betfair succumbing to greed and introducing the premium charge in September which was surely never designed to threaten the winnings of ordinary formbook punters. Can understand them wanting some kind of cut from traders who arent taking an opinion or hooverers after an event has finished but imo there should be no realistic chance of an ordinary bettor falling foul of these charges which doesnt seem to be the case at present.
However the firm dress it up this is tantamount to stealing in the latter case, I was winning money from bookies long before betfair and as I've said before all I want is a basic exchange without too much gimmickry (the latter of which often causes costs to be passed on the poor old punter himself).
I still reckon myself that with the holy grail now seeming to lie in-running for many punters, it is to an extent this type of betting that has caused the company to react in this way, and as I have only ever had a handful of these kind of bets in my life dont see why I should be subject to the new charges. Anyhow, we all have our own slant on how we are affected but at the end of the day betfair arent prepared to make any changes in the short term which left no realistic alternative for punters like myself than to move to a rival and have been mostly happy so far on the Daq, long may it continue!!
Anyway back to those mince pies
All the best for now
Rick
Friday, 26 December 2008
Friday, 19 December 2008
Back on form for the time being
Feeling a lot happier this week after a better run of results on the betting so its always a bit more pleasureable compiling the blog matter in those circumstances. Have been a bit more selective on the snooker betting which has meant fewer bets but higher stakes and it seems to have come off this time around so far anyway.
Thats not without a few of the early handicap bets going astray though which was probably a knee jerk reaction after having a bad run on the UK qualifying matches, i.e. some of the bets were probably struck without a proper thinking through in a fit of pique in a typically half-hearted attempt to try and claw back some of the recent losses instead of looking at the overall picture.
My main bet was on Ali Carter to beat Peter Ebdon at 8/11 which were unbelieveable odds for me, Peter's form has been pretty woeful this year and he has won very few matches and here he was up against one of the bright new stars of the game, surely "The Captain" had to be shorter than that over a best of seventeen, more like a 4/9 shot for me.
Carter is also flying the flag in the outright market as I speak, leading Marco Fu 5-3 in the first semi final, as I said at the start of the event I somehow had an inkling this might be his tournament and the way he got past Mark Williams in the quarters (the Welshman suffering a decisive kick in the final frame) seemed to back that up. Nevertheless, you can never write Fu off and he stole the last frame of the first session from well behind on the final black, saving him from going four frames adrift which would have been a long haul to get back from.
Slightly kicking myself now that I didnt choose the higher stakes option when backing him each way at 33s, almost doubled the amount I was having on but dont usually like to increase stakes due to hunches so stuck with the normal amount, would still be a decent draw though.
Stephen Maguire was another I backed at 9s although didnt check the exchanges rather sillily where much bigger prices were available apparently but I had already had enough on by the time I found this out, especially in view of his sketchy recent form.
There are a few players not quite taking the bull by the horns though, neither Mags nor Higgins had been at their best in recent outings and was surprised to see the younger Scot touching 2.16 pre commission on Betdaq so had to have a bit of that. Was still making him 4/5 favourite myself as for me Higgins had been mainly winning due to iffy performances from his opponents (OK Ding made a maximum but has been found wanting tactically in the last year or so, and thats one area where Higgins tends to excel).
Not saying Maguire was any better in beating Burnett (in controversial circumstances) and Robertson (in a scrappy encounter) but you had the feeling the odds would have been the other way around just a few months ago.
My other outright pick Judd Trump exited quietly in the first round to Mark King on the final frame but did seem to have a couple of decent chances to take it and he admitted afterwards he was quite disappointed with his performance, he has had a good run of late though and you can't win them all I suppose.
On the local snooker front, our team were put in our place by the current league champions on their own patch, as I suspected they gained their revenge for the shock beating we gave them in the cup, fielding a much stronger team and winning 4-1 though I did manage to salvage personal pride by winning my frame on the black in a Higgins-esque tactical battle (i.e. not a great one for the spectators to watch, which were of Prestatyn-like proportions anyway!!)
On the greyhound front, my faith in the Tote system was restored when Coventry St Leger winner Swift Ninja was returned 4/11 as opposed to 1/6 with the books at Sheffield on Saturday night and registered a runaway success and later in the week the Leger form was franked again when I was on Barnfield Brooke to win at 9/4 on the live Sky meeting at Wimbledon on Tuesday.
Unfortunately my Oaks ante post bet Droopys Quinta could only manage third from a poor draw (seemed to track wide from an inside pitch) with success going to longshot Meenala Amy who made all from the unlucky runner up Ravello Drive.
Saddest sight was at Galway on the Golden Jacket final night though when the usually strong finishing Oakleaf Tom went badly lame in one of the consolation races when carrying my money, not heard the prognosis but didnt look good at all as his leg gave way underneath him on the final bend.
Also returned victoriously to the ice hockey betting in the NHL with a successful double in the week plus the unfashionable Boston Bruins are looking real Stanley Cup contenders this year as they continue to hold sway in the Eastern Conference with matches in hand to boot so the 33/1 each way voucher about a month into the season looks money well spent.
My other picks Philadelphia Flyers have gradually improved into fourth spot after a poor start and Calgary Flames likewise in the Western Conference, now up to third. Perhaps its best not to mention Dallas Stars, but they finally hauled themselves off the bottom with two victories in a row this week and aren't totally out with the washing yet (the top eight from each section go through to contest the end of season play offs).
Away from the punting, just been down to London for a couple of days, the main reason to see the extravaganza that was "the Here and Now Christmas Party" though have to say was a bit disappointed with how things transpired. The day before I set off I got an email through saying the first band would go on stage at 11pm and the show would end at 2am, so that was my main reason for booking a hotel firstly. Also I'm a bit old for hanging around in a disco environment nowadays so decided to time my arrival just before the bands took centre stage at around 10.30pm, there were supposed to be DJs spinning 80s music the rest of the night.
However firstly the Docklands Light Railway was encountering a delay which meant I didnt get there until 10.45pm to see that Belinda Carlisle was already into her set and Curiosity Killed The Cat had already finished their slot (which I'm not sure was a good or bad thing in retrospect, only joking if anyone is a big fan!).
Would have been very angry if I had missed either Belinda or The Kid, but even though I was lucky in that respect, surely the performers should have been given more stage time as opposed to the DJs. With doors opening at 8pm and closing at 2am, no reason at all why they couldnt all have done full sets of an hour or an hour and a half as per the norm.
As it was Belinda did around five or six songs and Kid Creole a measly three, which is understandable at the multi-artist events that are the norm for this type of show, but surely not when it was such a truncated line up as this.
In fact all three acts had come and gone within an hour and a half and the info was totally incorrect about what time they were going to appear to boot. Fair enough, the changeover time between acts was very swift with a house band playing for all three, but that also meant one of the most charismatic performers Bongo Eddie was missing for what must be the first time I can ever remember from a live Kid Creole show.
Hope he is well anyhow, perhaps he thought it wasnt worth his while for just three numbers. Suppose the scantily clad Coconuts were some compensation though and both the Kid and Belinda were on fine form, what little we saw of them (the show was actually done and dusted by 11.45pm and the DJs moved in for the rest of the night, at least it saved me a surplus taxi fare as the trains were still running).
The 02 looks very spectacular too in the night sky, glad it has been put to good use since the Millennium Dome became extinct, perhaps would make a good snooker venue someday if the crowds ever come back!!
Made myself look a complete numpty at the hotel however as I forgot all my PIN numbers when paying for the stay with my credit card, this after forgetting which room I was in on my return from the show, had narrowed it down to three (which is better than I can usually manage on the betting front) but didnt really want to end up in the wrong bed or else funny things might have happened!!
Was pretty impressed with the hotel I must say, had hundreds and hundreds of rooms, its own in house television channel which even had the option for adult films if you should wish.
I found out these were optional extras on your bill though when my finger accidentally slipped down on to the select button on the remote control, must have been my hands perspiring from all that dancing, would much rather see the highlights of Maguire v Higgins anyway!!
Footnote: Glad I didnt increase my Carter stake now lol!!
Thats not without a few of the early handicap bets going astray though which was probably a knee jerk reaction after having a bad run on the UK qualifying matches, i.e. some of the bets were probably struck without a proper thinking through in a fit of pique in a typically half-hearted attempt to try and claw back some of the recent losses instead of looking at the overall picture.
