"How about if you could make a living doing the things you love?"
A Portfolio Life
  • Home
  • Working
  • Writing
  • Gambling

Best of Luck at Cheltenham

12/3/2014

0 Comments

 
Some people are fond of saying “I don't believe in luck , you make your own luck in this world.” They often strut also. I've never connected with them. One of the things that makes Cheltenham so special is how such arrogance is constantly challenged there. For me, the whole festival is about trying (and usually failing) to tame luck:

The trainers trying to get the horses there as fit and healthy as they can (Cue Card).

The jockeys trying to get themselves there in one piece with some decent rides (Jason Maguire)

The smaller owners professing to be just there for the day out but clutching their lucky mascots, and what's left of their bank balance, to their chests in secret hope (apparently an hour before Midnight Prayer won, his owner had a massive heart attack. I wish him well.)

The big owners who have seen it all before and bow their heads in supplication to the luck that keeps them here to enjoy it. (Granted, a handful do indeed strut around in the belief that they've already tamed luck, but time will do for them.)

The stable hands and connections who live and sleep nothing but their horses for years and travel to the course hope hand-in-hand with fear (spare a thought for Niamh Hennessey – and all connections of Our Conor).


And of course there's those who try not to tame luck, but to cheat it. The pickpockets, the hucksters, the touts (and trainers with cases of dodgy pharmaceuticals) 


And there's those who try to negate luck. The bookies with their odds compilers, special offers and built-in profit margins (Paddy Power allegedly lost £5.5 million on the first race, on which they had a ridiculously generous special offer, “despite getting lucky on the placed horses.”)

And of course the punters, with their secret systems, losing strategies, favourite horses and lucky underpants.


For every person who backed Western Warhorse in-running to win the Arkle at 999/1 there's someone wondering why he clicked the lay button.

For every hundred people who lifted Hollywell up the hill, there's one who backed Ma Filleule at 40/1 to win only when they could have gone each way (me).

For everyone who backed both Our Conor and The New One (me) there's someone else who backed Jetzki and My Tent or Yours and did the forecast also, “just for the craic” and couldn't stop telling all and sundry all night (until someone hit him. Like I said – you make your own luck in this game.)



The horses, of course, just run round a nice big field...      

















0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Gambling

    Notes every Saturday on that day's racing and how well or badly I've done the previous week. 

    Picture
    Click here to buy it on Amazon 

    Archives

    February 2020
    April 2019
    March 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    October 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Categories

    All
    Carol Vorderman
    Cheltenham
    Festivals
    Football In Play
    Football In-play
    Gambling 2018
    Gambling Tales
    Gambling Tales
    Golf
    How To Gamble
    How To Gamble
    Rules For 2013
    Ryanair
    Saturday Racing
    The Rambling Gambler
    The Tooting Tissue

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly