zxDaveM Posted August 13, 2021 Author Share Posted August 13, 2021 21 hours ago, LinMM said: I have no idea why a horse would be going at 5/1 as opposed to 5/4 ....is it decided by how many people are actually placing bets on that horse? Yes, the more money put on a horse, the more the price will shorten up. Other horses may then 'drift' in the market (odds get longer), to entice punters to back other horses (if they don't, if becomes a one-horse book and if that wins, the bookie is in bother - though if it loses, and he does have all the other horses running for him, then he's laughing). 'The book' is priced up such that whatever horse wins, they aim to pay out £100 for every £110 (ish) they take in bets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted August 13, 2021 Author Share Posted August 13, 2021 2 hours ago, bangorballetboy said: It sometimes helps to convert the odds to a "digital" number. So 5/4 would be 1.25, meaning your profit (if you win) is 1.25 times your stake. If you win, you always get your stake back, so your "return" from the bookie would be 2.25 (i.e. 1.25 + 1). oldsters like me have to convert those decimal odds back into 'real' prices lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneMarriott Posted August 13, 2021 Share Posted August 13, 2021 My interest in racing began with a sad disappointment. As a very small girl, too many decades ago to admit to, I asked my uncle to put 6d (2.5-3 pence) on Pearl Diver, whose name intrigued me, to win the Derby. The favourite was Tudor Minstrel at the ridiculously short odds of 4/7 (i.e. bet £7 to win £4), but I was blissfully unaware of that at the time. Pearl Diver started at 40/1, and won! Unfortunately my uncle, thinking to save me the loss of my sixpence, didn't put the bet on and - miser that he was - didn't have the generosity to pay me the £1 I should have won. Getting my sixpence back instead of the huge amount of £1 was a bitter blow, the pain of which remains with me to this day! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted August 13, 2021 Author Share Posted August 13, 2021 Anne - you can relive the agony here: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted August 13, 2021 Share Posted August 13, 2021 Wow that was amazingly quick find Dave! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted August 13, 2021 Author Share Posted August 13, 2021 duckduckgo is my friend 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneMarriott Posted August 13, 2021 Share Posted August 13, 2021 2 hours ago, zxDaveM said: Anne - you can relive the agony here: Oh dear - the clip makes me feel ancient! I never saw the race but heard it on the wireless. You can imagine the screams of delight as "my" horse romped home ahead of the field. I remember the extravagantly dressed tipster at the beginning of the clip who was called something like Prince Honolulu. Ah, memories! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 I love that clip! I’d probably have gone with Tudor Minstrel in this race and lost money yet again ....though in the summer of 1947 I was just about starting to develop some arms and legs lol. Ive hardly ever won much money with betting especially as liked to only bet to win the race ...rarely did the each way thing ...I seem to remember the most I won was £50 once when I put £2 on a 25-1 horse in the National....you’d think I’d won a million 🙄 BBB I won’t go into the maths thing again but have no idea of the relationship of 5/4 to 1.25 🤔 so maybe the decimal thing wouldn’t help too much!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted August 14, 2021 Author Share Posted August 14, 2021 Valentino Dancer runs at Newbury today, in the amateur lady riders handicap. Has a pretty good chance at 2/1 joint favourite in the betting And Dance Fever runs at Doncaster, a short priced fav Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted August 14, 2021 Author Share Posted August 14, 2021 Valentino Dancer won at the generous price of 7/2. Dance Fever beaten into 2nd place One I missed - First Dance won at Newmarket at 11/1! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 Did you bet on any of them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted August 14, 2021 Author Share Posted August 14, 2021 38 minutes ago, LinMM said: Did you bet on any of them? no sadly, they weren't in the televised races Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted August 23, 2021 Share Posted August 23, 2021 On 13/08/2021 at 13:00, AnneMarriott said: My interest in racing began with a sad disappointment. As a very small girl, too many decades ago to admit to, I asked my uncle to put 6d (2.5-3 pence) on Pearl Diver, whose name intrigued me, to win the Derby. The favourite was Tudor Minstrel at the ridiculously short odds of 4/7 (i.e. bet £7 to win £4), but I was blissfully unaware of that at the time. Pearl Diver started at 40/1, and won! Unfortunately my uncle, thinking to save me the loss of my sixpence, didn't put the bet on and - miser that he was - didn't have the generosity to pay me the £1 I should have won. Getting my sixpence back instead of the huge amount of £1 was a bitter blow, the pain of which remains with me to this day! Similar thing happened to me at work once. My boss (the Financial Director ironically) and the other big cheeses were off to Cheltenham for a corporate jolly on Gold Cup day. I gave him a fiver to bet on a horse in the Gold Cup and the starting price was 16/1. He decided not to place my bet. Apparently my horse had such long odds he didn't want me to lose. Well the horse came in first. He gave me my £5 back the next day, and I did ask where my other £80 was, but I never got it out of him. I fiddled my holiday entitlement instead! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneMarriott Posted August 24, 2021 Share Posted August 24, 2021 14 hours ago, taxi4ballet said: He gave me my £5 back the next day, and I did ask where my other £80 was, but I never got it out of him. I fiddled my holiday entitlement instead! Good for you! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted August 27, 2021 Author Share Posted August 27, 2021 a few 'dance' themed horses for today: Queens Ballet at Newmarket (an outsider for her first run, despite being a daughter of Frankel) First Dance at Newmarket Dance to Paris at Goodwood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted October 2, 2021 Author Share Posted October 2, 2021 Vadream finally got her head in front to win at Ascot this afternoon, at 6/1. And no, darn it, I hadn't backed her today!! