Tuesday 18th November 2014

Paddy Power weekend at Cheltenham was just too much for me.


It was just way intense with far too many bets, and the emotions of it all eventually took there toll with firstly a bad toothache and then I suffered the rest of the weekend with a bad headache. In fact I ended up having a couple of days off sick afterwards to fully recover.


As usual it was mixed results, the winner of the Paddy Power Gold Cup was a highlight, despite me having glimpsed the result in a pub during the early evening (I recorded the races for later drunken viewing). From the pub it looked like Johns Spirit had won, so I'd kind of written off the Saturday as a disaster. I wasn't feeling great on the Saturday night but when I saw Ben Linfoots Caid De Burlais get home in the shadows of the post for a massive win at 14/1. Other results were ok as well, and I ended the day in a great position.


I felt better on the Sunday and we made it out to Didsbury for some lunch and a few beers, perhaps too many. I possibly over staked on the Sunday, over excited by the previous days wins, and inevitably it was a poor day with some of the winnings given back. Very poor from myself, just repeating mistakes from the past.


Probably sick from the previous day I had Monday and Tuesday off sick from work, just didn't feel very well at all, and as usual frittered away some more money on very poor bets.


Therefore from today onwards, Tuesday at 4pm, I am taking time out from punting until 2015 except for a couple of antepost bets places, Volnay De Thiax for the Fixed Brush Hurdle at Haydock at 6/1, and Smad Place for the Hennessy at 10/1. I've also followed this weeks Sporting Lifes Golf Tips for the Australian Masters (Green and Appleby) and in the Euro Tour Championship (Ilonen, Schwartzel, and Oosthuizen).


Not sure when I'll resume to be honest, in fact I might just stick with the Paul Jones ante post bets until 2015. The main thing is to have a rest, and come up if possible with a way of punting without frittering money way, like I have done this week. Without sorting my head out, there is no prospect of profitable punting.

Tuesday 11th November 2014

Just a quick update tonight with hopefully more to come later in the week. The new job means that I come later and hence I've been struggling for time to write. That bus from Stockport to Gatley takes an eternity, although it has given me the opportunity to chance up on some National Hunt reading for the long season ahead.


Last weekend wasn't great, I'd bet in the golf, and sickeningly Kaymer from being a cast iron place bet with a chance to win if he birdied the last to a total loser, as he dumped the ball in the water to return zero monies from my bet. That was a kick in the guts and so early on a Sunday morning. The hangover felt so much worse.


In horse racing I had the winner of the November Handicap, but to only small stakes, and Ben Linfoot blobbed out with 3 losers, so at best it was small losses. I'd also made the cardinal sin of frittering money away on poor Sunday racing.


My darts bets have mixed outlooks after the first week of the Grand Slam, Bunting cruised through to the quarter finals, whilst Scotty Waites was dumped out after two losses in his first 2 matches.


Anyway, this week there's the golf, and of course the Paddy Power meeting, so I should be busy. I'll try to update daily from Friday onwards.

Monday November 4th

A bit of an excessive weekend on all fronts, too much alcohol, too much sport, and too much punting. Maybe it was the stress of changing jobs but it got a bit too much.


It was a heavy punting few days with some good and some poor results. The first day of the Breeders Cup was superb with the nap of the meeting for me Lady Eli cruising home at 5/2, when I'd backed it with the English bookies at 11/2. On the Saturday Ben Linfoot had 3 selections with Ulk Du Lin romping home at an early 8/1. That was as good as it got though with pretty mediocre results for the rest of the weekend. In hindsight I think I just had too many bets. Overall I probably made a small profit but it was nothing to shout out about.


This week I am starting my new job, so punting will take a bit of a back seat until I settle into the new regime. I'll be backing any Cheltenham ante post bets tonight, and I really fancy Admire Rakti for the Melbourne Cup early on Tuesday morning. The only other event I might look at would be the World Golf Championship, and perhaps the Grand Slam of Darts. I'll certainly be taking a break from horse racing until the Paddy Power at Cheltenham which starts the week after next.

Wednesday 29th October 2014

It turned out to be a decent birthday weekend, and fortunately a profitable one. I’ve decided to just concentrate on weekend betting alone, which is tending to work as it eradicates the weekly dross. The weekend was spent at my Mums with a visit on Saturday night to Wakefield for a few beers with Karen.

 

Ben Linfoot had another blank weekend with none of his 5 selections even reaching a place, it’s been a poor run but when you pick larger priced horses like he does, you only need one winner to turn things around. Fortunately though, a chance email from Tipping Legends, led to me rejoining for November 2014 (It was their annual charity month). I missed an 11/1 winner Jeremiah tipped on Friday, but after much deliberation decided to put his Saturday bet on. I was at my Mums for the weekend, and eventually decided to put the £25e/w bet on Latenightevent at 20/1 at a bookies in Pontefract whilst she did a bit of shopping. It was really touch and go whether I was going to put in on, but having had a decent run recently I decided to go for it.

