Greyhound Derby Final Night

So after a great month of racing we are down to the final 6 dogs with Kryptonite still representing my stable - unfortuantely I was only on for baby-stakes @ 33/1. Regardless it'll still be sweet to have picked the winner and he has a good chance of scooping tonight. Ken is on too after my antepost tips.

I've had a look at the card for Wimbledon tonight and below are my selections with some sweet prices so I'm hopeful of scooping. I need to tbh cos I am skintttttttt! I've included the current prices on BSQ.

6.50 - T1 Milldean Buster 3/1
7.08 - T6 Wise Thought 9/4
7.26 - T3 Sonomax 10/1
7.45 -
8.05 - T6 Toosey Blue 5/2
8.25 - T5 Noirs Wild 10/3
8.45 - T4 Droopys Wells 12/1
9.05 - T5 Droopys Mate 9/4
9.25 - T3 Winkys Don 4/1
9.45 - T1 Spiridon Louis 5/4
10.12 - T1 Kryptonite 4/1
10.35 - T3 Satchmo 12/1
10.55 - T5 Jennifers Spirit 20/1
11.15 - T6 Kilkenny Lonjack 7/2

Good luck if anyone has anything on tonight,

Scott

Small update

Found myself back in Braes, gambling away. I think it's a little bit unlucky, from something like 15 bets in the last few days, I've only had two winners and a couple of places on small e/w bets. Maybe I've just turned shit ;)

Full update still to come, around June 4th.

Small e/w punt being enjoyed in the A-Z game:

20:15 Lingfield
Grizedale @ 12 win, 4.3 place (Betdaq)
0.5 pts e/w

I am 100% convinced that Kenny's dog is going to win the Derby tonight, because he's broke and when he's broke, he ALWAYS gets a lucky score from somwhere, so I've enjoyed a cheeky point on it myself, at 6.5. My tip for the day is Tamrai Dancer in the 17:15 at Goodwood, e/w at a decent price. One time Milczarek.

A-Z Total: -13.25 pts
Days passed: 40

Bored in Braes

Well, I haven't posted for a while so I best keep you up to speed. I am currently homeless. The missus and I moved out of our place officially on the 27th and I am staying in her new place until I can get someone to drive up from Ingerland (which looks like being June 9th) to pick me and my shit up. We haven't got the internet yet and won't get it until June 4th, so for the last couple of days I've been enjoying Braes (formerly Raffles) on Dundee's Perth Road - Wi-Fi for the win... or the fail in my case as I haven't had a single winner from bets placed in here!

I can't update on my roll overall as it's all saved on my desktop, which is boxed. A guesstimate puts it around 21pts, but that could be wrong. I have quite a few bets today, I shan't be leaving the pub until they're all matched, so I might end up staggering home, which works for me.

I haven't forgotten about the A-Z game, I just haven't seen owt for a while combined with moving/lack of internet. I will be having a small e/w punt on Geojimali in the 20:40 at Newcastle though, to try and get away from 'G'.

Anyway, I will post a full update of all my interesting GAMBOOOOOOOLing when the net gets installed at the wife's pad. One time dealer.

20:40 Newcastle
Geojimali @ 8.8 win, 3.2 place (Betdaq)
0.5 pts e/w

A-Z Total: -12.25 pts
Days passed: 38

Back In Business... And Some Things Never Change

Having a spare hour or so this afternoon, I decided to play a quick STT, choosing a $10 NLH, having reloaded my account in Pokerstars. Things went pretty well, not losing a race, with TT and QQ holding up against AKo each time I was put in a situation for all my chips.

Looking like making a nice double up when we got three way, I reraised all in with my J8d (yes, Crazy Baz's hand) on a flop of 2c 3c 8s. I was called by the most token of hands, "Sergeant Lobster" (Kc 3d) and of course, I inevitably lost to his running flush ! Yes, folks, the legacy of Pokerstars continues as ever ... :-(

So despite picking up a princely $8 profit, I was left feeling pretty annoyed with myself and the game. The most annoying thing was the Brendan Will play a-like, who was sat with little over 1k in chips hoping to broomcorn to heads up, who immediately congratualated the fish with a "VNH"... anyone who has ever played poker with me will know that this of course had the same effect as a red rag to a bull !

I'm expecting a chat ban on 'Stars anytime soon ! :-)

Thanks for reading,
Mountain Man

Weight Loss Prop Bet - It Begins!

<<<<<< That's Baz in the blue.

Today is the first day of the weight loss prop bet between me and CrazyBaz. The rules are in a post a few down but it's basically whoever loses the highest percentage of their body weight in 4 weeks wins. The loser ships the winner £75.

Today was weigh-in day and after a weekend full of sitting at home stuffing my face I succeeded in weighing in at my highest ever weight. Baz tipped the scales half a stone lighter. I took a picture of my scales reading and I'll get that up some time when I find the wire for my phone.

TheHat - 14stone7pounds (203pounds).
CrazyBaz - 14stone (196pounds).

Bought myself some fruit to avoid snacking on biscuits or the like and cutting the size of my meals down significantly. Going to give the exercise bike a rattle later on tonight and have already sweated a shitload helping Dom move house today. Was a killer!

My deposit on Ladbrokes ended up in the sports betting for some reason and after a phone call they said there was something wrong with my address so I shipped it out and deposited on Will Hills instead after reading of the great bonuses on UKGatsby's blog. Things started well there but have turned a bit sour today - I'm hoping for a good session later tonight.

Hoping to drop a few pounds this week, wish me luck.

Scott

Greyhound derby final

Well my hopes were dashed when toosey blue failed to qualify last night. He'd looked awesome before that, including beating the favourite twice to get to the semis.

But all aint lost, i also had a bet on Kryptonite for 16/1 or similar, and he's made the final, being drawn into trap 1. Usually favouring trap 2, I dont think it has much of a chance, but i'll still defo watch it if its on, and cheer it.

Only 6 dogs left, including the favourite still, so all I can say is OTD.

OTD!
Lets go!

Fuck Me - I Am Stuffed!

Pizza, Doritos and endless caramel shortcake for me today as I attempt, perhaps foolishly, to be at my peak weight on Monday morning. I am absolutely packed and got half a big bag of Chilli Heatwave Doritos left so I've started on the beers to hopefully produce the munchies.

Had a torrid day with a horrendous amount of 2nds in the horses and dogs. Thought New Approach would beat Henrythenavigator, he didn't!

Watching the boxing just now, Matthew Hatton got hammered on points and Maliginaggi is fighting at the moment - tbh it's a bit boring so was flicking over to Britain's Got Talent which proved Britain Doesn't Have Talent. Ricky Hatton should be on at 10ish so hopefully things perk up then. Might watch UFC 84 tonight too.

Probably going to eat a shit load 2moro, scoop!

Scott

Prop Bet - TheHat v. CrazyBaz

So after my plea for someone to take me on with the weight loss prop bet Barry Smith (aka CrazyBaz) stepped forward. We're going to start from Monday for 4 weeks until the 23rd June. Winner receives £75 from the loser.

We are weighing in on Monday morning and I'll report then with the weights. The winner is the person who the loses the biggest percentage of their body weight. Baz seems super confident and claims he can eat as little as 800 calories in a day normally, fuck that.

Slight beat for me in that I just remembered my graduation is the week before the end of the bet so I'll need to watch the beer intake then. However, I'm still sure I will win. I've popped on a fair bit of weight over the last two months and I'm confident I can get it off. Baz thinks he weighs c.14stone at the moment but we will find out for sure on Monday, whereas I think I weigh a bit more than that at the current time.

