(Would look a lot better had Twiston-Davies managed to get Ballyarthur home).
With no racing today or tomorrow, it must be time for a review of the year’s betting.
It’s been better than I thought it would be. I was aiming for a tentative, conservative, protect-my-fund-at-all-costs approach, with any profit as a bonus, as I fiddled with my new methodologies. Turns out, twelve months on, all three approaches have been profitable. Ok, I’m not rich – but it’s better than collecting trolleys in Sainsbury’s car park, which appeared my destiny otherwise.
There’s no obvious reason why the approaches shouldn’t continue to be profitable so, gambling gods allowing, we’re set fair.
Here’s a look at where the profits (and losses) are coming from. “Top” means most profitable. “Worst” in no way impugns anyone’s ability – other than their ability to make me a profit last year. The figures are skewed by Mick Appleby’s summer four-timer along a golden highway at Pontefract, all ridden by Silvestre De Sousa.
Top Jumps Courses
Uttoxeter
Aintree
Chepstow
Leicester
Worst Jumps Courses
Kempton
Sedgefield
Southwell
Top Flat Courses
Pontefract
Doncaster
Ascot
Epsom
Worst Flat course
Nottingham
Best AW course
Chelmsford
Worst AW course
Kempton
Best Jumps Trainers
Dan Skelton
Gordon Elliott
Tom Lacey
Philip Hobbs
Donald McCain
Worst Jumps Trainer
Alan King
Best Flat Trainers
Mick Appleby
John Gosden
Roger Fell
Worst Flat Trainer
Roger Varian
Best Jumps Jockeys
Harry Cobden
Dickie Johnson
Worst Jumps Jockey
Brian Hughes
Best Flat Jockeys
Silvestre De Sousa
Jamie Spencer
Worst Flat Jockeys
Daniel Tudhope
Ryan Moore