My main bet was on Ali Carter to beat Peter Ebdon at 8/11 which were unbelieveable odds for me, Peter's form has been pretty woeful this year and he has won very few matches and here he was up against one of the bright new stars of the game, surely "The Captain" had to be shorter than that over a best of seventeen, more like a 4/9 shot for me.
Carter is also flying the flag in the outright market as I speak, leading Marco Fu 5-3 in the first semi final, as I said at the start of the event I somehow had an inkling this might be his tournament and the way he got past Mark Williams in the quarters (the Welshman suffering a decisive kick in the final frame) seemed to back that up. Nevertheless, you can never write Fu off and he stole the last frame of the first session from well behind on the final black, saving him from going four frames adrift which would have been a long haul to get back from.
Slightly kicking myself now that I didnt choose the higher stakes option when backing him each way at 33s, almost doubled the amount I was having on but dont usually like to increase stakes due to hunches so stuck with the normal amount, would still be a decent draw though.
Stephen Maguire was another I backed at 9s although didnt check the exchanges rather sillily where much bigger prices were available apparently but I had already had enough on by the time I found this out, especially in view of his sketchy recent form.
There are a few players not quite taking the bull by the horns though, neither Mags nor Higgins had been at their best in recent outings and was surprised to see the younger Scot touching 2.16 pre commission on Betdaq so had to have a bit of that. Was still making him 4/5 favourite myself as for me Higgins had been mainly winning due to iffy performances from his opponents (OK Ding made a maximum but has been found wanting tactically in the last year or so, and thats one area where Higgins tends to excel).
Not saying Maguire was any better in beating Burnett (in controversial circumstances) and Robertson (in a scrappy encounter) but you had the feeling the odds would have been the other way around just a few months ago.
My other outright pick Judd Trump exited quietly in the first round to Mark King on the final frame but did seem to have a couple of decent chances to take it and he admitted afterwards he was quite disappointed with his performance, he has had a good run of late though and you can't win them all I suppose.
On the local snooker front, our team were put in our place by the current league champions on their own patch, as I suspected they gained their revenge for the shock beating we gave them in the cup, fielding a much stronger team and winning 4-1 though I did manage to salvage personal pride by winning my frame on the black in a Higgins-esque tactical battle (i.e. not a great one for the spectators to watch, which were of Prestatyn-like proportions anyway!!)
On the greyhound front, my faith in the Tote system was restored when Coventry St Leger winner Swift Ninja was returned 4/11 as opposed to 1/6 with the books at Sheffield on Saturday night and registered a runaway success and later in the week the Leger form was franked again when I was on Barnfield Brooke to win at 9/4 on the live Sky meeting at Wimbledon on Tuesday.
Unfortunately my Oaks ante post bet Droopys Quinta could only manage third from a poor draw (seemed to track wide from an inside pitch) with success going to longshot Meenala Amy who made all from the unlucky runner up Ravello Drive.
Saddest sight was at Galway on the Golden Jacket final night though when the usually strong finishing Oakleaf Tom went badly lame in one of the consolation races when carrying my money, not heard the prognosis but didnt look good at all as his leg gave way underneath him on the final bend.
Also returned victoriously to the ice hockey betting in the NHL with a successful double in the week plus the unfashionable Boston Bruins are looking real Stanley Cup contenders this year as they continue to hold sway in the Eastern Conference with matches in hand to boot so the 33/1 each way voucher about a month into the season looks money well spent.
My other picks Philadelphia Flyers have gradually improved into fourth spot after a poor start and Calgary Flames likewise in the Western Conference, now up to third. Perhaps its best not to mention Dallas Stars, but they finally hauled themselves off the bottom with two victories in a row this week and aren't totally out with the washing yet (the top eight from each section go through to contest the end of season play offs).
Away from the punting, just been down to London for a couple of days, the main reason to see the extravaganza that was "the Here and Now Christmas Party" though have to say was a bit disappointed with how things transpired. The day before I set off I got an email through saying the first band would go on stage at 11pm and the show would end at 2am, so that was my main reason for booking a hotel firstly. Also I'm a bit old for hanging around in a disco environment nowadays so decided to time my arrival just before the bands took centre stage at around 10.30pm, there were supposed to be DJs spinning 80s music the rest of the night.
