Best And Worst of 2011

davidjohnson

At the Start
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Jun 29, 2007
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With some of us at Timeform having written pieces on betting.betfair which can be found here and here I thought I'd throw the floor over the team here to describe their Moment of 2011, Performance of 2011, Hero of 2011 and Villain of 2011 as well as a bet of the year for 2012.

Come on folks.
 
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Boringly enough, your pick (Frankel in the Sussex) and Pat Jupp's (Joseph O'Brien on SNA in the BC Turf) were my two. The King George was the worst few minutes of the racing year.
 
Moment - Kauto Star, Denman and Long Run jumping the second last upsides in the Gold Cup.

Performance - Frankel's Sussex was spine tingling.

Villain - As above, Hannon and Hughes bullshit excuses re CC. They were either being disingenuous or know fuck all about the game.

Bet of 2012 - Sprinter Sacre for the Arkle.
 
Moment: Frankel 2000 Guineas
Performance: Frankel 2000 Guineas
Hero: Kauto Star Betfair Chase
Villain: Paul Roy
Bet: I don’t bet sorry
 
Moment: When Copper Dock hit the front at Leopardstown in June landing a proper SP touch.

Performance: Frankel 2000 guineas - barely believable

Hero: Del Boy's drinking exploits throughout 2011 will become the stuff of legend!

Bet of 2012: Peddlers Cross Arkle - Wading 1000 Guineas & Oaks Double
 
Moment: Gold Cup had it all, Kauto, Denman and Long Run.
Performance: Frankel Sussex Stakes
Hero: Kauto Star
Villain: Howard Johnson - and the way he acted like he was the innocent party in the whole sordid matter
Bet: Captain Chris to win the 2012 King George.
 
Moment - Kauto Star, Denman and Long Run jumping the second last upsides in the Gold Cup.

Echo that!

That sight was absolutely amazing!

Best bet - Sizing Europe to win the Queen Mother Champion Chase, cant remember if i backed him, i dont think i did, but i tipped him up to family, who got on at 8/1 i think, shame only 8/1 as he was 16/1 a week or 2 before the race.
 
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Bet: I don’t bet sorry

Highlighting Bad Rides to BHA

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Afternoon,

I have been delt a few betting blows in the past at the hands of inept jockeys as I'm sure most of you have, but when you see rides that offer no explanation into the thought processing of these individuals there is no other option but to ask questions.

Has anyone ever hand written a letter into the BHA and recieved feedback?

I am currently writing at letter to the BHA now and hope that they investigate.

:confused:
 
I bet like once every few months, hardly classified as a bettor.
 
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Best moments:

Frankels 2,000 Guineas - after 3 furlongs thinking omg what has he done (jockey) 1/2f to go thinking omg what has he done (horse)

Sitting sipping champagne with Richard Hannon snr and John Manley holding a ticket at 9/4 with the biggest bet I had this year on Dick Turpin. Surreal.

Worst moment - seeing my father-in-law dying of pancreatic cancer.
 
Performance: FRANKEL, KAUTO STAR, BIG BUCK'S

Hero: The whistle blowers who help clean out the villains

Villain/s: Howard Johnson and the rest of the buggers who bring the sport down

Bet: can't remember if I've had a win of money this year! Like selecting horses and seeing them win or place, though, just to see if I can do it.
 
Best Moment: Realising Edvald Boasson Hagen had won while I was in work not watching. Bar The Bull had put us into a 20/1 winner on stage 6 of the Tour De France. It wasn't necessarily the money but how funny the thread was and how so many forum members joined in. Things like that really don't happen often.

Best Performance: Sam Waley Cohen and Long Run in the Gold Cup. It took the market until the day to accept this was the most likely winner given how unexposed he was at the trip. Despite one crucial looking mistake on the 2nd circuit he was always in the right place and it really was the stand out performance of the year. Had he been ridden by a professional he would not have been in my top ten.

Hero: Montjeu for producing horses that fly up that Cheltenham hill...

Villain of the year: Nicky Henderson for the Binocular mayhem before Cheltenham. With hindsight it did not matter because he would have been run over but I would have liked to have found out for sure.

