Not The Perfect Start.
Sunday 7th. Our Anti-post bets let us down yesterday for the first time, GREEN FLAG I’m not really sure whether they went to quick for him or the ground was a shade on the fast side, I wouldn’t give up on him for the National yet and UP TO SOMETHING our other 16/1 shot was going exceptionally well when falling four out. So in all not a good day at the office. Salt was rubbed in the wound as we backed DODGING BULLETS last time when he ran a great race at Cheltenham and for some reason I just couldn’t see it yesterday and left him well alone and he bolted up at 9-1.
Sunday morning and I am up at 5am, unfortunately it’s nothing to do with our four legged friends. On the first Sunday of December it’s the Street fair where Sharon runs her flower shop and I am accosted to put my selling skills to the test. I am the front man, ok not quite so glamorous as it sounds I am outside the shop selling holly wreaths, Christmas trees and getting clients through the door. After 11am it gets easier enticing them in as the Free wine starts to flow inside, outside also, oh and not forgetting the homemade soup, not outside also lol.
Today is the only racing day I intentionally don’t look at my mobile or the papers to put any bets up. I’m certainly not betting them blind or checking them out so I wouldn’t expect any of you to bet them either. At least the weather stayed fine for most of the day and we virtually sold out of holly wreaths, moved a decent amount of Christmas trees and drunk the wine cellar dry.
Monday 8th. That was a cheap jibe from the Grumbling Don regarding my book in his yesterday’s column about as old as his last winner lol. Anyway we have a busy week ahead of us culminating with Cheltenham at the end of the week.
I email out two bets on my ANDY BELL service YESYOUCAN ew at 8/1 and DONT HAVE IT THAN ew at 7/1. With nothing else tempting us I decide to have a look at this weekends cards, in hope we can find a juicy priced sleeper somewhere.
Our day gets off to the worst possible start as YESYOUCAN doesn’t jump at all and is stone last before being pulled up. A lot of time to reflect on what went wrong as our next doesn’t run until later at the Twilight meeting at Kempton.
Thank goodness Stevie Donohoe was on his metal as he had to thread DONT HAVE IT THAN through not one eye of a needle but several and put his head down bang on the line to give us a much needed winner and a nice 20 points profit on the day.
Tuesday 9th. A little bit of relief as we hit a very nice 7-1 winner yesterday courtesy of the Donohoe/Mussen team.
After a poorer than ideal start to the month it’s amazing how much difference a winner can make, especially when we’re not relying on short priced winners.
I was really looking forward to kicking on today, unfortunately the racing is not offering very much in the way of quality. So I am predominantly going to spend the day working on this weekends Cheltenham cards and have a look to see if anything stands out or we have a sleeper in the Boxing days King George.
Hats off as very important and needed changes have been implemented by the powers at Betfan, as from the 1st Jan the staking plans employed by us tipsters have been capped. This will now stop any inflated profits by any services constantly staking a maximum of 10 point wins on every race.
This will ensure a greater transparency and now that we will all be using a 1-5 point staking plan and playing on a level wicket, which will allow the good services to rise to the top and the poorer ones will soon become more apparent. All we need now is more consistency whilst integrating these services from the proofing stage to the actual “live” tipping stage, by this I mean no proofing services jumping to the top of the live charts, or even inserted two or three months back, as it can be very misleading for any new potential Betfan customers, also if they (proofing services) don’t produce, it’s clients that the already proofed live services could be losing and I “personally” think it’s a big issue to us hard working live boys. This has been a big gripe of mine for a while and now that this corner has been successfully turned in the Betfan ranks, let’s hope we can all move on together and I’m sure that all the customers will benefit and make Betfan even stronger and more respected than it already is.
Right, I am very excited because I think yesterday I’ve found us a 10/1 shot for Cheltenham’s December Gold Cup on Saturday, which I will put out to my members in the morning and also a cracking ew shot at 33/1 for the King George.
All I have today is another decent priced bet to email out SOURIYAN ew at 8/1. I know we are losing this month at the moment, but we only need to click for a few days and we will be surpassing the 700 points profit barrier for this year and the 1000 points in only 17 months.
SOURIYAN didn’t get a hard race today and sauntered home in fifth, another day awaits. I wouldn’t be in a rush to put him in any note books but he will win a mediocre race.
Wednesday 10th. As I promised my December Gold Cup and King George’s tips have this morning been passed on to my loyal members, let’s hope we can maintain our tremendous anti-post record.
On to today and I was very impressed with ITS HIGH TIMEs run last time and I think he can follow up in the Hexham heavy ground today, also on the same ANDY BELL email I am told that TARABELLA is expected to go very close and is going to be well punted, so I suggest we take the 9/4 on offer early.