However firstly the Docklands Light Railway was encountering a delay which meant I didnt get there until 10.45pm to see that Belinda Carlisle was already into her set and Curiosity Killed The Cat had already finished their slot (which I'm not sure was a good or bad thing in retrospect, only joking if anyone is a big fan!).
Would have been very angry if I had missed either Belinda or The Kid, but even though I was lucky in that respect, surely the performers should have been given more stage time as opposed to the DJs. With doors opening at 8pm and closing at 2am, no reason at all why they couldnt all have done full sets of an hour or an hour and a half as per the norm.
As it was Belinda did around five or six songs and Kid Creole a measly three, which is understandable at the multi-artist events that are the norm for this type of show, but surely not when it was such a truncated line up as this.
In fact all three acts had come and gone within an hour and a half and the info was totally incorrect about what time they were going to appear to boot. Fair enough, the changeover time between acts was very swift with a house band playing for all three, but that also meant one of the most charismatic performers Bongo Eddie was missing for what must be the first time I can ever remember from a live Kid Creole show.
Hope he is well anyhow, perhaps he thought it wasnt worth his while for just three numbers. Suppose the scantily clad Coconuts were some compensation though and both the Kid and Belinda were on fine form, what little we saw of them (the show was actually done and dusted by 11.45pm and the DJs moved in for the rest of the night, at least it saved me a surplus taxi fare as the trains were still running).
The 02 looks very spectacular too in the night sky, glad it has been put to good use since the Millennium Dome became extinct, perhaps would make a good snooker venue someday if the crowds ever come back!!
Made myself look a complete numpty at the hotel however as I forgot all my PIN numbers when paying for the stay with my credit card, this after forgetting which room I was in on my return from the show, had narrowed it down to three (which is better than I can usually manage on the betting front) but didnt really want to end up in the wrong bed or else funny things might have happened!!
Was pretty impressed with the hotel I must say, had hundreds and hundreds of rooms, its own in house television channel which even had the option for adult films if you should wish.
I found out these were optional extras on your bill though when my finger accidentally slipped down on to the select button on the remote control, must have been my hands perspiring from all that dancing, would much rather see the highlights of Maguire v Higgins anyway!!
Footnote: Glad I didnt increase my Carter stake now lol!!
Friday, 12 December 2008
Big priced fancy loses out in photo in Japan
Currently feeling rather unenthusiastic about the blog, not sure if its the time of year but am posting alot on the Betdaq forum anyhow so you tend to be repeating alot of the stuff.
Looking back over the week, Ballymac Ruso won the Cotswold 480 greyhound final at Monmore though with a non runner the 11/4 morning price I took was depleted somewhat.
Elsewhere Midway Skipper could only manage third in the Coventry St Leger having checked up at the final bend, as I half expected on the day Swift Ninja came out and made all although there was a valiant effort from the previous years winner Barnfield Brooke who only lost out in a photo after a strong late surge.
In the Nottingham National Sprint, Boherbradda Mac finished lame and out of the money unfortunately after meeting trouble again though Boherduff Monti did qualify for the semi final in second place to give my 11/2 voucher an extended run at least for the time being!
Droopys Quinta who I backed at around 12/1 for the Wimbledon Oaks ante post has made the final with an inside berth but with challengers for the early lead the new favourite is wide runner Dangerous Lady who might have an uncontested journey around the outside hence the change in prices.
The Golden Jacket event drew a blank at Galway however as all my charges went west in the semi finals though as only the final is televised (on Sunday) cant tell you any more than that.
And in tonight's Ted Hegarty Marathon at Harolds Cross I lost Navan Blue who finished a disappointing fourth in her semi final (though cant comment on the run as lost the pictures unfortunately) but Hello Hippy, taken at 10/1 ante post, was a convincing winner of her semi final.
Flying Winner is the one they all have to beat and recorded the fastest time for the second week running, though if Hippy can get out of the blocks and away from the other runners a bit quicker than he has been doing, still feel there is some improvement in him and doesn't have that much to make up on the clock from tonights times.