Best Bet of 2012: Simonsig to win the Supreme Novice is the only ante post bet I want to have in 2012 so far. Nothing else has me reaching for my cash.
 
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The best moment of 2011 was, without question, Hurricane Fly finally rewarding the faithful and fulfilling his destiny, when winning the first of his Champion Hurdles.

Two-out in the Gold Cup was the "I was there" moment of the year.

The villian of the year goes to the spineless, pencil-dicked, toady at the BHA who made Paul Struthers scapegoat for the Whip Rules fiasco. Silver medallist in the category goes to PFN; both for his utterly bizarre statements about KS and Denman throughout the year, and for his annoying ability to sustain a reputation for 'open-ness' without ever really telling anyone anything of genuine import or interest.
 
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Two moments have defined the year for me. Frankel winning the 2000 guineas was probably the most astonishing thing i'd seen in racing and he made the flat season for me and is my hero of the year. The other moment was Barzalona stood up passing the post at Epsom. Pour Moi was far and away my biggest ever AP winner and was my bet of the year.

Villain of the year is Howard Johnson. Never liked the bloke in the first place and he can protest his innocence all he wants but I don't beileve a word of it.
 
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Moment;Hurricane Fly winning the champion Hurdle. Was on antepost at 10/1 and went in again on the day. Nothing like the sight of them coming down the hill in the champion hurdle and it all about to unfold.

Performance; Frankel on the flat, just a machine. Long Runs Gold Cup was pretty impressive it has to be said, but in terms of a performance to get the blood pumping it was Kuato Star last month, unbelievable to come out and do that given the doubts that have surrounded him for the year.

Villain of the year; On The Bridle for putting me away on Copper Dock at leopardstown and telling me to back him every time he gets turned over. The road to the poor house, begins with dialing 086....

Bet of the year; A poor poor years punting for me, the highlights were at Cheltenham, Sir Des Champs coming from the clouds, and the other mullins horse, Financial approach??, still do not know how they got up in their races, and for me they are two horses I will be keeping on side, especially the former.

Bet of 2012; I expect the next few weeks will highlight something on the NH front, so far the only horses I thought that I would be keeping onside for Cheltenham were Sizing "machine" Europe, and Sir Des Champs. Looking forward to seeing Spirit Son out however. On the flat, think Wading is going to be pretty special. PS. MARTIN KAYMER IS 5/1 FOR THE RACE TO DUBAI, GET ON....

Resolution for 2012; Block certain numbers from my phone....Discipline Discipline Discipline....I dont even know if thats spelt correctly as Gearoid says I cant even spell it.
 
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Villain of the year:
Howard Johnson. Many acts in racing over the last 12 months, be they related to tariffs, whip rulings, etc., have merely been misguided or racing-illiterate. Johnson's, however, were manifestly wicked, and that's a whole other world of unforgiveable as far as I'm concerned.

Bet of the 2011:
Dermatologiste at Bangor last week paid for Christmas and then some - I'd been waiting for the day they'd finally aim it at a marathon distance, and the hope then had to be that the jumping would hold up.
Keeverfield at Market Rasen in February was another big touch landed, as well as a reminder of the virtues of going by fitness as much as form in early-season hunter chases. Note to fellow forumites - take any Sam Drake runners in hunter chases this coming winter very seriously indeed. She gets them granite tough hunting with the Pendle Forest and Craven hunt far more than the minimum required to get the hunters' certificate, and she also has some use of Sue and Harvey Smith's facilities.

Bet of 2012:
Mid Div And Creep will win a marathon handicap chase - it's just a case of which one. She'll be carrying less of my money in the Welsh National than she might have done, for even if the 11lb she currently lies out of the handicap can be surmounted, the phalanx of rival pace influences probably cannot - I don't think she'd be able to soften up both of Giles Cross and Carruthers, plus whosoever else takes her on. Come to think of it, I'd be happier still now if she swerved Chepstow completely and was aimed at a Midlands National, Classic Chase or similar.

gc
 
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