Apart from the hay fever, sunburn and constant sweat, I really do love the summer.
It’s a joy to wake up, but the sleepless nights are a problem and that’s not down solely to the heat.
I’m having a recurring dream, well, nightmare, actually. And it involves a little Italian man.
Next week is Royal Ascot and it’ll be the last one Frankie Dettori rides in.
Even on a normal Ascot meeting, the amount of Frankie doubles, trebles and accas are frightening. This year, it will be off the scale.
To make things worse, he’s riding out of his skin!
If he has a successful meeting, the whole of the bookmaking industry will be feeling the pain for a long time to come.
The day he rode his magnificent seven it was said to cost the bookmakers £30 million. My guess is that even a treble on one of the days next week will achieve near enough the same amount.
If you fancy putting a few of his rides together, I’d do it sooner rather than later as come the day a lot of firms won’t be accepting the bets.
Talking of jockeys riding out of their skin, there’s two from Wales who are in red hot form – Sean Bowen and James Tudor.
Sean is currently operating at a ratio of one winner in four rides this season and is also already showing a level stake profit six times your stake over fences.
James has ridden four winners, a second and a third in his last eight attempts.
In fact, it’s not just the Welsh jockeys burning up the turf. Christian Williams trained a treble on Sunday and new kid on the block, Robbie Llewellyn, has had seven runners this season with three winners and two thirds.
He’s a trainer to keep an eye on, that’s for sure.
Another of our trainers to watch closely is Debbie Faulkner. She trains in close proximity to Chepstow Racecourse and they certainly know the time of day when it comes to backing their own.
I found that out, to my pain, when I was at the course last Saturday.
The first winner returned 33/1 – usually a good result for us bookies – but not in my case this time.
With all the other bookies cheering, I was nearly weeping having laid £100 ew @ 40/1.
It’s never good having to pay out £5,200 over a ‘result,’ especially when it’s in the first.
It was always going to be a long way back to profitability that night but I did get within touching distance until the last race when I laid £2,000 on the last winner (another trained in Wales by the shrewd John Flint yard) at 11/8.
In better news, the Champions League went okay for us. Plenty backed Manchester City, but the 1-0 scoreline was favourable and at least it means we have enough in the tank just in case Frankie does pull it out of the bag next week.
If he does, I’ll have to take up a new job. Pasta making perhaps.
I’ve done it before and it went okay, but I did make a fusilli mistakes.
Thank you and good night!
Pob lwc, this weekend.