In last week's Japan Cup Dirt, after studying all the form I was frantically searching for somewhere to place a bet and eventually did so, and was oh so close to landing a big priced winner with Meisho Tokon who lost out by a head after coming with a strong late run only to be pipped by the rejuvenated Kane Hekili who was a previous winner of this very race coming back from injury after a single prep run. At least the each way part of the bet was landed at a tasty 13/2 even at a fifth of the odds!!
Need to be catching up with the domestic form pronto now, I know I keep saying it but really want to be in the swing of things for the New Year so will give the big Sha Tin meeting a miss as there is likely to be alot of diverse international form on show for that one, though usually like to side with the locals in many of these type of events.
My Mosconi Cup bet on Europe was a fair sized one for me at 6/5 and they currently lead 5-3 after the first two days. Tony Drago in his home country has made a few errors to hand the visitors a couple of their points, and although his potting was excellent in his singles match with Earl Strickland, he kept going in off from the break off which is usually costly at this level.
The USA do look to be cueing better than they were last year, so alot depends if Drago can conjure up some of last years brilliance again and also how rookie Mark Gray comes through the remainder of the match.
In the UK Championship snooker which starts tomorrow, I'm backing Ali Carter 33/1, Judd Trump 40/1 and Stephen Maguire 9/1 in the outrights, the first couple each way, but it seems no one is really showing day in day out consistency at the current moment in time. Suppose you could say Trump is on a great run but most of it has been at a slightly lower qualifying level.
Ronnie looks to have a good draw so should go close but the odds of 5/2 look rather tight overall so would rather look elsewhere even though it may well be folly to do so.
Have chanced my arm on a couple of accumulators and a few of the shorter priced favourites to beat the handicap so trying to put some fun back into the betting after a bit of a shaky patch where I havent really been deriving much enjoyment from it. Alot of those bets were on the qualifying matches and not sure I will persist with those after this year, for one I need more time for studying other sporting markets and with only a couple of books pricing up the percentage is often against you. The other way of looking at it is that there may be more chance of a rick or two, though I think that diminishes as the season goes on.
Suppose it might be a case of keeping my eye out for the odd bet but perhaps not going in on some of the more marginal plays which I could easily have gotten wrong.
Hopefully have pinpointed a couple of things that will get my match betting back on track anyhow as have probably had my worst year yet on that front, though landing the big Walden outright has compensated for that of course.
Before I go dont forget its 1% commission on all in running UK and Irish horse racing on the Daq!! (until the end of March at least)
Anyway onwards and upwards, looking forward to seeing my favourite band Kid Creole and The Coconuts not to mention another rare treat Belinda Carlisle in concert this week in London, but until then will have to get studying!!
Oh and we managed to win again at snooker 3-2 this time against another decent side so we continue to surprise at least for the time being, though we are up against last years champions on their own table this next week.
See you soon
Rick
Looking back over the week, Ballymac Ruso won the Cotswold 480 greyhound final at Monmore though with a non runner the 11/4 morning price I took was depleted somewhat.
Elsewhere Midway Skipper could only manage third in the Coventry St Leger having checked up at the final bend, as I half expected on the day Swift Ninja came out and made all although there was a valiant effort from the previous years winner Barnfield Brooke who only lost out in a photo after a strong late surge.
In the Nottingham National Sprint, Boherbradda Mac finished lame and out of the money unfortunately after meeting trouble again though Boherduff Monti did qualify for the semi final in second place to give my 11/2 voucher an extended run at least for the time being!
Droopys Quinta who I backed at around 12/1 for the Wimbledon Oaks ante post has made the final with an inside berth but with challengers for the early lead the new favourite is wide runner Dangerous Lady who might have an uncontested journey around the outside hence the change in prices.
The Golden Jacket event drew a blank at Galway however as all my charges went west in the semi finals though as only the final is televised (on Sunday) cant tell you any more than that.
And in tonight's Ted Hegarty Marathon at Harolds Cross I lost Navan Blue who finished a disappointing fourth in her semi final (though cant comment on the run as lost the pictures unfortunately) but Hello Hippy, taken at 10/1 ante post, was a convincing winner of her semi final.