 

My intention was to avoid the racing results and watch it when I returned home on the Sunday however, checking my phone on Sunday morning I was greeted with the fabulous news that the horse had romped home and therefore after a quick trip to Pontefract to collect my £650, I was cash rich once again.  It just goes to show, that you only need one winner to make the weekend pay.

 

This weekend looks like being a massive weekend with the Breeders Cup being the centre piece on Friday and Saturday as well as the first proper weekend of National Hunt Racing. Also, I am not in on work on Monday, and I then start my new contract on Tuesday, so it’s all pretty eventful, and that’s not considering the start of the Cheltenham ante post service on Monday.

Karma Police

A nice and calm week for me, letting people at work know about my impending departure was not as stressful as I had anticipated (they were very nice), and I am having a nice relaxing rest from punting. It’s my birthday weekend coming up and a relatively poor weekends racing so I’d made the decision to take a break from betting until the Breeders Cup meeting on 31^st October/1^st November, and so far things are going well. In quite a recuperating week I’d also managed to take an abstinence from alcohol for the week.

 

This week as said there is no punting, but it should be a massive week the week after with some huge bets on Nick Mordin’s picks from the Racing Post Weekender in the Breeders Cup, then I would imagine that I will be concentrating on the big jump meetings such as Paddy Power and the Hennessey.  As always all roads lead to Cheltenham once we get into the winter months, and despite reservations I will be rejoining Paul Jones Cheltenham ante post service for this year again. Last year was a bit disappointing with a small loss, but over the last 6 years the service has shown a decent profit. There were several narrow misses last year, he identified some of the winners but never recommended them as bets, something I’d expect him to learn from this year. Therefore I’ll be expecting a great year with the service bouncing back. I just need to work out whether I’ll be backing win only or each way, and also what stakes I’ll be putting on. Paul Jones Cheltenham ante post service starts on the 3^rd November and usually features 30-35 ante post bets.

 

 

 

Wednesday 22nd October 2014

An eventful week but not due to my punting which was pretty mediocre. Value bet had 5 picks on Saturdays Champions day card, but alas only Levitate managed any returns by scraping in for a fourth place at 10/1. In the golf my only bet Ernie Els looked great at half way, being 2 shots clear, but faltered in the third round, and in the end I was grateful for a tied 5^th place and my money back. It wasn’t a great weekends betting but the losses were only relatively low.

 

Away from punting things were hectic, I hadn’t been happy at work for a while, and on Friday I was offered a contract role with an agency I’d worked with before in Stockport. I jumped at the chance, and therefore only have 2 weeks left in Salford. It’s always sad to leave places, but things haven’t been great, and I really prefer working on a self employed basis, where the money is better, and I can take time off when I want. I just can’t see myself ever taking a permanent job again to be honest.

Thursday 16th October 2014

I’ve been pretty good this week so far, although there were 2 minor blips, I backed a strong Ben Coley (Sporting Life) bet Ernie Els for the Hong Kong Open Golf (Decent first round at least), and I’ve just been suckered into backing a horse at Uttoxeter called Tashkaldou after receiving a bit of inside information from an old friend. Apart from that though, I’ve been good and put no other bets on at all. I know these are bets which I shouldn’t have put on, but Rome wasn’t built in a day, and I will get there in the end.

 

To avoid impulse punting from today onwards I shall record the racing and watch it at the end of the day. I kind of do feel that when watching racing/sport live, I get a real strong feeling of elation after a winner, or despondency after a loser, which can and has led to additional bets or the punters worst habit of chasing losses after a loser.. Chasing occasional (very) leads to the money being recovered, but more than often results in heavy losses on bets which have no actual basis and are just destined to lose. I’ve done the recording thing on a weekend, but will now be utilising it on a week day as well.

 

I’ve also managed to start doing some exercise when I get home from work, some light weights and cycling, so that’s another positive to rejoice. Works not been bad, no major dramas and a few site visits, but I am still keeping my eye open for a new contract role, permanent with its awful annual leave allocation is just not for me.

 

For the rest of the week, there might be a couple of small bets on Nick Morden’s picks for the week, there will be Valuebet on Saturday, and  I am going to start punting the Betalchemist picks, albeit at a nominal stake of either £20 win or £10 e/w to begin with. This service which I have monitored has shown good results which hopefully will continue. Its mainly early priced horses at the big meetings, so its fits the racing and format which I like.

 

I am still monitoring the Steve Jones Daily Bargain, which started off with 2 losers. I’d be looking for at least 3 weeks’ worth of results however before I part with any money.

 

 

Well that’s its from me now until next week, hopefully with tales of a great weekend and loads of profitable bets.