When I look back over my betting years, I think of certain horses and certain bets that I could have played - and some that I shouldn't have played. But I especially remember certain bets - those that made a big difference to the size of my wallet - positively or negatively. Here are my top 5 best betting moments:
5. Wild Thing at Auteuil. Oh, if only. I have to start with a "what if", don't I? Wild Thing was a German horse that seemed to have been tacked on to this straggler of a race at Auteuil. It was the last of the day on a Sunday, with the darkness drawing in and the floodlights flickering on, and about 20 horses were in the field. I had put 100 francs on this German horse for the hell of it - and thought nothing of it. Now, when I first looked, the odds were about 15.00 on the screens - but they suddenly started to tumble. In France, you don't get to buy the odds - you get them from the moment the horses start the race. They tumbled to about 2.00. Something was going on. Wild Thing streaked ahead by a length at the first jump, and by two lengths at the second. As they continued around the course, he was making it look like Usain Bolt taking on a group of schoolchildren. And taking it seriously. This horse was amazing - and I've never seen it since. I won next to nothing, but stood there thinking "how did the bookies get it so wrong in the first place?" What a horse.
4. Varenne at Vincennes: Ah now if ever there were a deserved favourite, then Varenne was the one. An Italian trotter who destroyed almost every field he raced against, this was a beast of a horse. Naturally, Varenne went in as a massive favourite, even against the darling of the home crowd, General de Pommeau, but just seeing this horse in action was something else. Just wind it up and watch it go - all muscle and guts, this was a winner from the very start of the race. Amazing.
3. Six consecutive winners at Vincennes: Have you ever been to a trotting meeting? It's amazing. I couldn't believe it when I first went, but this form of horse racing is the working class meat and potatoes of French horse racing. Flat racing is for kings, Trotting is for the people. It was a cold February day, and the Prix de l'Amerique was the highlight. An annual festival of trotting, over 50,000 people were present, decked out in all colours, waving flags for their regions, representing their horses and cheering wildly. I had never been to a trotting meeting before, but I had my beloved Paris Turf newspaper with me and I studied the form as never before. The first race was hopeless, but the second provided a first winner. The third provided a 1-2 and the fourth provided yet another winner. And on, and on, and on... the Swedish guys next to me couldn't understand how I was picking so many winners, and I assured them that it was a freak happening. Six consecutive winners at Vincennes, a feat I have never repeated, and am never likely to repeat again.
2. Everton to win the FA Cup in 1995: As a diehard bluenose, I can be forgiven for believing that Everton would win the Cup every single year, but 95 seemed like a special year. The previous season we had just about avoided relegation despite having the hopeless Mike Walker in charge. He soon went, after wrecking the first 14 games of the 94-95 season, and in came God himself - Joe Royle. Our form from the moment he arrived was Championship form - and it was so simple: get Hinchcliffe to take corners. That's how it worked. I knew from the moment Jackson hit the winner at Bristol in the 3rd round that Joe would win us the Cup. Before then - and since - I have never felt that confident. And there it was in May of 95 - Paul Rideout of all people, heading home to beat United, and Neville Southall in his last swansong for the club, keeping out all and sundry. Brilliant.
1. Hurricane Run in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe: I keep saying it - I will bet on this race every year because I know that 8 times out of 10, I can pick a winner. Hurricane Run was the horse of the year as a three-year-old, but the Brits on the course were all backing the Derby winner. I had put my money on ante-post, a hundred here, a hundred there - so confident was I that Hurricane Run would win this. And then came the off - it was already grey overhead at Longchamp but then the deluge started - thunder, lightning, a total darkening of the skies - was this the omen? I've never been at a more exciting race than this - and Hurricane Run didn't disappoint, winning by some distance. One of the greatest three-year-olds I've ever seen. And definitely the most I've ever won on a single race. Get in.
5. Wild Thing at Auteuil. Oh, if only. I have to start with a "what if", don't I? Wild Thing was a German horse that seemed to have been tacked on to this straggler of a race at Auteuil. It was the last of the day on a Sunday, with the darkness drawing in and the floodlights flickering on, and about 20 horses were in the field. I had put 100 francs on this German horse for the hell of it - and thought nothing of it. Now, when I first looked, the odds were about 15.00 on the screens - but they suddenly started to tumble. In France, you don't get to buy the odds - you get them from the moment the horses start the race. They tumbled to about 2.00. Something was going on. Wild Thing streaked ahead by a length at the first jump, and by two lengths at the second. As they continued around the course, he was making it look like Usain Bolt taking on a group of schoolchildren. And taking it seriously. This horse was amazing - and I've never seen it since. I won next to nothing, but stood there thinking "how did the bookies get it so wrong in the first place?" What a horse.
4. Varenne at Vincennes: Ah now if ever there were a deserved favourite, then Varenne was the one. An Italian trotter who destroyed almost every field he raced against, this was a beast of a horse. Naturally, Varenne went in as a massive favourite, even against the darling of the home crowd, General de Pommeau, but just seeing this horse in action was something else. Just wind it up and watch it go - all muscle and guts, this was a winner from the very start of the race. Amazing.
3. Six consecutive winners at Vincennes: Have you ever been to a trotting meeting? It's amazing. I couldn't believe it when I first went, but this form of horse racing is the working class meat and potatoes of French horse racing. Flat racing is for kings, Trotting is for the people. It was a cold February day, and the Prix de l'Amerique was the highlight. An annual festival of trotting, over 50,000 people were present, decked out in all colours, waving flags for their regions, representing their horses and cheering wildly. I had never been to a trotting meeting before, but I had my beloved Paris Turf newspaper with me and I studied the form as never before. The first race was hopeless, but the second provided a first winner. The third provided a 1-2 and the fourth provided yet another winner. And on, and on, and on... the Swedish guys next to me couldn't understand how I was picking so many winners, and I assured them that it was a freak happening. Six consecutive winners at Vincennes, a feat I have never repeated, and am never likely to repeat again.
2. Everton to win the FA Cup in 1995: As a diehard bluenose, I can be forgiven for believing that Everton would win the Cup every single year, but 95 seemed like a special year. The previous season we had just about avoided relegation despite having the hopeless Mike Walker in charge. He soon went, after wrecking the first 14 games of the 94-95 season, and in came God himself - Joe Royle. Our form from the moment he arrived was Championship form - and it was so simple: get Hinchcliffe to take corners. That's how it worked. I knew from the moment Jackson hit the winner at Bristol in the 3rd round that Joe would win us the Cup. Before then - and since - I have never felt that confident. And there it was in May of 95 - Paul Rideout of all people, heading home to beat United, and Neville Southall in his last swansong for the club, keeping out all and sundry. Brilliant.
1. Hurricane Run in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe: I keep saying it - I will bet on this race every year because I know that 8 times out of 10, I can pick a winner. Hurricane Run was the horse of the year as a three-year-old, but the Brits on the course were all backing the Derby winner. I had put my money on ante-post, a hundred here, a hundred there - so confident was I that Hurricane Run would win this. And then came the off - it was already grey overhead at Longchamp but then the deluge started - thunder, lightning, a total darkening of the skies - was this the omen? I've never been at a more exciting race than this - and Hurricane Run didn't disappoint, winning by some distance. One of the greatest three-year-olds I've ever seen. And definitely the most I've ever won on a single race. Get in.
About the Author:
The author writes for the Free Bet Bookmaker, where you can get a free bet from many UK and foreign bookies.
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