Flying Winner is the one they all have to beat and recorded the fastest time for the second week running, though if Hippy can get out of the blocks and away from the other runners a bit quicker than he has been doing, still feel there is some improvement in him and doesn't have that much to make up on the clock from tonights times.
In last week's Japan Cup Dirt, after studying all the form I was frantically searching for somewhere to place a bet and eventually did so, and was oh so close to landing a big priced winner with Meisho Tokon who lost out by a head after coming with a strong late run only to be pipped by the rejuvenated Kane Hekili who was a previous winner of this very race coming back from injury after a single prep run. At least the each way part of the bet was landed at a tasty 13/2 even at a fifth of the odds!!
Need to be catching up with the domestic form pronto now, I know I keep saying it but really want to be in the swing of things for the New Year so will give the big Sha Tin meeting a miss as there is likely to be alot of diverse international form on show for that one, though usually like to side with the locals in many of these type of events.
My Mosconi Cup bet on Europe was a fair sized one for me at 6/5 and they currently lead 5-3 after the first two days. Tony Drago in his home country has made a few errors to hand the visitors a couple of their points, and although his potting was excellent in his singles match with Earl Strickland, he kept going in off from the break off which is usually costly at this level.
The USA do look to be cueing better than they were last year, so alot depends if Drago can conjure up some of last years brilliance again and also how rookie Mark Gray comes through the remainder of the match.
In the UK Championship snooker which starts tomorrow, I'm backing Ali Carter 33/1, Judd Trump 40/1 and Stephen Maguire 9/1 in the outrights, the first couple each way, but it seems no one is really showing day in day out consistency at the current moment in time. Suppose you could say Trump is on a great run but most of it has been at a slightly lower qualifying level.
Ronnie looks to have a good draw so should go close but the odds of 5/2 look rather tight overall so would rather look elsewhere even though it may well be folly to do so.
Have chanced my arm on a couple of accumulators and a few of the shorter priced favourites to beat the handicap so trying to put some fun back into the betting after a bit of a shaky patch where I havent really been deriving much enjoyment from it. Alot of those bets were on the qualifying matches and not sure I will persist with those after this year, for one I need more time for studying other sporting markets and with only a couple of books pricing up the percentage is often against you. The other way of looking at it is that there may be more chance of a rick or two, though I think that diminishes as the season goes on.
Suppose it might be a case of keeping my eye out for the odd bet but perhaps not going in on some of the more marginal plays which I could easily have gotten wrong.
Hopefully have pinpointed a couple of things that will get my match betting back on track anyhow as have probably had my worst year yet on that front, though landing the big Walden outright has compensated for that of course.
Before I go dont forget its 1% commission on all in running UK and Irish horse racing on the Daq!! (until the end of March at least)
Anyway onwards and upwards, looking forward to seeing my favourite band Kid Creole and The Coconuts not to mention another rare treat Belinda Carlisle in concert this week in London, but until then will have to get studying!!
Oh and we managed to win again at snooker 3-2 this time against another decent side so we continue to surprise at least for the time being, though we are up against last years champions on their own table this next week.
See you soon
Rick
Friday, 5 December 2008
Skipper through to another St Leger final
Had a bit of the dreaded lurgy this week so wasnt up to posting on Monday but thinking about it probably best to go weekly anyhow as you can get too much of one mans ramblings as an ongoing diet I tend to feel, hence will probably just do the Fridays from now on, next step to go monthly perhaps lol.
Starting off from where I can remember I got Oakleaf Tom into the semi finals of the Galway Golden Jacket greyhound event but lost the other two selections who both finished in fourth place with only the top three qualifying. Have since added Imaal Master to the portfolio at 16s and topped up a bit on Tom at the same price.
Midway Skipper also got through to the final of the Coventry St Leger with a last gasp success in her semi final last week but once again the time of Swift Ninja in another heat was slightly better so that one may take some stopping in this weekends conclusion, a fact not lost on the layers with Skipper still available at the original price prior to the first heat. Both got flying starts last week although Skipper ultimately came from off the pace but alot will depend on how they get away, at least my selection has her preferred rails draw.
