It feels like my whole life can be measured by races won, lost, or just plain enjoyed, and the names of horses buried in the memory that occasionally pop up with great fondness. And some that never made it home, too, of course.
My Dad gave me my first winner, around 1975. Strawhill 8-1. Think I had two quid on it, and that was it. Hooked forever.
Sometime in the mid-80s, I remember he said to me 'watch out for this horse, son. His name's Carriage Way, and you need to back him whenever he runs in an apprentice race'.
A bit further on, and Dad's in hospital. The Doctor has said he was too weak to operate on and wouldn't make it.
Somewhere in between the many 10-minute trips between home and the hospital, Carriage Way ran and went in at 16-1 (i think, memory is hazy)..in an apprentices race. Might have been somewhere like Redcar or Nottingham.
I remember I sat on the bed and held his hand. He could not speak because of the ventilator.
I
I
I said to him,
'he ran, Dad. He won like you said. I had a fiver on him for you'.
I felt the grip tighten. I think that was hard for him to do. And I saw the smile in his eyes.
It was the last time we spoke. It was the last time I saw him smile.
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Some 12-15 years on. It was a mid-week day, and my girlfriend and I were due to fly to Sardinia the next day on a 4-day break.
We had a heated verbal dispute that evening, I cannot remember what about. And I slept in the spare room.
Must have been around 5am, I guess a noise woke me. I jumped up, looked out the window, and saw what looked like a taxi driving away.
Beth had gone without me.
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So now, I'm at home alone.
At the time, I'd only just started using an online bookie. Sportingbet, for some reason (I know now, but didn't then) they were always offering better odds than anyone else, especially on outsiders.
I'd been following Berry sprinters for some time. And also was playing a bit with my own speed ratings.
So, Berry had two running, an 8-1 shot and a 33-1 shot named Circuit Dancer. With one other - I think it was a James Given trained sprinter at 40-1 that I'd got down with a good speed rating - I had an EW treble.
Didn't listen or watch anything. Aside from the bet, it was a weird day, emotionally challenging, shall we say.
Come 5 o'clock or so, I logged in to look at results. And there they were.
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That day changed my life financially And it shouldn't have happened. If I'd left for Sardinia that morning, there's no way I would have placed the bet.
Later, I found out that the last runner - Circuit Dancer - was two lengths plus down to the favourite and beat going into the final furlong, when the leader swerved across the course for no known reason. CD got up to win (by a head, I think).
How fate plays its games.
I'd like to think it was Dad looking down and whispering to the would-be winner 'throw it, go on, throw it'.
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About 6 years later, I think he was watching again...but that's another story.
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My girlfriend at the time? Well, we married about 5 years later.