Some other news: lost 3 of my 4 dogs in the Derby with only Kryptonite remaining. Massive beat in that I tipped Toosey Blue at 40/1 to Kenny and he is on whereas I didn't back it before it was majorly cut - it's now 2nd favourite with 12 remaining.

Also, made my deposit onto Ladbrokes Poker today and going to have my first cash session tomorrow afternoon. This means I'll have more updates poker related updates in the coming weeks. I'll give my first poker update on Monday along with the start of the prop bet.

Wish me luck in dropping the weight and if anyone has any tips fire away in the comments box or wherever.

Scott

Dom's status update

I, like Tim, have been overdosing on Football Manager. Last night Tim got the sack in our game because he's shit. To be honest, it's kinda killed my passion for that game a little. Anyway, unlike Tim, it hasn't stopped me gambling but I'm having a shocker just now and am taking a few days off. Yesterday I didn't pick anything but Monday I had three second places from three bets and on Sunday I also had three losers from three. Can't remember how many of those were seconds but it's at least one. Seconds suck balls.

So yeah, my bankroll's seen better days. It's currently at a measly 11.70 points and I've made a paltry 0.33 points for this month up to now. Here's the pretty graph thing, just above this sentence.

Still, let's not dwell on the negatives. Positive thinking and all that. It's 11.7 points more than I had when I started, right? And on Saturday, I started the day with two winners. Creachadoir (right) at a big price and I stuck a couple of points on Portsmouth for the Cup at evens. On the Friday my day also got off to a flyer with Luberon at 8.1 (but again I was let down by my other two bets).

So in Summary, since I last posted, I've had 19 "real" bets with just 4 winners, for a net loss of 4.2 points. Not sure when I'll come back off my break but I got paid yesterday so I'm not terribly short of cash, though I am going to have to shell out a bit for petrol/van hire when I move back to England (which is planned for June 2nd, we need to get pished before then, gents) and I did buy my season ticket yesterday.

As I haven't seen a good A-Z bet for a while, here's a totally ill informed, ridiculous, GAMBOOOL punt:

14:15 Goodwood
Goodwood Starlight @ 15.00 win, 4.10 place (Betdaq)
0.5 pts e/w
Gah, it came 4th by half a length. I'm really not having much luck of late :D

A-Z Total: -11.25 pts
Days passed: 29

“Real” total: 11.70 pts

Weight Loss Prop Bet - Any Takers?

Reading Sorel Mizzi's blog ( http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/poker-lifestyle/winter-sports-prop-bets-and-warsaw-trip-report ) and found it pretty lawl that he is taking part in a weight loss prop bet with Roland De Wolfe. So........

I should prob lose some weight but have no motivation and the mum insists on keeping the cupboard full of custard creams. Anyone fancy some sort of weight loss prop bet? The only way I can see myself losing weight is if I can win some money. Would prob work it slightly different to the Mizzi/De Wolfe bet with maybe whoever loses biggest percentage or something. Anyways.

Genuine folk only please, apply within. Or outwith.

Scott

Derby Quarter Finals

Fuck me, had a nightmare last while. Not got a penny to my name, and Perth Races didn't help when none of us picked a fucking winner! Was a disaster! And my internet has been off the last 3 or 4 days.

Had my last exam some time last week, can't even remember what day. Had some sort of illness running up to it and was actually touch and go as to whether I made the exam. In the end I ran the risk of shitting my pants in the exam!!!

Thennnnnnnnnn, I couldn't watch the 3rd round of the Greyhound Derby cos the live stream wasn't working on the gf's laptop. Looking at the results I had some hits and some misses and look forward to the Quarter Finals tomorrow (Tuesday).

After cracking out last time Love Tiger seems to have stumbled out in his 3rd round race and failed to qualify when it could only finish a very disappointing 5th. If this dog could trap consistently then it could be a super dog. My dreams of Farley Legend winning at 500/1 ended at this stage too when it could only finish 4th in the same heat. It led til the run in where it lacked a finish and this also happened in a previous round so it could be that 460m is best for this dog.

So, 24 dogs remain at the QF stage and I have 4 still running. Melodys Pat (14/1) and Barnfield Woody (50/1) won their 3rd round heats and now face off in the 2nd QF. Kryptonite (12/1) was headed in the 3rd round by Blonde Dino and runs in the 4th QF on Tuesday. Barnfield Slippy (20/1) runs in the 3rd QF.

Looking at the QF draw I don't like Slippy or Woody's draws and can't say I'm confident of either getting through. Fingers crossed though.

Right, I'm off to find a job. Any suggestions?

Scott

Quick Update

Just to let any readers (and fellow Scoop Troop members) know that I am still alive, and will be posting something relevant this week. I made a $100 deposit into 'Stars this week, but haven't touched it yet. Been too busy distracting Dom on Football Manager to play any poker. I promise I'll play some this week though !

In the meantime, here's a lovely random picture for you all to enjoy. 3 questions to answer:

1. (Easy) Where is this taken ?

2. (Med) Who is on the far right of the photo (beside Fraser Millar) ?

3. (Hard) What year and DUPS event was this taken at ?

Shit few days

I've had a shit few days. I am 10.1 points down since my last blog post, largely thanks to a terrible Perth yesterday. I have only had one winner today and I never had a single winner at Perth. In fact, none of the four of us that went had a winner either! To add insult to injury, we narrowly missed a train and got there late, meaning Gav was unable to place his bet in the first race - he was opposing the favourite with Hi Density, which won.

Something of a stinker, to be honest.

Still, here's some ridiculous pictures to cheer you all up. I especially like Kenny spilling his beer down himself and us laughing, then Scott doing exactly the same thing seconds later. Also to be enjoyed was being asked by a random foreigner in the pub: "Excuse me, do you have any cocaine?" - wtf?! - and the taxi driver with her chat. Oh and as we left, she said "thanks for chips". No, she really did.


McCreery.


£50 on Commercial Express please.


Apes.


lol


Kenny mongs his drink all down his front within seconds of getting it.


Campbell does exactly the same, moments later.

Group photo.


Gav was pretty drunk.


Kenny was too.


What the hell is Scott doing?


Kenny.


Pissheads outside Foundry.


Campbell... from an angle!

And they're off.............

Well, sort of. Ken has made his way here as we prepare for our second jaunt to Perth in little over a fortnight. Waiting on Scoop Troop member Dom and random dude Gav. Last time was awesome with me picking a sweet 10/1 winner so hoping for some of the same.

Off to crack open a beer but here is my intial selections for tonight's card, one of which seems to be the same as Dom (see below post) which is probably not a good thing:

7.40 - It's Blue Chip

8.10 - Commercial Express

9.10 - Another Burden

One Time,

Scott

Horse Racing IFB

Looked at the Perth card for tomorrow night a bit, can't say there's much I like. The first race is a total joke from a betting point of view and I will avoid two and three as I hate novices and maidens. The last race will be won by Mr Jack Daniells at a crap price (could be some value in opposing with Another Burden) and the other two races are pretty tricky contests to sort out.

I am almost certainly going with Commercial Express in the 20:10 (whether I go to win or e/w depends on the price, but I'd like to go e/w) and I will probably pick Good Old Days in the 20:40 but again, I'd like an e/w friendly price as it's not clear cut in my mind. Thing is, I can't go to the races and not punt on a single race! If I do decide to go with it, it will be used as my 'G' in the A-Z game.

My only other bet tomorrow is likely to be US Ranger at York (15:10) as it's returning to sprinting, where it has destroyed a listed race in the past. The Ballydoyle team are in superb form and it's tough to oppose them, though Assertive looks a tasty e/w prospect.

Will be taking the camera again, so expect a full round up of the mirth from Perth on Thursday morning! Dress code this time is strictly hats only. Ridiculous ties are optional.