The boys are all busy today, probably Christmas shopping hehehe more like bang in trouble after their sessions yesterday which I heard about and I also heard there may be an apology or two due Mmmmmm ??
Coming round the top bend ITS HIGH TIME is six lengths clear, absolutely cruising and trading at 1/20 in running on the machine, even jumping the last we are still three lengths clear and unbelievably we get caught on the line which adds another to our ever growing second list.
After TARABELLAs race the excuse for her poor showing was attributed to the heavy ground which was not as we were all lead to believe soft.
What a price DEEP RESOLVE returned at for the LATE SERVICE 7/2, I don’t mean that 7/2 is wonderful, but when we were rushing in an attempt to obtain 15/8 this morning 7/2 looks huge now, so thankfully a nice winning day, which was made even better by the “best odds guaranteed” again.
Thursday 11th. Today was all about ifs and buts and I don’t really want to relive it. We backed WENTWORTH FALLS at 11/10 who bolted in, as we were told it would, BIG BAZ looked all over the winner when just collared on the line and as for KINGS COURT NATIVE who was 15 lengths clear coming to the last and fell, why did Daryl Jacob need to look behind four strides before the hurdle, the poor horse must have thought what the f**ks happening no wonder he took off in the next county.
Once again this game isn’t all wine and song.
Friday 12th. A14 + M6 + M42 + M5 = Oi Oi Cheltenham here we come. I am heading there for the two day December meet. We have already got an Anti-Post bet going on Saturday in the December Gold Cup and if the betting is anything to go by all my members and I have a great chance as he has just about halved in price.
On what looks an exciting opening day I bet and email out two ew bets, HOLLOW BLUE SKY 5/1 and COWARDS CLOSE 11/2. Both look to be at least booked for places.
Just before racing begins I email out RED DEVIL BOYS at Doncaster to the LATE SERVICE clients in hope that he can go one better than our last fence faller yesterday when 15 lengths clear.
The crowd is sparser than I can remember in the last few years, although Smudger and his crew are all present, so hopefully we can celebrate a winner or two later tonight.
What rotten luck we are enduring on the LATE SERVICE at the moment when the Favourite fell at the last, I thought our luck had changed only for Brian Hughes to unfortunately roll in front of RED DEVIL BOYS and bring him crashing down to leave the two outsiders of the field to fill the places.
The Pipe team look to have introduced another exciting recruit to the jumping ranks as KINGS PALACE wins the first and franks the form in no uncertain terms with SAUSALITO SUNRISE and I would suggest he will now head to the festival via Newbury in February and take his chances in the RSA Chase.
HOLLOW BLUE SKY has Ryan Hatch earning his riding fees early on and stays on extremely well to secure us a place. COWARDS CLOSE needs to sharpen up on his jumping if he is to progress and will probably be better suited by slightly quicker ground, once again he secured us a place and a small profit. In summary a very small profit on the day although I’m slightly disappointed as we normally do so well here, we still have tomorrow and I bet a lot of people leaving or at work today would swap with only one favourite obliging.
A brisk scrub up and change and into Montpelier for the night.
Saturday 13th. Montpelier never changes just different faces, it was as busy as ever, the wine bar was heaving, O’Neills bar was just a thing you could see from a distance and Miss Ginger was strutting her stuff in the Queens restaurant and very nicely if I say so myself. I didn’t make the Piano bar or Club 21 last night as I wanted to be relatively sensible and on top of my game for today, but saying that we still didn’t roll in until the pumpkin was ready to leave.
I love today’s Cheltenham card and we can normally get so many pointers for next March and dare I say it, we habitually win.
It will be interesting to see how my 33/1 shot for the Triumph hurdle does in the first STARS OVER THE SEA, he has a tough nut to crack in the shape of HARGAM, but if he is to progress he needs to beat these types and I ask you how many over hyped and under priced Nicky Henderson favourites have we seen already this season, ask Joe Coral or William Hill they will show you their paying books just to prove the fact.
Have a look at the link below, you can relive and laugh at our year together, either on kindle or paperback, lets hope I have done us and it justice.
Free tip: 12-15 Cheltenham – MR GALLIVANTER Each Way Bet 11/1 VC
I thought this was a very very apt quote today even the name.
“I hope I don’t write TOO many books! When I look at authors who have written too many books, I wonder to myself “When did they live?” I certainly want to write BECAUSE I live! I know I don’t want to write in order to live! My writing is an overflow of the wine glass of my life, not a basin in which I wash out my ideals and expectations.” JoyBell
With everything going so well at the moment lets hope we can have a strong finish to the month and kick the Greedy 1s where it really hurts.
NEVER, NEVER, never stop smiling or get bored of cheering the winners home.
Back next Saturday.
Andy Bell
http://go.betfan.com/1000/258
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