No I had £50 worth of bonus bets to use up, and bet another £50. I don't really bet much in the turf season. The odd £10 on a weekend. However when Chester is on I do like to have a bet. When the ground is dry and fields have more than 11 in the 5F and 6F sprints, it is almost impossible if drawn outside the first 6 stalls. If there is a front runner in form drawn 1 or 2, they are normally a very good bet. Its just a quirky track over all distances so certain horses relish it. Very tight turning so little pocket rockets are often favoured. The bonus of that is sometimes to watch where they go after and if they run them on a galloping track and they are short, take them on. Yesterday I happened upon a couple of horses I'd been watching too, namely Russian Soul in the last (ridiculously well handicapped on turf) 14/1 and Here and Now 15/2. The latter is out of a family the trainer knows well and I'd watched it win at Lingfield which is also a tight course, and run well behind two good horses at Kempton. I knew it would improve again for the turf. John Quinn also had one run called El Astronaut which I knew would be winning. Sometimes things just fall into place. I was disappointed it wasn't more as I had checked the winner of the Chester Cup Montaly and liked it and the course form. Talked myself out of it deciding it was too high in the handicap. Went for Blakeney Point which was disappointing. Could have been a really big day. I had 2 other placed horses too. If Bristol Missile had beaten Never Surrender I'd have quadrupled my winnings. I'm very careful with the betting though. I like the all weather in the winter and prefer to wait for that as a betting forum (I've been told its normally the other way on for proper gamblers)
Its strange now. The bookies used to kill the first 6 in the draw over the shorter distances. Yesterday there was Mark Johnstone horse I liked but it was drawn 9 and there were 10 runners. I immediately put a line through it. They had it 2nd favourite which obviously had a knock on with the rest of the field. Sure enough it was running on well at the end. It will win but had no hope really yesterday. At best the speedsters have to expend all their energy to go forward or just trapped in midfield.