And another thing..

Gonna deposit a modest amount into a site, possibly joining the dwarf on full tilt and I will definately be playing some tournies. Then come june i'll get an even more modest amount of rakeback which is equal to £20 and i can start the cash games thing at pokerheaven again.

On another note - Tim have you deposited yet? Where are you, what are you doing?

Dom's progress report

I run okay just now. I'm on a 4 day winning streak, my longest since I started, a run which has returned 14.18 points. The downside however is that those 14.18 points have come from 15 bets, which is not ideal, only 7 of those 15 won (7/13 to win). Also, I'm not happy that I'm getting back to my old ways - last time I blogged, I'd placed 5 bets and then the next day I placed 6 and that's too much, I need to get back to being more selective and less wasteful with my roll. Sunday and yesterday I placed 2 bets per day, picking a winner each day, which is okay. My overall roll is currently at 27.5 points which is much better than I'd expected it to be.

In the A-Z game, I'm onto 'G' but as I don't fancy Gretna to get anything at Hearts tonight, I'll probably leave that until tomorrow to find something. Not much I like on the nags.

While I'm here, I'll run down my bets for the day (note there are five, which kinda goes against what I said at the start, but I feel pretty strongly about most. I am kinda starting to regret backing Speyside, but let's see what happens)

15:40 Brighton
Prince Valentine @ 4.1 (Betdaq)
2pts
Was very unlucky in running, twice tried to make a move and was blocked and by the time it had switched wide, there was maybe half a furlong to run and it was a fair few lengths back with no real chance.

16:30 Yarmouth
Speyside @ 3.65 (Betdaq)
1 pt
Hmm, just out the shower, didn't see it but it's not even placed. Not sure what's going on here!

18:40 Newton Abbot
Rapscallion @ 2.37 (Betdaq)
2 pts
VERY disappointed with this, this was my bet of the day and it's come second, by a long way.

18:50 Great Leighs
Alleviate @ 5.0 (Betdaq)
1 pt
Won easily, which I'm happy with, but it's a bit lame that I could have got 5/1. I had to go to work at 5, so I had to take what was there before I left.

19:50 Great Leighs
Bavarica @ 8.7 win, 2.56 place (Betdaq)
0.5 pts e/w
Just a small value bet this, seemed overpriced. Came 4th, wasn't far wrong. Frustrated though because I chose this over Dado Mush for my e/w bet and that one bloody won (under the awesome Kirsty Milczarek, ofc)

A-Z Total: -10.25 pts
Days passed: 22

“Real” total: 25.5 pts

Looking back, it was obvious that a full post on here spelled the end of my winning run! Very disappointed to only have had one winner out of that lot and to rub salt in, Gretna beat Hearts! Argh! Still, if my bad days only mean a 2 pt loss, I'm happy with that - could have been worse.

Bring on Perth tomorrow!

Ah blog, my old friend.

Ach its been a while, too long. And I didn't intend to desert the Scoop Troop for such a time. Alas, my head hasnt been screwed on, and I too am technically 'busto', so heres an update of whats been going on.


After reporting that all was well, I had a couple of weeks in between exams with enough free time to lark about in the poker world. Also, my rakeback had come in, to the tune of over $110 if I recall correctly. At the time this brought my balance up to roughly $280, though it was not to last.

Astoundingly, a rather pretty orange toshiba laptop had been purchased for me, by none other than that fine gentleman: me! And so I proceeded to gorge myself on the delights of poker, windows vista, and that built in chess game they have.

Again, if you'd read my very first post on the other blog I wrote, it mentioned me going on tilt and losing in past encounters with poker - well of course it happened again. Away with the bankroll it was, after a couple of days of solid tilt poker, it was all gone - I could've bought a psp with that!!

Actually, I know this is going to sound silly but on some level of consciousness or unconsciousness or whatever you want to call it, at some level I believe I seen my next exam approaching and thought "I'll need to study for that - theres no way I can study if I've got poker" and deliberately sabotaged myself.

Allegations involving me betting on the 2008 Greyhound Derby hosted by Bluesquare are in indeed true, and no less than 6 of my dogs are still in the competition, maybe because I bet on about 50 of them (not really 50, its a joke, exaggeration for comic effect.) Approximately 48 dogs remain, and the third round has been drawn for those interested punters, click here for a pdf of the draw. And have a look at heat 4 - my selections are Toosey Blue, Kryptonite, Farloe Reason, Farley Legend, Love Tiger and Splanc (I love the name Splanc!). A very exciting weekend awaits me.

At some point, you might've have realised I've started every sentence with a word beginning with the letter 'a', and theres no real reason as to why I did it.

And a few more things: I've finished my exams, so I should be starting up poker again pretty soon, probably just at pokerheaven again, but maybe somewhere else, we shall see.

Always and forever,

Ken.

A-Z Update

Dirty L**ds play Carlisle tonight in the Play-Offs and sadly, they’re going to win. In order to do this however, they’re going to need goals and on loan Dougie Freedman has popped up with 5 goals from 9 starts and is 3.0 at Betdaq to score at any time. Going to have a point on that.

19:45 Leeds vs Carlisle
Freedman to score anytime @ 3.0 (Betdaq)
1 pt

In other news, I got a bit drunk last night. Apologies to anyone I may have offended.

[Update] Something of a result here, Freedman scores AND dirty Weeds lose! Brilliant! In other news, Iain spanked me 5 sets to 2 at Klabiash tonight (was 5-0 at one point!) but fortunately there was no money involved. Oh, we we got hassled by the pigs for sitting in a car park eating chips and cheese. Go catch a fucking rapist or somethng, useless clowns.

A-Z Total: -10.25 pts
Days passed: 22

Mission Complete

Well folks, it's safe to say that I set out what I intended to prove...that from a few pennies, it is possible to build a decent bankroll to go out and play low stakes poker once again. From a meagre $16 I got it built up to just over $60, and then the inevitable happened.

Yes, I got pissed and starting thinking I was great and began playing poker. Big mistake.

A combination of loose aggressive play, ridiculously high stakes (in relation to my bankroll), some bad luck, but most of all my own stupidity saw me blow away my hard earned cash in little over an hour on Friday evening. It's not the loss of the money that bothers me so much (what can £30 get you these days), but the fact I let my heart control my head, and the results were plain to see. Here are three golden rules, I think we all know, but often don't adhere to:

Rule 1 - Never play poker with the intention of winning when drinking heavily.
Rule 2 - Never chase a loss by trying to up the stakes. It doesn't work like that.
Rule 3 - When on a bad run, stop and take a break for an hour, or ideally the day.

If only I would listen to my own advice which I freely dispense. I know I would be a far better live player if I drank less (my fellow Scoop Troop buddies will agree, I'm sure), but the drink affected me far more when playing online. It's just too easy to sit and click a mouse to call that bet, which you really know you shouldn't ... I'm imposing a booze ban on myself when playing poker / placing bets !

So what now ? Well, apart from my stupidity yesterday, I think I can call the low stakes bankroll building exercise a success. During the week, I intend to drop another deposit into PokerStars, and explore their stable of tournaments (particularly their stud and omaha variations), perhaps in a "steps and ladders stylee".

Thanks for reading,
Mountain Man

May 9th

Well as some of you have noticed, judging by my MSN messages, I haven’t posted today. I’ve not stopped my gambling and I did have bets on today, but I’ve decided to nail the pre-race stuff as I’m not convinced anyone is really reading it anyway. Instead I’m just going to post every few days with an update on my roll and anything interesting that happened. Obviously, if I write any previews of big horse races a la Texperts and the 1000 Guineas, I’ll post them. I will also continue to post stuff on the A- Z game when I find bets that I like and on that note, I am going to have a cheeky point on one of Scott’s dogs for the derby, Farley Legend. I realise the main event isn’t until the end of the month, but I’m struggling to find much else better to punt on for ‘F’ and if I move on to a different letter in the meantime, the bet is still valid.

