April 2025
I am so annoyed! I hadn’t had a bet on the Grand National for many years. But today I thought I’d have a flutter. A tenner each way on any horse that took my fancy. I scanned the runners and riders. Around 35 of them with the usual array of colourful and amusing names. One I remember from years ago was called Shakalaka Boom Boom. It didn’t win but as the owner of a fireworks company, I couldn’t resist borrowing the name for one of our rockets! Perusing today’s I field I was looking for a mid-priced runner with an eye-catching name. There was Kandoo Kid at 25-1, the almost unpronounceable Threeunderthrufive at 40-1 and, bingo, one that ticked my box, Nick Rockett at 33-1. The Rockett bit caught my eye and his form looked promising with 6 wins out of 11 runs. It’s more fun to go to the bookies and hand over a 20-pound note in the hope of collecting several hundred quid in cash than place a bet online. My afternoon walk would take me past any number of betting shops in Marlowe’s, so that was the plan. It was a beautiful April day and the auguries looked good. I felt it was going to be my luck day. I went for the walk, completely forgot about my bet and came home and mowed the lawn. Around 6pm I remembered. You know that sinking feeling when you’re about to discover something you’d prefer not know. I switched on the news and there it was. Outsider Nick Rockett wins the National at 33-1. So that’s a very nice little earner, around £400 to rub salt into my wound, that’s slipped through my fingers. Grrrr!