Bah bloody humbug
Where to start today…to be honest it is not exactly my favourite time of year. The ‘I hate Xmas routine’ is not some kind of joke or skit, I really do have an intense dislike for this time of the year. It will all be over after today anyway.
I originally wrote an entry as to why I do not like this time of year but bollocks to that. I am sure you do not want to read the miserable rantings of an old git…again! I decided to spare you that little delight. Call it a Festivus gift.
I am feeling very sore today too. I went to the gym yesterday for the first time since I returned from the States and I think I overdid it…ouch! I really should have gotten my arse in gear sooner I know but just after I returned home I caught a dreadful cold. Not long after I had recovered I ended up with the bloody abscess/extraction/infection in my tooth that laid me up for a couple of weeks. Did I say laid me up? I meant to say crying like a cissy girl! This in turn meant that when I finally did go back to the factory I was so snowed under with work that I was coming home knackered every bloody day. I know, excuses excuses.
I need to sort out my self-discipline and put plans in place in case this scenario happens again. Weighing myself at the gym yesterday revealed I have put on a few kilos since the holiday too. A mixture of laziness and eating a pile of crap…no not literally, yuk…after the tooth problems, when I ‘celebrated’ the fact I could eat again a little 'too much' 8-), contributed to this. The first New Year’s Resolution….naah. Don’t do them. I will have to reassess my dietary and training needs though.
What has been happening since last we spoke? Not an awful lot I have pretty much stayed in the house for the past couple of days, although I am of course looking forward to the post humbug feast of racing…there you go I have found one good thing about Xmas. Two actually because by the time it happens the bloody thing is over. Yaaay.
I did however still find time to get the Carolina / Dallas game spectacularly wrong last night though...yaay bloody yaay eh? Not been the best few days.
Accompanied by Shippy, I went to Wimbledon on Friday and proceeded to have, financially, my worst meeting of the year there. Lovely eh 8-(. To be honest it was just one of those nights. I had a couple of smallish, semi-chasing throwaway bets but in the main I fancied several dogs fairly strongly and for one reason or another it did not happen. In all fairness, with the one exception of a dog that completely missed the start, there were no hard luck stories. Just one of those nights when we got things hopelessly wrong. Although losing is not something I like to do, when it is on dogs I have made decent bets it is acceptable, primarily because, in the long term at the ‘Don I believe we will still have an edge. The annoying nights are when you get involved in races of which you have little opinion. I still could have done without dropping a sizeable amount 5 days before I head over to Ireland for the Xmas Festival at Leopardstown though. Talk about the wrong result at the wrong time. 8-(
I have now sorted the travel plans for this trip. I have decided not to go to Chepstow this year for the Welsh Grand National. I do not fancy the drive to be honest as, my usual companion, and co-driver, to this meeting, Gary, has family commitments and cannot attend. He was also going to drive my car home for me after dropping me at Heathrow in the early evening where I had an Air Fungus flight to Dublin booked. However the long drive to Chepstow (and inevitable long traffic jams just across the bridge) coupled with fact that my flight back is from Stanstead…I made a rick with the times of the return flight from Heathrow 8-(…has led to the decision to give it a miss this year.
As previously explained my hotel in Ireland is closed on the 26th…still can’t believe that one to be honest…so I am flying out on the early morning flight, just after 8, which will enable me to have 3 days racing there. It will also enable me to be able to check in, unpack and sort myself out before racing starts…I may miss the first race on the card but there is no rush. I am looking forward to the break to be honest, as well of course as the quality racing.
Before this though is the King George at Sandown. To be frank it is not exactly the best looking renewal of the race I have seen but the supporting card looks particularly tasty. Two of my ante-post bets for Cheltenham are running tomorrow as well. Racing Demon, of which I have 20 for the Arkle, runs in the Wayward Lad Novices Chase, named of course after the 3 time King George Winner.