So, A-Z update:

Greyhound Derby
Farley Legend @ 540 (Betfair)
1 pt

A-Z Total: -12.25 pts

Days passed: 19

Actually, while I’m here, I might as well give a quick update on my real bet bankroll. I placed 5 bets today, 3 x 1pt, 1 2pt and 1 3pt bet. My bigger bets were both at short prices and came in and only one of the 1pt bets won.

“Real” total: 19.34 pts

I’m pleased with how well this is going actually. Here’s some stats from my spreadsheet:

Total bets: 67

Wins: 19

Strike rate: 28.36%

Average matched odds: 4.76

If you’d had exactly £1 on each of my real bets so far, you’d be £2.77 down!

And here’s a cute little chart I made. I’m so sad.

Greyhound Derby Round 2 (+ update)

Round 2 kicks off tonight at Wimbledon with again the heats split over two days. Can't wait for this tonight and thanks to BlueSquare for streaming it.

Update on my selections:

Rossacredibility @ 16/1 - Bloody thing is out. Didn't trap well and I think it actually came last in its heat. Trainer Lister was making excuses for it at the start of the night so had a feeling it wasn't going to run well.

Melodys Pat @ 33/1 - Won its heat pretty well defeating champion Westmead Lord. Cut to 25s on BSQ but still available at 38 on Betfair. It runs tonight, my thoughts on its chances a bit later.

Kryptonite @ 33/1 - Also won its heat quite well and has such been cut to 16/1, with 18.5 available on Betfair.

Blonde Jeannie @ 100/1 - Another which won their heat but was in a slow time so I'll be looking for improvement in Round 2. Cut to 66/1 but 130 available on Betfair.

Barnfield Woody @ 150/1 - A comfortable 3rd place finish in the 1st round and a performance which leads me to believe this dog has more to give. Still 150/1 on BSQ but 260 on Betfair.

Love Tiger @ 150/1 - Absolutely fell out the traps in the 1st round and will need to trap much better if it is going to qualify tonight. Available at 200/1 now with but shorter available on Betfair (120).

Farley Legend @ 500/1 - Delighted with the performance in the 1st round as it broke and railed well and was only pushed into 3rd when collared by two on the line. Runs tonight and I expect improvement and qualification. 300/1 on BSQ now and 540 on Betfair.

Added: Barnfield Slippy @ 66/1 - Impressive performance in the 1st round after taking a hit at the first bend before winning the heat in a good time. Now 20/1 with 30 available on Betfair.

Tonight's heats are going to be awesome with a great start to the card in Heat 1 (8.15pm). One of the favourites, Farloe Reason, takes on another contender in Barnfield On Air. Farloe Reason is in T2 with Barnfield On Air on its inside. I expect Barnfield to lead it round in a very close race with Romeo Maldini improving on its 1st round performance to qualify in 3rd place.

I've selected Carlsberg Flash to win Heat 2 (8.30pm) tonight at c.9/2. It absolutely pings out the traps and I expect it to always lead with Westmead Lord and Blonde Dino following it home.

Heat 3 (8.45pm) is another cracker with Tyrur Kieran (T1), Toosey Blue (T5) and Advantage Johnny (T4) selected to qualify in that order. Tyrur Kieran has slower starting dogs on its outside so should be able to secure the rails. That said I like Toosey Blue and he is tremedous value for the Derby at 40/1.

Droopys Wells will nail Heat 4 (9pm) from T6 but is too short for me to back.

My biggest price selection, Farley Legend, runs in Heat 6 (9.30pm) and will qualify. Should break well from T1 and rail all the way round. It could finish behind fast starting Droopys Tobey, we'll see. Droopys Obafemi is also selected to qualify from this heat.

Two of my selections run in Heat 7 (9.45pm) in the shape of Love Tiger and Melodys Pat and I expect the latter to win this heat by making all from T3. I think Love Tiger could struggle here if it doesn't break better.

Thanks for reading and if you have any selections for the Greyhound Derby please let me know.

Scott

put ur right FOOT in

sorry for lack of posts, my lifes a misery just now and its pretty fucking hectic too. fuck it though eh, eh, eh.... was gonna try and sound dundonian there but i jut cant do it....anyways. i'm bankrolled, £200 with full tilt... omfg jesus fucking chirst and whoever u jews worship!!!! full tilt is massively epic win. i love the fucking place, i really do!!!! its good decent stuffs, and the avatars even have a wee gnome dude that sums my life up, what more can u ask for?!?!?!?!?! pokering wisse holy moly and croply!! its like the perfect number of runners for mtts and stts are never far a miss.the GTD tournies are realistic and the banter doesnt= chat ban if u say jew (yet).

anyways poker stores is what ur after right?!?! well as far as races go in my 12 (lol ye i know low) games so far i havent been even involved in a freaking race. ive been on the $20 tabes and i've cashed 8 times, been playing tight but i'm still paranoid about being too tight! if the dups guys are reading see the hand histories bit when i folded AQ vs AJ (obviously didnt know he had AJ). Fak it though right? lets be tight jus tnow tilli get a feel of the place, excuse my typose there, eating a king kebab with extra garlic sauce. xD

As for the freerolling well.... i did the standard, made a bit of cash, then went on cash tables and forgot its not tourney.... lost most!!! back to freerolling again but i will not go near cash tables agai... just dont have the patience anymore :S at the moment i'm sitting in 30 euros, gonna try and get that too 60 and hit the 5 euro stts see if i work from there and beyond

soon as i have some "personal" issues resolved i'll be aiming for alot more blogging! i havent even spoken to my fellow scooping troopers for freaking ages!! what u cunts up to? sorry dom i dont even read ur blogs anymore. i dont do horses and well... the posts are as massive as tims and less interesting O_o LOL I DID FUNNY?! just jesting (is that a term).

anwyaws people that read this and think my english is that of an 11 year old, english is my 2nd language, i stand by that... always.

LOVE U ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
except:
jews
and gays
some black folk
most of the staff at abertay union
the staff at abertay union i missed
ken
german guys called sven that call 5x BB out of position and call an overbet with a gutshot straight on the flop hit and act like they fucking own the place DIE FUCKING NAZI CUNT WHORE
arran
arran
arran

Ticking Over Again

After taking a break for a week or so, I resumed my low stakes spree this afternoon with my usual $5 +0.50 NLH Single Table Tournament, and in doing so, continued my run of cashes, but this time whimpering in with a third place, netting $9, and boosting the bankroll to just over $60. Still, it's better than busting out, but it was one of those tournaments where nothing really seemed to go my way, and one where the least deserving player at the table got all the luck (crippling three different chip leaders, no less) and went on to win the tournament.

I doubled up early on in the second blind level, with TT finding my KK on a rag flop, which held true (for once !) and I played virtually no hands until we went down to five way, where I made a small preflop raise with QJs, and was reraised by a minimal amount. Slightly fishy, I called the raise, and on a rainbow flop of Q 3 J I check raised the initial raiser all in. His insta call for the other 1k in his stack (in a pot of around 1340) made me worry slightly, thinking I was up against a set, but instead he showed A K off ! Thankfully, no tens or runners on fourth and fifth street, and we were down to four.

The chip leader was crippled at this stage by the aforementioned clown of the table after his QQ was busted by 66 which made a set after all the money went in before the flop. I attempted to set him all in with my JJ five hands later, and he bit with A J, but of course hit his ace on the flop, and I was down to about 3k in chips.

