Memories of the National Hunt 2011-12 Season..

As the 2011-12 National Hunt season had the curtain brought down through sheets of rain at Sandown Park on Saturday, the damp weather did not dampen my spirits.  The heavy ground was not reflected in my anything-but-heavy heart and the grey clouds could not displace the sunshine glow in my soul.  For, dear reader, I have memories of the 2011-12 jumps season that will live on for a few furlongs yet and whilst some occasions have caused me to mourn, shed a tear or descend into borderline depression, there aren’t many things I would have changed.  So, without getting too bogged down in detail, and really only focusing on moments that I personally had the opportunity to enjoy, let us (well, me) reminisce...

October

A year had passed since I went from being a casual observer of horse racing to an aspiring writer, broadcaster and semi-pro punter on the sport.  Having really only hooked on it watching Denman carrying top weight at Newbury in the 2010 Hennessy Gold Cup, I was busy organising my 30^th birthday party for the same meeting in 2011. 

The flat season came to a joyous end at Ascot’s Champions’ Day (http://palphabet.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/from-newmarket-nightmare-to-freaky.html), which provided an almighty emotional and financial fillip following a dreadful day’s betting at Newmarket a week earlier, where we celebrated my grandmother’s entry into the octogenarian club: http://palphabet.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/enjoyment-is-eternal.html

The traditional curtain raiser is the Cheltenham Open meeting in November, but in October Albertas Run gave AP McCoy and Jonjo O’Neill a win in the Ascot Old Roan Chase.  These two racing legends would sadly end the season in the headlines for more sombre reasons.

Pricewise (back when he was tipping winners) tipped up Weird Al in Wetherby’s Charlie Hall chase and I was on at a decent price – that night led myself and a few Palphabet pals to a West Bromwich Albion pub in Hackney, where the night descended into intoxicated chaos!  It was also that night that I started hearing positive whispers about a horse from the Mullins yard named Soll.

I love this photograph from October, and have a mind to enter it into the IJF’s photo competition for their 2013 calendar http://www.injuredjockeys.co.uk/

November

The aforementioned 30^th birthday trip to Newbury was quality.  Big Buck’s duly returned at about 1-5 (I had a £5er on him for a laugh), Rock on Ruby landed the shorter-distance hurdle race, and Caruthers brought an air of significance to the sponsor’s Gold Cup.  But for me, backing the Philip Hobbs trained Chance du Roy at 10-1 and subsequently adding him to my ATR Tracker list gave me most pleasure on the day.  Chance du delivered profit on a couple of other occasions as the season rumbled along, posting impressive figures of 125412 from Newbury to Aintree’s Topham Chase.

On the same day, up in Newcastle’s Fighting Fifth hurdle, laying Binocular proved the right decision.  Screaming “screw you Binocular!” at the TV screens from the Newbury bar was a less-measured judgement as Jason Maguire powered Overturn home.

The week before this, at Haydock, I had backed Kauto Star at 7-1 to win the Betfair Chase – the three cheers for Kauto, Ruby’s beaming smile and the sight of Paul Nicholls blanking Nicky Henderson in glorious Channel 4 HD gave a real thrill, and a premonition towards what just might be on Boxing Day at Kempton Park.

December

The Becher chase was hosed up by Alan King’s West End Rocker and I immediately backed him antepost for the Grand National, thinking the trial alone was evidence of his undoubted supremacy over the formidable Aintree fences.  Hmmm.  It also kick-started my penchant for "Wayne-King" -   http://palphabet.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/wayne-king-is-good-for-you.html

Sportingbet’s generous offer for the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown refunded punters’ money if Sizing Europe proved victorious.  Henry de Bromhead’s 2010 Arkle and 2011 Champion Chase winner did the business, and my stake of £50 on Wishfull Thinking was immediately reinvested on Kauto Star to regain the Christmas crown: an unimaginable fifth King George VI Chase at 4-1 before the race, with a 6pt top-up at 11/4 on the day.

Denman retired, I appeared on 5Live – Kauto bounced back and paid for the yuletide season, sending shivers down spines & leaving very few dry eyes in the packed tattersall stands.   

Happy New Year to all! 

***

January - April will be posted next week (as I'm off on a stag-do tomorrow!).. along with my 10 to Follow for the flat season... which includes my 2000 Guineas tip of Born to Sea and an antepost stab from last year, Trumpet Major, on whom I have had speculative stakes at an average of 55.5 on Betfair for Saturday's first Classic of 2012...

From Newmarket Nightmare to Freaky Frankel Fightback

As predicted, the Nan at Newmarket ninth decade celebration (http://palphabet.blogspot.com/2011/10/enjoyment-is-eternal.html) ended in despair as I chased losses and ended up around £600 down, backing short-priced favourites with reckless beer-blinded abandon, throwing all strategic research out the window.

I have to say, HQ premier enclosure disappointed somewhat: bar staff who didn't seem to know the difference between a pint of Guinness and a gin & tonic; security staff who wouldn't let my grandparents out onto the viewing gallery until they had necked their drinks (not an easy feat, even for my relatives, when you're more used to sipping than supping); staff in general who may have been drafted in for a particularly busy day but who really didn't represent the Cambs / Suffolk border in the way one would have expected. 

