Diamond Jubilee NH Chase - Not a race that i totally fell for and didnt really have a big interest in but having gone with Allee Garde a couple of days early i stuck with the Mullins horse. Well my interest lasted just over half the race as All Garde fell at the 12th. I would have picked Harry The Viking but didnt want to get to involved in this race and so watched Teaforthree hose up for a very good win. Lost my bet but i wouldnt have thought many would have had the winner anyway... Neptune Investment Nov Hurdle - I have to be honest i was sold on this horse a month before this race after most of the forum spoke very highly of him. Got onto him with at 12/1 ante post and was very happy when on the day Simonsig came in and was sent off the 2/1 favourite. Looked every but the bridle horse that won at Kelso earlier and until the half mistake down the back where he clipped the fence pretty hard but always looked good for your money. The fact that he duly obliged in some style to win by 7 lenghts made the win more the sweeter... I was happy now, well why wouldnt you be, but it didnt last... RSA Chase - Ok hands up who thought Grand Crus would be 1st or 1st in this... Well ok i did... Having had most of my doubles and combos for the festival smashed yesterday.. (i had Grand Crus in a few of them as well...) i wasnt on Grands Crus as a bet in the race but with money now sloshing in my PadPow account after Simonsig i thought i would have a play... To say i wasnt exactly impressed with Grand Crus and thinking 'if only' after the event is a little bit of a understatement. But once again i wish id listened to the great sages of the forum. Bobs Worth was tipped by a few but i was too lazy to dismiss there thoughts... Not a good result for me in my already defunct combos or my single bet... The 6/5 i took just to double my money was looking a bad call now... Queen Mother Champion Chase - As with the RSA hands up, yeah yeah you know now...!!! Sizing Europe was another one of the bankers for the day and festival... Err, well no. Not today... This was the race that confirmed to us all that Henderson had his string in good order and Geraghty was riding in tip top form... Im still convinced that even with the last fence missed had they jumped it then Finians Rainbow would have still won. Another race to look to the sky and say its not going to be my day today pal... Any winnings i thought my be coming my way are now evaporating very fast... Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle - Not a race that i had a bet in but my picks in the comp for Stone where either Poole Master or Cape Dutch of which i plumped for Cape Dutch... 15th and 17th is all you need to know about my interest as another one hottly tipped by the forum, stick or nass, cant remember called out Son Of Flicka out as a potential winner... Great call by them and a missed boat for me... Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle Handicap - Vendor was my interst here but again i was going to come up short. To be honest though i doubt many had picked out 40/1 winner Une Artiste and with Vendor going off a short priced favourite i didnt play it e/w... Why would you at the 4/1 i got... So another dig me out of the days troubles was going to come up in the last... Weatherbys Champion Bumper - Ok. So in the last race on tuesday i got a winning bonus in Hunt Ball and it made my day. I needed another to get me back to somewhere near looking like even. New Years Eve and The New One were to be the 'get me out of jail' bids... With Geraghty riding so well i thought i would gain some revenge for his Finians Raianbow ride and he would repay me for turning over Sizing Eruope and get me some money back... No...!!! Not to be as the Mullins horse Champagne Fever held on in a good tussle to the line with Geraghty on News Year Eve... Ouch...!!! So the tuesday was all about hitting the winners and getting a bit of luck following the money in the last. Wednesday was anything but... Simonsig aside it was a check with Paddy Power to see what i had left day. Now i was down for the festival and most of my big bets done in... Thursday and Friday looked a long two days... Good job ive got a bit on Long Run and Peddlers Cross soon... My other bankers for the week...!!! ps - Danish hope you dont mind me starting day 2 of the Festival Banker or Blowout threads...
Not at all mate - I had meant to get onto the later days but have had a bit of a mammoth week at work, so I've not been able to get cracking as I'd wanted, so thanks very much! For me, Wednesday was always going to be about Sizing Europe. I would say the race told me two things - firstly, Finians Rainbow has improved MASSIVELY since last time out, and secondly Sizing Europe was not a bad selection for banker of the festival. For me, if they'd jumped the last, Sizing would have won and won well, but as it is Lynch had to yank him aside and really unsettle him heavily to avoid that last one. I expect Sizing to saunter home at Punchestown, even if Finians goes (which I'm sure he won't). Next year though I think he'll be getting a bit old, and Sprinter Sacre will be one too good. If, god forbid, something happened to Sprinter though, I'd still be all over Sizing Europe as the best 2m chaser about. Finians was good, but I think that last fence lost the race for Europe. As for Grands Crus, I took him on on the day, but not with Bobs Worth sadly. I have been wrong about BW - I thought he was far too slow, but once again, Cheltenham form will out. He's an interesting one for next years Gold Cup. Grands Crus is better than that I think, and might be cracking contender (/favourite?) for next years King George.