Minutes later, he was out, the final insult after he fell to the moron whose ducks held true against his kojak. However, with a run of hands which could have made a Lochee post office appear barren on giro day, and increasing blinds and antes, I attempted a steal with 55 from the button. Twat boy called with A7off from the small blind, and a board of 3 6 6 T T saw his ace kicker play, and I was left with 140 in front of me. The glimpse of QQ, which held up, then TT gave me a faint glimmer of hope, but this was to be short lived as the luckbox flicked over KK for my final humiliation.

Oh well, cashed again, so it can't be all bad !

Thanks for reading,
Mountain Man.

Spunking for Scotland!

Scott!

Got some money from uni today - just for generally attending. Busto already, through a mix of paying back loans and general spunking.

Down to Gala for the £30 FO again and was going good guns 3 tables out before I ran JJ into 77 on a tawdry flop (containing a 7 obv). Pulled up at the cash game (£1/£1), dropped a bit before trebling up after hitting a set. Spunked that all away - a bit in a fush v. flush hand. General consensus of the table was that I couldn't get away from it, but they are all fish and I'm sure I could. Here is how it played out, opinions please:

It's bumped up to £3.50 in MP and I flat with T9d and both blinds call. Flop comes Kd,8d,3c. Checked round. Turn is 4d. Checked round to me, I fire £8 out. SB insta-raises to £17. The other two get out the way. What now? I call.
River is a blank - black 7 I think. SB fires out his last £40ish. Me? I call and am shown J7d.

Anyways, that was shit and now I'm skint again. Hopefully I can spin some money up from somewhere cos meant to be going to Perth Races again next week.

Wait, I just remembered another cash game hand:

AKc utg, fire it up to £5 - caller in LP - BB makes it £21 and is playing c£80 - back to me? I'm playing like £180 at this point. I pushed, probably a bad play right? Tell me! I'm somewhat of a live cash game n00b.

All but one of my selections are through to the next round of the Derby with my shortest priced selection busting after a poor run. I've added Barnfield Slippy (66/1) and Toosey Blue (40/1). See a few posts down for the rest of my selections.

Night night.

Scott.

Scoop Troop = The Sex

The Scoop Troop are fucking Sexy. We're so sexy, we just we just can't keep our hands off each other, as illustrated by this picture. I can't remember why we're molesting each other, but I'm pretty sure it was celebrating gang raping Spierso's mum or something.

Less ramble, more gamble.

I like the look of Royalist in the 15.15 at Chester. The lower the draw, the better at Chester and the selection will leave from stall number 1. Huzzah is being talked about after a good effort last time out, but it’s drawn central and conceding half a stone to Royalist. The trainer/jockey combination landed this race in 2005 and the jockey won on a 20/1 shot in 2002. The trainer/jockey combo have a 26.32% strike rate since the turn of the year too, although it’s not actually been profitable level stakes. Still, I am not too concerned by that. [Update] Enjoying the market move for this overnight, from 5/1 into 9/4 according to ATR (that said I only saw 4/1 last night and I had just missed that, they updated it to 7/2 as I tried to bet).

Swop in the 19:10 at Great Leighs looks a prospect. Luca Cumani horses tend to improve with experience, I’m reliably informed, so if he improves on his performance last time out, he’s going to win this race. [Update] Took 2.67 for this, it's already plummeted to 2.03 and I see Jason Weaver napped it on ATR. Good, good. Upping the bet to 2 pts, 1 pt at 2.67 and 1 at 2.22.

Nemetan looks a sure thing in the 16:55 at Newton Abbot. Would have won it’s last race by more but blundered at the last, which suggests it’s open to improvement. My only concern is that it ran just two days ago. Going to wait until the morning to see if I can get better than the 2.35 currently on offer at Betdaq. I may leave it out if I get a tawdry price because, although it should take all the beating, it might well be knackered. [Update] Taken 3.2, money coming for Changing Lanes though...

15:15 Chester
Royalist @ 4.4 (Betdaq)
2 pts
Well, bit disappointing this. Ran a bit keen early on and was knackered at the finish. Amazed Huzzah was as big as 15/2, if you got on at that price, fair play!

16:55 Newton Abbot
Nemetan @ 3.2 (Betdaq)
1 pt
Travelled well, ran very nicely indeed but it's been beaten by the top weight horse (14/1!) and no excuses really.

19:10 Great Leighs
Swop @ 2.445(Betdaq)
2 pts
Well, that was a bit of a disappointment too. Went off 4/5 and looked to be travelling well but Grand Vizier (16/1) fought on and managed to get up, to win by a head.

Not found anything for the A-Z game yet, but there's a couple worth looking at again in the morning. Watch this space. [Update] Film Queen seems a little overpriced in the 20:10 at Great Leighs and I will be having an e/w punt.

20:10 Great Leighs
Film Queen @ 9.0 win, 3.1 place
0.5 pts e/w
Maybe not overpriced - ran a shocker! Was absolute filth :D

A-Z Total: -11.25 pts
Days passed: 17

“Real” total: 13.32 pts

Kenny's mum

Not a great deal I fancy today, aapart from Kenny's mum. I want to have a punt on the big race today and even though all but two horses are single figure prices, it’s a bloody competitive race! Highland Legacy is the one they’re all talking about, so I’ll have a cheeky point to win. I confess this is a bit of favourite backing - I've not really studied the form at all. I am reading a lot of good things about it though and Jamie Spencer is 52 from 203 when riding for Michael Bell, for a level stakes profit of £23.52.

I have been reading good things about Glasshoughton in the 14:30 at Beverley. Seems to like today’s ground and has a good draw, recently finished an “encouraging” fourth place over course and distance and now drops down in trip and also drops 1lb in weight. Has also beaten a few of these running today in the past.

The other I like is in the last British race of the day. Jurado Express looks to have a good chance and for me, is too big a big price on the exchanges. Holy Joe will take the beating but may not be at it’s best over this trip and the selection jumps well.

There is NOTHING I like for the A-Z game. Nothing. I’ve scoured for ages looking for a bet but can’t find a thing, not even a decent big priced horse to have a small e/w punt on.

In other news, I fancied Doncaster Rover in the opener at Chester but bottled it because of everyone raving about the odds-on favourite. The favourite wasn’t even placed and Doncaster Rover won at 3/1! Bah!

14:30 Beverley
Glasshoughton @ 5.3 (Betdaq)
1 pt
Never saw this, but it was 2nd by half a length.

14:45 Chester
Highland Legacy @ 5.0 (Betdaq)
1 pt
Good race, the two market leaders weren't really in contention when it came to the crunch. Bulwark popped up from nowhere to win at 33/1!

20:30 Cheltenham
Jurado Express @ 5.9 win, 2.4 place (Betdaq)
1 pt e/w
Seems the favourite withdrew (not sure why, will investigate later - am just back from work) and my selection romped home by 7 lengths. Adjusted odds: 4.5 & 1.83 (how fucking tight is that?!). Return: 6.33

A-Z Total: -10.25 pts
Days passed: 17

“Real” total: 18.32 pts

Bankroll

Being too poor to build a bankroll sucks. That's me just in from paying my rent. I can't wait to get moved out of this place and get settled in a new job, with regular hours and steady pay. The month in between flats staying with my folks will be a massive help too - no rent, no council tax and no bills saves me almost £375 right there, so I will actually be able to build a roll, rather than dipping into it every five minutes.

So let's get on with building the fucker. Here's what's going to help make me rich today:

In the 14:20 at Kelso, I really liked the prospects of Twelve Paces overnight, but this morning there's been some support for what I think is it's main rival, Bene Lad. Of course, that won't stop me backing the selection, I'll just be a bit more cautious and only go in for a point.