Later in the card sees the ‘Feltham’. Darkness, the horse I have backed for the Sun Alliance chase runs in this but is up against Nicky Henderson’s highly touted Crozan and the Graham Wylie owned Bewleys Berry. I backed the latter at Cheltenham last week and it definitely looked like it was crying out for this longer trip. For me this is the race of the day and one I am probably looking forward to more than the ‘big one’ itself.
The other horse I have backed for the Sun Alliance Chase is, the Michael Hourrigan trained, Church Island. I have backed it at 46 on Betfair and think the horse can be a real star…well I would say that wouldn’t I 8-). It runs on Wednesday at Leopardstown in the Ason/Rohon Novices Chase. I am looking forward to seeing the horse in the flesh. I will of course also be backing it to win on the day too.
Back to Sandown and I have had a little bit of 4-1 about Kingscliff in the big one. I am still not sure about Kicking King. I am prepared to accept the excuses about his first run of the season but I thought it weakened very quickly and tamely at Haydock. There is no doubt that if ‘the King’ comes back to is best it is probably a certainty. However I do not think I have seen enough this season to believe that. I would not want to be taking around 6-4 to find out either to be honest. All will be revealed tomorrow.
The last word on the King George, and under the heading of ‘I really should get out more’, the Racing Post web site now has a section where you can watch a selection of old King Georges' Great quality pictures too
Included in this is some excelent footage of 'Himself', the mighty Arkle…fortunately not his final King George, which due to the injury he sustained in it was his final race. It really is a marvellous resource and I certainly enjoyed the trip down memory lane. A must for all fans of ‘proper’ (National Hunt) racing.
I will having my usual Xmas day today by instituting a major tidy of the flat...party central eh?...before having an early night in preparation for the drive to Sandown. This 'no trains on Boxing Day policy' still pisses me off I can tell you. Mind you though even if there had been it is probably only evens they would not have been on strike at the moment anyway 8-).
I have got a, pretty decent, copy of King Kong too so I may watch that. I am not really sure that it is my cup of Camomile though... and three hours? I suppose it depends on just how bored I get really.
Happy Festivus
I originally wrote an entry as to why I do not like this time of year but bollocks to that. I am sure you do not want to read the miserable rantings of an old git…again! I decided to spare you that little delight. Call it a Festivus gift.
I am feeling very sore today too. I went to the gym yesterday for the first time since I returned from the States and I think I overdid it…ouch! I really should have gotten my arse in gear sooner I know but just after I returned home I caught a dreadful cold. Not long after I had recovered I ended up with the bloody abscess/extraction/infection in my tooth that laid me up for a couple of weeks. Did I say laid me up? I meant to say crying like a cissy girl! This in turn meant that when I finally did go back to the factory I was so snowed under with work that I was coming home knackered every bloody day. I know, excuses excuses.
I need to sort out my self-discipline and put plans in place in case this scenario happens again. Weighing myself at the gym yesterday revealed I have put on a few kilos since the holiday too. A mixture of laziness and eating a pile of crap…no not literally, yuk…after the tooth problems, when I ‘celebrated’ the fact I could eat again a little 'too much' 8-), contributed to this. The first New Year’s Resolution….naah. Don’t do them. I will have to reassess my dietary and training needs though.
What has been happening since last we spoke? Not an awful lot I have pretty much stayed in the house for the past couple of days, although I am of course looking forward to the post humbug feast of racing…there you go I have found one good thing about Xmas. Two actually because by the time it happens the bloody thing is over. Yaaay.
I did however still find time to get the Carolina / Dallas game spectacularly wrong last night though...yaay bloody yaay eh? Not been the best few days.