Ascot's Champions' Day, on the other hand, did not disappoint.  Some staff passes afforded entry into otherwise prohibited parts of the track, and at no point anywhere did men in orange vests attempt to curtail our enjoyment by demanding we take drinks inside.  Neither did any barmen or women need me to explain how to pour a drink.

The previous week's losses of a Monkey and a bag of hooves were more or less replenished thanks to hefty performances from Deacon Blues, Opinion Poll (TBP), hefty stakes on horse-of-a-generation Frankel, and hefty tipping from Mr Tom Segal, who we all followed in on the final handicap of the day, netting a 28-1 winner and a 17-1 place (Edinburgh Knight and Castles in the Air respectively) and returning just shy of 300 quid.

I'll let some pictures tell the rest of the story - we had a great day and I'd also like to recommend you check out beatboxing supremos Duke (@dukeofficial), who rounded off the ceremonies with a fantastic array of lip & tongue techniques not seen put to such good use since Emmanuelle IV.

You can see the look of love - and they both have the same smile :)

Trainer and owner soul-shake

Two Princes

Queeny and Queally share a moment

Ronnie Wood meets someone with fuller lips than Mick Jagger

Characters

The Irony

After years of stalking, I meet Brazil

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING!

I'm going to start making more than just mental notes of referees' names and their disconcertingly frequent penchant for ignoring the laws of Association Football, particularly whilst in charge of the proceedings on-pitch at Leyton Orient's Brisbane Road.  

Coote: Cunte

I got 2 right, didn't I?  No.

Two have stuck out in recent weeks: David Coote (left) officiating in the middle of our Tuesday night defeat to AFC Bournemouth a few weeks ago; and Oliver Langford (right) who was so so awful yesterday that home and away fans alike joined vocally together to berate him with a round of "YDKWYD" after he gave us a goal kick when it was clearly a Sheffield United corner, ignoring his assistant referee who was vigorously waving his flag to indicate that the ball had deflected at least 20 degrees off of a red-socked lower-leg.

If you have any rogue refs to add to the gallery, let me know.  I will try to report more comprehensively on the inadequacy of lower-league officials as the rest of the season unfolds - they really do seem to want to ruin it for everyone. 

DP

Enjoyment is Eternal

Today I'm venturing out for a day's racing with a twist - it's all been organised by my Auntie Wendy as a birthday celebration for my Nan (Rita), who turns 80 today!

Me & my Nan sharing a joke about something undoubtedly hilarious

What better way to celebrate the landmark of becoming an octogenarian than meeting at the local for a fry-up, boarding a luxury mini-bus / coach (at what point does a mini-bus become a coach?) and heading up the M11 to Newmarket?  After the day is done, we are due to return to The Thatcher’s (nestled in the village of Hatfield Heath on the east Herts/west Essex border) for a hearty evening meal before staying at my parents’ crib. http://www.thatcherspub.co.uk/

The family fun-day will no doubt, however, be marred.  As my mum & dad enjoy the entertainment of £2 punts at the bookies’ stalls and my brothers pick horses by their amusing names, I’ll have already placed hefty wagers on Betfair and will be looking to top up with hearty cash injections at the mundane tote desk.. and whilst the rest of the family will board the return coach / mini-bus with laughter and merriment, I’ll be bringing the tone down having lost a couple of hundred quid by moaning all the way back from the Cambridgeshire-Suffolk border. Looking forward.

The P&L got a little boost last night, laying off the 1-2 scoreline in Montenegro £150 at 1.4 and walking away with £75 profit from the butchery in the black mountains.  Having put £75 at 9.8 on “any unquoted scoreline” I had thought that I would be quids-in after an early flurry of goals, and I was most disappointed to see Roondog getting sent off, having backed £20 of my hard-earned on him to score at 2.32.

Today, I like the look of Strong Suit in the first at Newmarket, and will be taking on Power in the Dewhurst.. but, all jokes about misery aside, the thing I am anticipating most is the prospect of uncovering 2012’s Frankel.  There’s a colt called Trumpet Major also running in the 3.10 today that I’ve backed antepost for the 2000 Guineas having seen him finish second at Ascot in the summer under Ryan Moore.  A look at his record on http://www.irishracing.com/v5horseinfo?prt=422893 reveals a liking for Newmarket, so I will seek him out at the track.  Funnily enough, he was brought to my attention by my fiancée, who backed him due to his cheerful moniker, so what do I know?  Johnny Murtagh is on-board this afternoon http://www.racingpost.com/horses/home.sd?story=927915&argument=779114

As I write this, Wales seem to have demolished a tired-looking Irish XV down under.. The score stands at IRE 10-22 WAL with 5 mins to go.  I had put £7 on Ireland at 55s before the tournament begun (following Will Greenwood's Betfair tip), but having layed off the All-Blacks with a £100 exposure, I will also profit if Wales [or any other nation for that matter] proceed to lift the World Cup.  With their stalwart defence and inventive attack, they look a quality outfit, and perhaps only their kicks let them down slightly this morning.

Happy Birthday to my Nan: 80 years old today and still fully enjoying - that's what it's all about, isn't it?

DP

ps. one more thing - I met Alan Partridge this week, cheers!

I combined a business card with the handshake... hopefully not giving AP a papercut