In the Cotswold 480 at Monmore, my initial selection Dotlands Hit Man finished a disappointing fourth in his heat, fading tamely on perhaps the worst part of the track but Irish Derby finalist Ballymac Ruso can still be backed at 11/4 for the final and was quite impressed with the way this one came from off the pace to land one of the semi final heats so had to have a dabble there.
My punting assault on horse racing's Japan Cup was foiled by the 50/1 shot Screen Hero - I had narrowed the field down to five and they filled the next five spots in unison, though the ones I backed were actually fourth, fifth and sixth so close but no cigar as they say.
The UK Championship snooker betting has been rather up and down, once again starting off with most of the results going against me before pulling it back and then slipping slightly behind again, certainly some of the results have seemed a bit hard to fathom and on this occasion with the longer matches the best bets have seemed to be the pretty obvious ones at shortish odds which isnt always the case on the baize.
Might have a wander up for tonights session though still have a few sniffles so will see how I feel in an hour or so's time, looking for Mike Dunn (4/7) to come back against Joe Delaney from 5-3 down and also Marcus Campbell (5/6) to overcome Rob Milkins.
This afternoon have backed Jimmy White at 6/5 against Rory McLeod (currently 3-2 down) and Ricky Walden to beat Mark Davis at 2/5 (currently 3-2 up).
Managed to turn out for our own snooker team this week and it was worthwhile in the end with a 4-1 win against a team pretty much in the same boat as us in the league (around about the halfway mark) so that should nudge us up a bit, think my score was about 41-32 so you can tell from that it wasnt a classic and need to be scoring a bit heavier than I have been doing in the opening stages of this season.
Anyway might top up with another LemSip before I decide whether to venture out, all the best until next week
Rick
Starting off from where I can remember I got Oakleaf Tom into the semi finals of the Galway Golden Jacket greyhound event but lost the other two selections who both finished in fourth place with only the top three qualifying. Have since added Imaal Master to the portfolio at 16s and topped up a bit on Tom at the same price.
Midway Skipper also got through to the final of the Coventry St Leger with a last gasp success in her semi final last week but once again the time of Swift Ninja in another heat was slightly better so that one may take some stopping in this weekends conclusion, a fact not lost on the layers with Skipper still available at the original price prior to the first heat. Both got flying starts last week although Skipper ultimately came from off the pace but alot will depend on how they get away, at least my selection has her preferred rails draw.
In the Cotswold 480 at Monmore, my initial selection Dotlands Hit Man finished a disappointing fourth in his heat, fading tamely on perhaps the worst part of the track but Irish Derby finalist Ballymac Ruso can still be backed at 11/4 for the final and was quite impressed with the way this one came from off the pace to land one of the semi final heats so had to have a dabble there.
My punting assault on horse racing's Japan Cup was foiled by the 50/1 shot Screen Hero - I had narrowed the field down to five and they filled the next five spots in unison, though the ones I backed were actually fourth, fifth and sixth so close but no cigar as they say.
The UK Championship snooker betting has been rather up and down, once again starting off with most of the results going against me before pulling it back and then slipping slightly behind again, certainly some of the results have seemed a bit hard to fathom and on this occasion with the longer matches the best bets have seemed to be the pretty obvious ones at shortish odds which isnt always the case on the baize.
Might have a wander up for tonights session though still have a few sniffles so will see how I feel in an hour or so's time, looking for Mike Dunn (4/7) to come back against Joe Delaney from 5-3 down and also Marcus Campbell (5/6) to overcome Rob Milkins.
This afternoon have backed Jimmy White at 6/5 against Rory McLeod (currently 3-2 down) and Ricky Walden to beat Mark Davis at 2/5 (currently 3-2 up).
Managed to turn out for our own snooker team this week and it was worthwhile in the end with a 4-1 win against a team pretty much in the same boat as us in the league (around about the halfway mark) so that should nudge us up a bit, think my score was about 41-32 so you can tell from that it wasnt a classic and need to be scoring a bit heavier than I have been doing in the opening stages of this season.
Anyway might top up with another LemSip before I decide whether to venture out, all the best until next week
Rick
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