Accompanied by Shippy, I went to Wimbledon on Friday and proceeded to have, financially, my worst meeting of the year there. Lovely eh 8-(. To be honest it was just one of those nights. I had a couple of smallish, semi-chasing throwaway bets but in the main I fancied several dogs fairly strongly and for one reason or another it did not happen. In all fairness, with the one exception of a dog that completely missed the start, there were no hard luck stories. Just one of those nights when we got things hopelessly wrong. Although losing is not something I like to do, when it is on dogs I have made decent bets it is acceptable, primarily because, in the long term at the ‘Don I believe we will still have an edge. The annoying nights are when you get involved in races of which you have little opinion. I still could have done without dropping a sizeable amount 5 days before I head over to Ireland for the Xmas Festival at Leopardstown though. Talk about the wrong result at the wrong time. 8-(
I have now sorted the travel plans for this trip. I have decided not to go to Chepstow this year for the Welsh Grand National. I do not fancy the drive to be honest as, my usual companion, and co-driver, to this meeting, Gary, has family commitments and cannot attend. He was also going to drive my car home for me after dropping me at Heathrow in the early evening where I had an Air Fungus flight to Dublin booked. However the long drive to Chepstow (and inevitable long traffic jams just across the bridge) coupled with fact that my flight back is from Stanstead…I made a rick with the times of the return flight from Heathrow 8-(…has led to the decision to give it a miss this year.
As previously explained my hotel in Ireland is closed on the 26th…still can’t believe that one to be honest…so I am flying out on the early morning flight, just after 8, which will enable me to have 3 days racing there. It will also enable me to be able to check in, unpack and sort myself out before racing starts…I may miss the first race on the card but there is no rush. I am looking forward to the break to be honest, as well of course as the quality racing.
Before this though is the King George at Sandown. To be frank it is not exactly the best looking renewal of the race I have seen but the supporting card looks particularly tasty. Two of my ante-post bets for Cheltenham are running tomorrow as well. Racing Demon, of which I have 20 for the Arkle, runs in the Wayward Lad Novices Chase, named of course after the 3 time King George Winner.
Later in the card sees the ‘Feltham’. Darkness, the horse I have backed for the Sun Alliance chase runs in this but is up against Nicky Henderson’s highly touted Crozan and the Graham Wylie owned Bewleys Berry. I backed the latter at Cheltenham last week and it definitely looked like it was crying out for this longer trip. For me this is the race of the day and one I am probably looking forward to more than the ‘big one’ itself.
The other horse I have backed for the Sun Alliance Chase is, the Michael Hourrigan trained, Church Island. I have backed it at 46 on Betfair and think the horse can be a real star…well I would say that wouldn’t I 8-). It runs on Wednesday at Leopardstown in the Ason/Rohon Novices Chase. I am looking forward to seeing the horse in the flesh. I will of course also be backing it to win on the day too.
Back to Sandown and I have had a little bit of 4-1 about Kingscliff in the big one. I am still not sure about Kicking King. I am prepared to accept the excuses about his first run of the season but I thought it weakened very quickly and tamely at Haydock. There is no doubt that if ‘the King’ comes back to is best it is probably a certainty. However I do not think I have seen enough this season to believe that. I would not want to be taking around 6-4 to find out either to be honest. All will be revealed tomorrow.
The last word on the King George, and under the heading of ‘I really should get out more’, the Racing Post web site now has a section where you can watch a selection of old King Georges' Great quality pictures too
Included in this is some excelent footage of 'Himself', the mighty Arkle…fortunately not his final King George, which due to the injury he sustained in it was his final race. It really is a marvellous resource and I certainly enjoyed the trip down memory lane. A must for all fans of ‘proper’ (National Hunt) racing.
I will having my usual Xmas day today by instituting a major tidy of the flat...party central eh?...before having an early night in preparation for the drive to Sandown. This 'no trains on Boxing Day policy' still pisses me off I can tell you. Mind you though even if there had been it is probably only evens they would not have been on strike at the moment anyway 8-).
I have got a, pretty decent, copy of King Kong too so I may watch that. I am not really sure that it is my cup of Camomile though... and three hours? I suppose it depends on just how bored I get really.
Happy Festivus
posted by Stevie Bennett at 11:24 AM
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