In the 15:10 at Chepstow, I liked Party In The Park overnight and this morning two of the main threats have withdrawn, which I'm delighted with. It's not even hurt the price that much. Will stick with a single point though as it's a competitive race (on paper at least).

The 16:00 at Southwell looks an interesting one. The RP made Cotton Eyed Joe their nap and GG.com went with it also, but I really liked the look of the top weight horse, Bentley Brook. Now this morning, Cotton Eyed Joe has withdrawn and Bentley Brook has fallen to 4.1 (from the 6.3 that was there last night, annoyingly) so I don't really know what to do. I was going to back it e/w as The King And I has a very good chance too, but I can't even get 1.85 for the place on the exchanges at the minute. I think I will leave it for now and decide closer to the time, see what happens in the market. [Update] Fuck it, I think this is worth a point to win.

I haven't found anything for the A-Z game yet, I'll have a think later. I see Ermine Grey is running (under my favourite lovely jockey too, Kirsty Milczarek!) but the fucking thing has cost me a bomb in the past. It's one of those that loves placing but never chuffing wins. That said, if there's nowt better I might as well say "fuck it" and GAMBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!

[Update] "Fuck it" :-)

15:40 Chepstow
Ermine Grey @ 8.6 win, 2.96 place (Betdaq)
0.5 pts e/w
Well I never. The awesome Kirsty Milczarek has scored another winner. It must be because I had no real money on it, every time I back this horse it comes 2nd or 3rd. it won and it won well, a good ride as every by Miss Milczarek. Return: 5.78 pts

In other news, I caught Kenny loitering outside the gents last night. He thought noone had seen him. Pretty sure he was meeting Neil Porter in there at some point for some serious anal action.

14:20 Kelso
Twelve Paces @ 4.4 (Betdaq)
1 pt
Probably left with too much to do. Finished third and ran on pretty well from miles back.

15:10 Chepstow
Party In The Park @ 4.3 (Betdaq)
1 pt
Was delighted to see the money come for this, it went off 2/1. It never got a clear run though, it started wide and ended up on the rail, everywhere it went, another nag moved to block it. It ran on okay once it finally got a clear run but it was far too late by then and it just missed out on third. Just unlucky, for me.

16:00 Southwell
Bentley Brook @ 4.2 (Betdaq)
1 pt
Money came for this too, SP was 5/2 so I'm delighted with this call. Who knows if the RP would have been right, all I know is I fancied this one as soon as I saw it and it won. A "cheeky" ride by Sophie Doyle, who is fast becoming one of my favourite up and coming jockeys, because she keeps winning me money! Return: 4.2 pts

A-Z Total: -10.25 pts
Days passed: 15

“Real” total: 15.99 pts

Lying Low

Well folks, you haven't heard from me for over a week, so I thought I had better break up Dom's mammoth postings with a quick explanation of my whereabouts. With Summer finally here, I took a long Bank Holiday weekend in the Lincolnshire sun watching bike racing at Cadwell Park, which was fun and frolic filled.

Most of last week was also spent playing "Football Manager" in a network game with Dom, and although he has a far superior team, with pots of cash, I have whipped him in all but one (Scots League Cup) competitions we have entered. Long may it continue !!!

Fear not, I will be back continuing my quest to become a low stakes supremo later this week.

Thanks for reading,
Mountain Man

Back on track

Need to get back on track after a poor day yesterday. Here's what I like:

A-Z Game:

Quite like the look of Equuleus Pictor for an each way bet.

14:35 Windsor
Equuleus Pictor @ 7.1 win, 2.8 place (Betdaq)
0.5 pts e/w
Really good, close race. Half a length split the top 5, mine just missed out on a place in 5th.

Going to include that as a real bet too.

Trying a greyhound now, Scott likes it's chances too which boosts my confidence a bit.

Walthamstow 16:18
Eddies Mobhi (Trap 5) @ 4.4 (Betdaq)
1pt
Bah, came third! Will I ever get away fom 'E'?

This is a ridiculous bet to be honest, but I am fed up with 'E':

17:30 Kempton
Expensive Art @ 1.74 (Betdaq)
2 pts
Hahaha! Ridiculous! The odds on favourite loses by a head and I'm destined to stay on 'E' forever!

"Real" Bets:

Taking a few e/w chances today, not that much takes my eye. I'm either going to score spectacularly or whittle away at my roll...

14:10 Curragh
Mastercraftsman @ 6.7 (Betdaq)
1 pt
Bit hesitant when going into the stalls but gave it a strong ride. Managed to get much better odds than the early tissue too, was as high as 7.0 at one point.

14:15 Warwick
Polar Force @ 9.6 win, 2.3 place (Betdaq)
0.5 pts e/w
Doesn't seem to have placed, oh well.

14:35 Windsor
Equuleus Pictor @ 7.1 win, 2.8 place (Betdaq)
0.5 pts e/w
See above.

15:00 Kempton
Our Kes @ 8.5 win, 2.49 place (Betdaq)
1 pt e/w
Delighted with this, thanks go to the RP and ATR for pointing it out to me. I saw 9.3 earlier but couldn't get it, when I eventually got round to it I took 8.5. Official SP was 11/2! Return: 10.99 pts

17:05 Windsor
Shela House @ 4.0 (Betdaq)
1 pt
Didn't see it but it's come third. Shame. Still, a cracking day. If only yesterday hadn't been so shit!

A-Z Total: -15.03 pts
Days passed: 14

“Real” total: 14.79 pts

Today's Selections

Well, I've got up MUCH later than planned and haven't had chance to find much, so this entry is going to be somewhat "in-running".

You've already seen my Guineas bet and Matt Doyle has found a decent looking shout which goes off in ten minutes. I'll add these in now and commence the search for more bets after that.

COME ON YOU BLADES! [Every fucking result went against us today. Sick!]

14:05 Newmarket
Gulf Express @ 4.3 (Betdaq)
2 pts
Hmm, not sure where this finished but it looks to have disappointed.

15:20 Newmarket
Kitty Matcham @ 13.0 win, 4.4 place (Betdaq)
1.5 pts e/w
Some run by Natagora, proving once and for all that it can stay the 8f. She looked to have faded with half a furlong to go but she rallied and got up to beat Infallible.

15:40 Salisbury
Monterrico @ 2.4 (Betdaq)
2 pts
No idea what's happened here either, but another that's not even placed. I'm having the worst day ever.

17:15 Hamilton
Ingleby Princess @ 9.5 win, 2.9 place (Betdaq)
0.5 e/w
Ran a place, came 2nd. Return: 1.45

17:50 Hamilton
Babyshambles @ 5.0 (Betdaq)
3 pts
Can't believe thi shasn't won. Gutted.

A-Z Game:
Like the e/w prospects of the Murtagh ride in the 15:55 at Newmarket.

15:55 Newmarket
Enticing @ 5.7 win, 2.05 place
1 pt e/w
Ran a decent race, third place. Not a winner though, still on 'E'. Return 2.05 pts.

A-Z Total: -11.03 pts
Days passed: 13

“Real” total: 3.1 pts

Well, I've managed to cripple my roll today and Sheffield United were shit. Oh well, tomorrow is another day. Gambooool!

1000 Guineas

Following on from my Grand National and Scottish Grand National pieces for Texperts, here's something I just put together for the 1000 Guineas tomorrow. I'd wanted to do something for the 2000 Guneas but I didn't get time.

Sunday May 4th (may the fourth be with you!) sees the 195th running of the 1,000 Guineas Stakes, the second classic of the season and the first leg of the Fillies' Triple Crown. Natagora (right) is the hot favourite for the race.

