Racing memories (good or not so good)

Desert Orchid said:
It would be so much better if we didn't need to make jokes about it.

A couple of years back I mentioned having backed a winner back in the 80s or something ridiculous like that and was jumped on by the usual suspects.

Petty doesn't begin to describe some people but it remains their problem, not mine.
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I knew you'd say that. :D
 
My worst memory was when my best friend Tony PA Charlton was killed in a car accident on his way back from Ayr races.

Mt best memory is when we pulled off a massive touch 33/1 to 11/8 favourite on the first horse he trained privatly under Mick lambert's name.

One bad one that does crop up is Snowtown Boy which was before I got into ridng and owning etc.

I backed him every week for months for the Scweppes and David Barons did me with Bootlaces.

I spoke to paul Leach years later and he told me they thought Bootlaces was a shoe in.

Another was Gay brief. I was at Nottingham to back a horse in the Haig Whiskey Qualifier which won
on the same day Gay Brief won there. Gay Brief blew me away he was total class.

I decided to go all out and have 3k on him at 12/1 for the Champion Hurdle when Tony said that Jonjo thought Eckbalco was a good thing for the race.

You can guess what I did DUH!!!!
 
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Back in the mid-60s when I was a 6TH former I`d just got into gambling (just shillings!). It was a Monday and I`d seen a chaser win very impressively, to my eyes, a few Saturdays earlier. It was running in my lunch hour and I had my weeks dinner money burning a hole in my pocket! In those far off days a school dinner was, I think, 2 shillings (10 p to you youngsters)! Anyway, I took my school tie off and my put my mac over my blazer and went into the bookies and put my weeks dinner money on it @6/5. In those days there were no pics just the blower. Coming to the last it was 2 lenghts behind the leader but gaining on it. At the line came the dreaded words .."they`ve gone past together!" And then they gave the names of the horses and mentioned mine second. The older amongst you will recall that was the kiss of death. It always seemed the first named would be the winner but not this time! After a long wait the result was announced and "Charlie Worcester" was announced the winner, much to the relief of my rumbling stomach! I ate well that week but was never so reckless again, at least with my dinner money!!
 
My “worst” experience, I suppose, was cashing out prematurely at the December Sandown meeting last year (we discussed it on here at the time). I won £500 on the day, instead of £3000. But I’m quite ok about it now, and I was never too upset by it at the time.

My biggest thrill was backing Croco Bay to win the Grand Annual on Gold Cup Day, 2018(?). 66/1, I had £4ew on him. A mate and me followed the online commentary on our phones, because we couldn’t be arsed to walk 50 yards to the bookies, preferring instead to drink beer and have a fag outside our pub. It was a triumphant walk to the bookies and back to the pub at 5:45.
 
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Desperate Dan said:
Back in the mid-60s when I was a 6TH former I`d just got into gambling (just shillings!). It was a Monday and I`d seen a chaser win very impressively, to my eyes, a few Saturdays earlier. It was running in my lunch hour and I had my weeks dinner money burning a hole in my pocket! In those far off days a school dinner was, I think, 2 shillings (10 p to you youngsters)! Anyway, I took my school tie off and my put my mac over my blazer and went into the bookies and put my weeks dinner money on it @6/5. In those days there were no pics just the blower. Coming to the last it was 2 lenghts behind the leader but gaining on it. At the line came the dreaded words .."they`ve gone past together!" And then they gave the names of the horses and mentioned mine second. The older amongst you will recall that was the kiss of death. It always seemed the first named would be the winner but not this time! After a long wait the result was announced and "Charlie Worcester" was announced the winner, much to the relief of my rumbling stomach! I ate well that week but was never so reckless again, at least with my dinner money!!
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I didn't realise you were a wrinkly Dan, you don't come across as being an old fook like me. I guess you might be older than me by a few? I'm 66. I'll guess you are 72ish?
 
Len Madeiros said:
My “worst” experience, I suppose, was cashing out prematurely at the December Sandown meeting last year (we discussed it on here at the time). I won £500 on the day, instead of £3000. But I’m quite ok about it now, and I was never too upset by it at the time.
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Interesting one that Len. I never ever cash out. The reason being, I will have started that day putting the stake on and as per usual, you normally think, bye bye money. So if your bet moves through increasing, then great. What is it that you are losing when you know you are getting a return greater than your stake anyway? You didn't get the 3 grand, and I just know you would have kicked yourself over that at the time. I couldn't do with the kicking tbh, I would have gave myself stick over it. We don't get many chances of a big win, so my mentality is to let it run and be right happy if it comes off. I am sure this is financial suicide when those who know the cleverness of take or gamble look at it, but it is what I would do.

A few years ago, and you can check this out on the ...what are you backing thread..., it was roughly October/November 2016, I had two days where I won about £3k over both days. My memory tells me that I had 4 out of 5 winners on both days, I let both run on to the fifth, and sadly the 5th on both days lost. I remember it so well, I gave my son 500 sheets for xmas and told him if last one both days had won it would have been a few grand. I'm probably wrong, but I won't ever cash out.
 
