Yes, clemmie saves the day!
went large with his last bet of the month – and got out of trouble
It was late September, Tim Vaughan’s Dads in trouble (£20 win) had just fallen early in a novice chase at Worcester and Nyaleti (£30 win) had got touched off by a nose in the Rockfel. By the time Robin The Raven (£20 win) came home at one pace also at Worcester I was staring defeat straight in the face. I was £245 down for the month with one day remaining and very little chance of getting it back.
Thankfully the remaining day of the month was a Saturday which meant I had plenty of options to choose from in my quest to get back into the black. I was looking for a good thing, a cert, something that I could rely on and with Heartache a defection in the Cheveley Park, I made Clemmie just that.
At 15/8 she rated a good price, especially as her rivals didn’t look all that strong. I ploughed in with a maximum bet of £100 on the nose which would have yielded £287.50, enough to save the month and enough left over for a celebratory pint or two.
I hadn’t staked that much on a horse for a while and I did feel a little anxious about it, although I knew deep down, she had a favourite’s chance and that I wasn’t chucking my money around aimlessly.
Arriving back home from watching my beloved Shrewsbury Town beat Scunthorpe 2-0 and head to the top of the league, I was feeling somewhat buoyed about the chances of Clemmie. I flicked on the recording and saw Ryan Moore hold her up just off the pace, an ideal position. She would stay 7f easy so I was happy to see her close to the pace which wiped out the chance of a bad luck story.
Ryan eased her into the lead on the bridle and although Different League was travelling equally as good I remained confident that now it was a battle, Clemmie and Moore would come out on top. And that she did as she grinded out a solid victory to cement her place at the top of the two-year-old fillies table. I was delirious with relief as I saved the month on the last day and maintained my record of only one month in the red so far this year.
Not only did I save the month but I ended up in front as I also had a £5 eachway saver on Flying Pursuit at Ripon. A soft ground, course specialist running on soft ground, I thought that 7/1 was a gift and if I had been in a better position, financially, I would have got stuck in but as it turned out I was just grateful to keep the streak going.
My excitement for the forthcoming jumps season was slightly blunted as Silver Kayf (£20 win) just jumped to the front at Warwick when he fell. A gentle reminder that betting on the jumps has other risks attached, but I think Kim Bailey’s charge will repay my losses next time out.
Just seven days on from Clemmie’s heroics, I was hoping to kick start October with a big win. Again I was looking for a good thing, and I didn’t have to scour the cards too hard until I decided Blue Point
was exactly that.
William Buick was making his return to the saddle after a layoff which meant the story was already written, I just had to watch it unfold. I stuck £50 on at 6/5 the night before which I thought was quite reserved given how much I fancied him. He’s not too far off the top sprinters out there and he was facing glorified handicappers on goodish ground.
I kept telling myself this as I watched Waady and Waldgeist get turned over at short odds which was surprising but meant that surely the next red hot jolly must go in. Not a great mindset to have when betting on horses and you will get your fingers burnt if you do it too often, but I placed another £50 on Blue Point and hoped for the best.
Buick rode like he hadn’t been away as he chucked him out into the lead, meaning no traffic problems and the benefit of dictating the tempo.He gave Blue Point a kick in the belly two furlongs out and he took three lengths out of the field without breaking sweat. By the time the field had realised he extended his lead, he was away and the race was in the bag.He tired late on which made Projection look good as he came home a fast finishing second, but to be honest he won it easy. A further £235 hit my account which paid for the day and gave me a good start to the month.
Later in the day I was let down by Aracanda, a handicapper who I have been keen on for some time now. A £15 each way at 18/1 bet proved unsuccessful as he faded miles from home which suggested all was not well. Another defeat on Never Back Down at Redcar left a sour taste in my mouth despite it being a profitable day.
I had a small interest in Cribbs Causeway in the last race on the card at Newmarket. I went to check the price of Roger Charlton’s filly just before the race and noticed that not only was she on the drift but Skybet had boosted it to 11/4. With Frankie the Wizard in the saddle I thought it was worth another £20.
She travelled smoothly into the race and just as she moved to take it up, Frankie decided he didn’t need his stick and threw it to the ground on purpose (or so he will tell you). He began to shake the reigns and the response was impressive as she cleared away with very little encouragement needed. Another £75 was collected and things tasted a little sweeter with the day ending on a high.
The last weekend before this went to press ended in disaster, but not so disastrous that it ruined the month. The jumps were back at Chepstow and I had a fancy on Skewiff (£15 e/w) of Evan Williams in the mares’ handicap hurdle. She looked as if she would appreciate the step up in trip and at 20/1 she proved fantastic each way value.
The sedate early gallop didn’t suit and she was tapped for toe up the straight, but I thought she was just getting into her stride when she unshipped Adam Wedge but it was probably too early to say she would have definitely figured.
Later on the card I thought Wholestone looked to have a chance in the Silver Trophy hurdle, but his effort fizzled out after the last and a novice chase campaign surely awaits.
Despite that disappointment, I cannot wait for the jumps to get into full swing next month!