Looking at the recent trends, it’s difficult to pick up on much. Kieren Fallon has ridden four winners in the last eleven races, but he doesn’t have a ride this time out. No other jockeys have any real form in this race and similarly, there are no real trainers to watch. Saeed Bin Suroor has trained two winners in the last decade, but we’re talking 2002 and 1998, while John Dunlop has trained three 1000 Guineas winners, but we have to go back to 1980 for the first of them and 1990 and 1991 for the other two. Frankie Dettori was on board both the Saeed Bin Suroor trained horses, as ever and so their entry Laureldean Gale seems the obvious starting point. I would love to pick her and for her to win, chalking up another victory for the trends, but I just can’t see it. As impressive as she was on debut, last time out she made a right old hash of it and was 8th of 10, notably behind Savethisdanceforme who also runs tomorrow.

The only trend of note is the SP of the winners in recent years. Six of the last ten winners, in fact six of the last eight winners, have returned between 10/1 and 14/1 and last year’s 5/4 favourite was a class act, running the race in a record breaking
time. So last year’s one-off aside, recent history suggests avoiding the shorter price horses and picking something from the middle of the market. The two obvious ones to consider based on that then, are the Aidan O’Brien trained pair Savethisdanceforme (best price 11/1 at the time of writing) and Kitty Matcham (BP 12/1).

As it happens, both of these fillies look open to improvement. Savethisdanceforme notched a 4th place in a Group 1 race and was narrowly beaten into 2nd place on heavy ground, over 8 furlongs at the Curragh. On that, she seems a capable sort and her stamina is proven. Interestingly though, the vastly experienced and talented Johnny Murtagh, who had first pick of the two, chose Kitty Matcham. On bare form, the filly looks like she might have a bit to find, but her breeding is very impressive (her mother was pretty useful over 8f and she’s sired by Rock Of Gibraltar) and Murtagh is a massive positive, especially given his awesome ride on Henrythenavigator in yesterday’s 2000 Guineas and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him complete a double.

Murtagh’s stats are impressive. The trainer and jockey combination has landed 27% of races in the last 12 months and for 2008 so far, they have a 28.57% strike rate - 7 rides, 2 wins and 2 places. If you’d had £1 on all of Murtagh’s rides in the past year, you’d be £88.80 better off and if you’d followed him for the last 12 months at Newmarket only, you’d still be £31.37 to the good (at a respectable strike rate of 18.75%).

I simply can’t get on with any of the horses with bigger prices than Laureldean Gale and although I’m ruling them out for the win, I’m by no means suggesting there’s nothing in there that could run a place. Max One Two Three could land the each way thieves a few bob, for example, but I’m trying to pick a winner!

So let’s look at the shorter priced fancies. As I mentioned earlier, John Dunlop has trained a few 1000 Guineas winners in his time, but his charge tomorrow faces a very late fitness check after finding her sore on Friday morning and she’s not exactly been injury free during the last twelve months. They’re going to leave it as late as possible but the trainer has said that both he and the owner are “anxious to run her if [they] possibly can”, which doesn’t fill me with confidence. If they’re going to run her at less than 100%, she’s not going to win and so is best avoided.

Spacious looks a threat under current co-champion jockey Jamie Spencer. The trainer and jockey enjoyed a couple of good results at Ascot the other day and they may be finding some form. If you’d followed them as a pairing from the start of the year, you’d have won 26.09% of your bets, but you’d only be £3.05 better off, backing each runner at a £1 stake. She won’t mind the softer ground should it rain overnight and will be more than capable on the good ground that we saw yesterday. A leading candidate, but the major downside to this one is that she hasn’t run for 234 days and may be a shade rusty.

Infallible is the main rival to the favourite, winning the Nell Gwyn (a well respected 1000 Guineas trial) but the time wasn’t particularly spectacular and only two horses since 1990 have won that race and gone on to win the 1000 Guineas in the same year, so I don’t read too much into that. Must also be noted that she’s only raced twice and inexperience might be an issue. That said, if anyone can keep her under control, Jimmy Fortune can. He boasts a 33.33% strike rate at Newmarket since the turn of the year plus his rides have returned a £30.60 profit (£1 level stakes).

The favourite Natagora looks a really exciting prospect and probably deserves her status as favourite. Coupled with a jockey boasting a 42.86% (28 rides) strike rate on turf since the turn of the year, she’s looking a difficult one to beat. There are however some serious doubts about whether she will last the 8 furlongs. Noone doubts her sprint credentials and she won well last time out over 7f, on heavy ground, but will she last the 8? I think the doubts over the trip alone mean it’s worth opposing her at 3/1 (at the time of writing) but I wouldn’t be too surprised to see her win!

So then, time to stick my neck on the line. Here’s my 1-2: Kitty Matcham followed by Natagora.

Best of luck to anyone having a punt and don’t blame me if you lose!

15:20 Newmarket
Kitty Matcham
1.5 pts e/w

May 3rd

I wanted to write a big piece on today's 2000 Guineas but I simply haven't had time. Was out with the missus last night and I've been working all week (and am working as I type). Here's my bets for today anyway:

15:25 Newmarket
Ibn Khaldun 5.1 win, 2.04 place (Betdaq)
1 pt e/w

This was more a bet to keep it interesting, but I did think it would run a place. Was pretty disappointing in the end. Superb ride by Murtagh though, Henrythenavigator was very impressive.

16:00 Newmarket
Northern Dare @ 9.1 win, 2.82 place (Betdaq)
0.5 pt e/w
Fullandby @ 14.5 win, 4.2 place (Betdaq)
0.5 pt e/w
Fullandby ran a decent race and ran on strongly into third. Northern Dare came right in and went off clear favourite but disappointed, not sure where it was but it must have been at least 6th. Return: 2.1 pts

17:10 Newmarket
Dr Faustus @ 2.31 (Betdaq)
3 pts
Didn't see it but looks to have been an easy winner. Return: 6.93 pts

For the A-Z game, I'm going with another e/w shot in the form of Everything, in the 16:20 at Thirsk.

16:20 Thirsk
Everything @ 11/2 (SportingBet)
0.5 pts e/w
Didn't see this but it didn't place. Finished 5th.

A tentative point being placed here. I'm not that confident as I think it's carrying too much weight, but there aren't many options for me with 'E' so it could be my best bet to move onto 'F'.

18:55 Hexham
Etched In Stone @ 5.0 (Betdaq)
1 pt
Wow, Mini Minster won this by a full 9 lengths. Mine came 4th, well back.

Roundup:
A-Z total: -11.08 pts
Days passed: 12

“Real” total: 12.65 pts

Greyhound Derby

Move over Dom, Scott is here!

The BlueSquare Greyhound Derby kicks off tonight at Wimbledon with the first round heats spread over tonight and tomorrow evening. It's not on TV but available to watch on the BlueSquare website I believe - don't know if you have to bet with them to be able to watch though.

I took a while looking at the card last night and a bit this morning, and I've came up with a few bets which look decent. It's a highly competitive field this year and picking the winner is obviously going to be tough. Not major stakes for me due to my poorness so hopefully these give me a good run for my money. Prices are all BlueSquare.

Rossacredibility @ 16/1 - Most probably is far too short but is a major fancy of mine. Breaks consistently fast and has produced some great times around Wimbledon. Good chance imo.

Melodys Pat @ 33/1 - Attracted to this dog's good EP and has produced decent times recently in 480m runs and 460m solos. Open to further improvement I believe.

Kryptonite @ 33/1 - A dog who likes to win. Has good EP over the 460m trip and has clocked good times, hopefully this can be translated to the 480m at Wimbledon.