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Might be an idea to start a ‘Great Races’ thread, for these YouTube links, EC21?

In fact, please start two threads; one for classic Jumps races, and one for the dross. :thumbsup: :cool:

In fact, I’ll do it, if you can copy your links over. :thumbsup:
 
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Grasshopper said:
Might be an idea to start a ‘Great Races’ thread, for these YouTube links, EC21?

In fact, please start two threads; one for classic Jumps races, and one for the dross. :thumbsup: :cool:

In fact, I’ll do it, if you can copy your links over. :thumbsup:
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:DDross? you mean flat racing of course? you sod you are. Yes, I will happily copy them across. I'll just ask you, and you can't say Hurricaine Fly. What is your favourite NH race of all time. Well, I know it will be second to HF, but have a go anyway. I am just trying to think of mine, and it is so hard to find just one.
 
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Without question, the 2004 Tingle Creek.

For feels, probably Sprinter Sacre’s second QMCC.
 
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Dawn Run in the GC would be up there, she was so gutsy and the commentary was legendary. That footage doesn't even look real now, it is like someone magiced it up. I think maybe it is amongst the most impressive images in NH racing tbh.
 
Yes, the Tingle Creek one is awesome. One that I always remember, was the ground level view of Moscow Flyer, think it was 2003 Champion chase, they switched to ground level view, and the speed he jumped the last was bloody unreal. Always stuck in my mind did that, the power of a top 2 mile chaser in full flow.
 
There are so many great moments Grass, it is like asking someone which was the best strawberry you ever had. One moment that bought a tear was Kauto winning the Betfair Chase in 2011, that was such a special day.
 
I'll ask you what I ask a lot of people now on here, being an old fook. How old are you and what got you into following racing. I assume it was a NH moment.
 
EC21 said:
I'll ask you what I ask a lot of people now on here, being an old fook. How old are you and what got you into following racing. I assume it was a NH moment.
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55yo in January.

Remittance Man’s win in the Arkle.
 
Grasshopper said:
55yo in January.

Remittance Man’s win in the Arkle.
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You are just a young un then:D He was some horse Grass. I have always been a champion hurdle person jump wise from watching racing since mid 70s. In later years I got very much into the 2 mile chasers. I only ever went to Cheltenham once, that was 1985 when See You Then won his first one, there was that dodgy start by Brownes Gazette. Desert Orchid ran in that CH too, and it was also Francome's last season. It might as well have been another life now thinking back to that time. Do you go racing much now? I don't now, I used to go a little around me, Ponty, Donny, Southwell and Nottingham etc. We went to York one year in the 90's for the 3 day Ebor meeting, that was ok bar Ebor day, when I have never ever seen so many pissed people in one area;)
 
Went to Festival for first time in 1994 (to see Fitzgerald put Remittance Man on the deck :mad:), back again in 1997 & 1998, went various times between 1998 and 2008, then every year except 2013 (Hurricane Fly's 2nd Champion Hurdle), and 2019. Was a Cheltenham Member since about 2014 (I think), but jacked it in this year. Also been several times to the November meeting over the years.

Occassionally go racing at Musselburgh and Kelso, and have been over to Ireland for the old February/DRF (I think) three times, plus been to Naas, Fairyhouse and Piunchestown (a couple of times)......and Auteuil about six times.
 
You are a far bigger racegoer than me Grass. I should make the effort more really. I do miss not seeing it. Last few years I'm a real home bird. You mention Ireland there, we went to Dublin for a long weekend in 2007, oh I so loved it and we were planning to go to a meet but never got there. I so loved Dublin, felt at home. I know its got pricey there now but boy did I enjoy that long weekend there. We stopped above a well known pub in Dublin, some big Irish folk bands played there in the past, that well known I can't remember it's name now:D It had a outdoor area with the smoking ban, like a courtyard where the beer would have been delivered in daytime, it had those heaters above you, it was thronged, such a great carry on, people were so friendly. Very special place. It was really odd too because the sunday night was bonfire night, no fireworks of course and very few people were out. I got the idea that Irish people give the ball a good kick on Friday and Saturday nights, then leave it alone on Sundays due to work next day. I didn't want to come back here tbh. If I win lottery I am moving to Ireland, I felt at home there.
 
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Down on my luck...Living with a friend in in a small flat in Glasgow I scraped up a few quid and did a yankee.

Not only did the Yankee come up but everything I backed that day was winning.......one of those day when nothing can go wrong but then does.

I was in the bookies collecting my money and decided to do a 6 x tenner tricasts in a huge field in a handicap Hurdle.

I very quickly picked 3 horses looked up ay the board and jotted doen the race and the numbers of the 3 horses.

Low and behold the tricast I have done comes up and it's paying a fortune.

I go up to the payout the guy looks at me as if I am nuts What he asks?

I did the Tricast says me.........look again at your slip mate he says.

Instead of numbers 12 6 and 19 I have put their prices like 16 8 25 as in 16/1 8/1 25/1 or whatever prices they were

It paid over 2500 quid.........closest I ever came to shooting myself
 
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