Blonde Jeannie @ 100/1 - Decent price for a dog who has produced some cracking starts. Hopeful of progressing through a few rounds where the price should tumble.

Barnfield Woody @ 150/1 - Expect this outsider to go well. Clocked some good times over 460m with reasonably quick and consistent breaks.

Love Tiger @ 150/1 - Clocked a fast time over 460m a couple of races back and like a number of my bigger priced selections I'm hopefully it can progress through a few rounds where the price will be chopped.

Farley Legend @ 500/1 - Made my notes last night and was surprised to find that it was such a massive price. Tremendous value and a dog open to improvement. One Time!

Anyone else on anything in this? What you think of my selections? Comment away.

In other news, a few troopers played the £30 NLH FO at Dundee Gala on Wednesday and a laugh was had with my highlight being Kenny busting someone with T5 v. A10 aipf. I didn't run so good and busted 3 tables out when I lost a toss. Such a weak field down there that we should be crushing the games but these fish are like piranhas, too fucking many of them!

One exam left on the 13th of May so after that I'll be depositing online and playing a lot more poker and thus posting more on here. Really looking forward to crushing some games.

OTD,

Scott

May 2nd

Just a quickie today, busy as fuck at work and overslept. Was considering taking a day off after my tilt-fest yesterday, but there’s a few I really like, so here we go.

16:10 Lingfield
Mr Aviator @ 2.6 (Betdaq)
1 pt
Bah, came 2nd by 3/4 of a length. The selection went off at 11/10 too. 1 pt loss.

16:50 Musselburgh
Stevie Gee @ 2.95 (Betdaq)
1 pt
Didn't see this, but it hasn't placed. Bit annoyed with myself because I was going to oppose it with Cha Cha Cha (which only came third) but I let myself be persuaded by the opinions of other folk, quite a few people were tipping this one up today. I need to stop letting that happen.

17.00 Southwell
Great Charm @ 9/4 (Stan James)
1 pt
I did watch this and it went to a photo. Great Charm has won, but I thought that was wrong. It's held on by a nose, looking at the photo. Return: 3.25

A-Z Game:

Not a lot to bet on beginning with ‘E’, so am placing a small e/w bet in maiden, as they’re so unpredictable. Catlin’s on this nag and he’s running away with the all weather jockey championship, so who knows? GAMBOOOOL!

15:30 Southwell
Especially For You @ 14/1 (Coral)
0.5 pts e/w
Looks to have come 4th, so I just miss out. Pretty annoying. Especially as the 2nd placed nag was priced 25/1 and the 3rd was 40/1!

Roundup:
A-Z total: -9.08 pts
Days passed: 11

“Real” total: 10.62 pts

Dom-ination

I have to apologise for my domination of the blog, but it seems my fellow troopers are too lazy to actually do anything. Oh well, I will just have to keep on trooping alone.

My two winners from two yesterday (brag alert!) put me on a three bet winning streak and a three day winning streak, something I’m hoping to continue today, with a couple of big favourites (Kenny style).

The amusingly named Stevie Thunder (all in blind, perhaps?) runs in the 15:00 at Redcar. The selection has two wins and two places from his four starts and will now carry a stone more than the bottom weight, but it should be able to overcome that. The jockey takes 3lbs off, but then there are 3 other claimers in the race too. The notable thing about the jockey though, is his 18.42% strike rate for 2008 so far and his impressive £49.55 level stakes profit (38 rides). When paired with the trainer, his 2008 strike rate rises to 23.08% from 26 starts. I like these stats.

Everyone is talking about one of the horses in my notes from last night, it’s being napped left right and centre. With the withdrawal of Sky Quest from the last at Folkestone, it will be a 4 horse race and the price will be a shocker, but that’s no reason not to bet on Nutkin, who ran a stormer over course and distance in August under this pilot. If the ground turns heavy like it did yesterday, it shouldn’t be an issue as it was heavy in August and the selection made her seasonal reappearance on soft ground, where she was only just beaten by a couple of well handicapped nags. Hopefully it will be much sharper for that run.

Now, I don’t do this very often and I’m setting myself up for a bit of a fall here. Because I’m so confident these nags will win, rather than 3 point both of them, I’m going to back the singles for just 2 pts and take the extra two for a double. I usually despise short price multiples, you’re simply multiplying any edge that a bookmaker has and of course, if one comes in and the other doesn’t, you win fuck all (which is why I’m chopping it up a bit).

15:00 Redcar
Stevie Thunder @ 1.82
2 pts
Well I didn't see it because it wasn't on ATR but it's come second! All I know is Spirit Of A Nation beat it by a head. Not good at all.

17:20 Folkestone
Nutkin
2 pts @ 1.76
1 pt @ 1.8 * see below
Hmm, Nutkin finished 2nd by half a length, absolutely flying it was. It tried to get through a gap on the rail and the two in front closed him off. By the time it had switched outside, there was only half a furlong to go. It finished like a train too, pretty unlucky but that said, not a great ride by the jockey.

Double
Stevie Thunder & Nutkin @ 3.20
2 pts
Oh dear, why did I do it? I know it's stupid, anyone with half a brain knows it's stupid and I even said I was setting myself up for a fall! I don't think I'm ever going to double up again, they're a waste of time.

For the A-Z game, Double Shot has a great chance in the opener at Hereford. I started out with this one looking at Strong Coffee as a real bet, but I decided to leave it as it’s a toughie to call. However, that won’t stop me picking the selection for the A-Z as it’s probably the ‘D’ with the best chance at the nags today and at an okay price.

Frustratingly, at work last night, it dawned on me that Chelsea were playing and I could bet on Drogba anytime or first goal scorer. I text Scott to get him to check the odds but he was in the casino, presumably trying to reclaim what he left in there after Perth races. I then sent him another text abusing him for being so damned inconsiderate and wrote another one out to the Mountain Man, asking the same question and if the odds were good, to blog it on my behalf. Unlucky, 9p of credit of left! Stupid pay-as-you-go. No idea what the odds were, but I should be on ‘E’ by now!

14:10 Hereford
Double Shot @ 4.4
1 pt
Not sure what happened here, was pretty disappointing!

Now, I know you don't all enjoy reading about horses all the time, so here's some light entertainment. I considered writing a bunch of abuse about Kenny, but he suffers enough. Just imagine waking up EVERY morning and being Kenny. That must suck so hard. Anyway, here's a joke for you to enjoy. Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does this taste funny to you?"

Come on, that's funny.

[16:00 Update] Found a 'D' that has a decent chance.
[16:34 Update] I am adding another point to my second bet, in a chasey, tilty stylee.

18:40 Huntingdon
Don't Be Bleu @ 6.7 win, 2.01 place
0.5 pt e/w
I looked at the market for this just before the off and it had plunged to 4. After I saw that market move, I got 2 points of "real" money on too (to win), chasey chasey. It dropped further too, was 3.75 before I got distracted by having to go back to work. Official SP was 11/4. Gamble landed, by almost 2 lengths. Return: 4.35 pts. "Real" return: 8.00

I'm going to put a point on Earth Mother in the 20:30 at Tipperary too, for 'E'. As unpredictable as these races are, the horse does represent the current leading trainer and amateur jockey.

20:30 Tipperary
Earth Mother @ 3.25
1pt
Looks like it came third, though I never saw it. I would never usually back anything in a point to point race, but as it's A-Z...!

I end today's blogging activity with a Quote from Baz there on MSN:

Filthy_Rotten_Hound. says:
Nice work.
Filthy_Rotten_Hound. says:
Always chase

Roundup: A-Z total: -8.08 pts
Days passed: 10

“Real” total: 10.37 pts