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophoife Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 Vadream won her last start at Newmarket, a Group Three, at 7/1. A month earlier, she won at Doncaster - her first win since October 2021. Kieran Shoemark seems to get on well with her, as in between she ran at Newcastle with a different jockey up and finished sixth. She's entered for two Group Ones at Royal Ascot, the King's Stand Stakes and the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, a bit of a step up but it'll be worth checking which one she runs. I must say, I do like her colours. Well, her owner's colours. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted June 2, 2023 Author Share Posted June 2, 2023 yes, she was backed down from 16/1 to 7/1 that day - I had a £ on at 9/1. Backed mainly because the going changed to very soft, which she relishes, and needs to see her best. Also, at one point, she looked like needing a step up in distance from a mile - but now seems to win over 5 furlongs instead! The Kings Stand is over the minimum trip of 5f, the Jubilee over 6f. May not run at all if the going on the firm side of good. If it rains a lot before Royal Ascot - then the Kings Stand is probably the option (though she'd be taking on the Aussie sprinters) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophoife Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 She's half Australian 😉 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted June 2, 2023 Share Posted June 2, 2023 (edited) I must thank @Sophoife for resurrecting this enormously funny and cute thread, and @zxDaveM which put a smile (lots actually!) on my face. Nice to see so manyhorses named after ballet (or coincidentally so!) ever since the famous Nijinsky! Well done to Vadream and her jockey, trainer and owners on her recent wins! Edited June 2, 2023 by Emeralds 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophoife Posted June 24, 2023 Share Posted June 24, 2023 Vadream ran on Tuesday in, as @zxDaveM suggested, the King's Stand Stakes, over 5 furlongs, with the going listed as good. Finished 12th of 17, next entered to run at Newmarket in the July Cup Stakes over 6 furlongs, on 15 July. Valentino Dancer ran on Tuesday as well, at Stratford, but the race was voided as a jockey was unseated and he had to be treated. Bolshoi Ballet ran second in a late race at Ascot, also on Tuesday, over 1 mile 2 furlongs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted June 24, 2023 Author Share Posted June 24, 2023 I'm surprised they ran Vadream, as she had little chance on the going (which was nearer good to firm). Perhaps they just wanted the day out at Royal Ascot! 😉 And 6f on summer ground at Newmarket for the July Cup looks optimistic too - unless the heavens open Bolshoi Ballet ran well - bound to be winning again soon Swingalong ran well in the Commonwealth Cup yesterday (getting 3rd at 66/1, with my 25pew on!) One of my own (syndicate) horses runs in the Wokingham at 5pm (First Folio, about 28/1). If he starts NOW he might have a chance! lol Be amazed if he makes it into the first 10 places 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted June 24, 2023 Share Posted June 24, 2023 🍏🍎A couple of consolation apples for poor First Folio lol!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted June 24, 2023 Author Share Posted June 24, 2023 42 minutes ago, LinMM said: 🍏🍎A couple of consolation apples for poor First Folio lol!! ran a shocker, in truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophoife Posted June 25, 2023 Share Posted June 25, 2023 Oh well. Like the name, though! If you're on the jumps, keep an eye out for Easy Game, my dad's friend Nick's horse. Dad, a lifelong follower of the Turf, on retirement started spending three months a year, with Mum, in the UK and Europe (I have a sister in Gloucestershire). My mother accepted his programme of Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown, plus Epsom and once or twice Ascot, in exchange for a month somewhere on the Continent: southwest France (several times), Italy, Greece...anyway, one year at Punchestown he fell into conversation in the bar queue and he and this fellow became friends. Fellow's name is Nick Peacock, had a decent horse by the name of Wicklow Brave, which won the Irish St Leger under Frankie Dettori in 2016, the 2015 County Hurdle and the 2017 Punchestown Champion Hurdle. Ran in the Melbourne Cup a couple of times too. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted June 25, 2023 Author Share Posted June 25, 2023 Epsom Downs is my 'local' track, so go there quite often. Used to make an annual pilgrimmage to Cheltenham for the Gold Cup but not these days sadly. I remember Wicklow Brave (a Willie Mullins horse), sadly because he was fatally injured in the American 'Grand National'. He fell at the last when about to win the race 😞 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophoife Posted June 25, 2023 Share Posted June 25, 2023 Devastating for all the connections, but for the horse - well, he was doing what he clearly loved doing. He was a lovely animal, I met him both times he came down for the Cup (in Oz there's only one Cup). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted June 25, 2023 Author Share Posted June 25, 2023 one of my other horses ran this evening at Pontefract - ran really well and only beaten into 2nd by the hot-hot favourite. So a nice way to end the week. Now can concentrate on the Glastonbury TV coverage 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted June 25, 2023 Share Posted June 25, 2023 Oh poor Wicklow Brave and when winning as well 😥 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted October 21, 2023 Author Share Posted October 21, 2023 Vadream runs in the Champion Sprint today at Ascot’s Champions Day. Second best in the betting, as he does love the ground conditions 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted October 21, 2023 Author Share Posted October 21, 2023 On 25/06/2023 at 16:21, Sophoife said: If you're on the jumps, keep an eye out for Easy Game, my dad's friend Nick's horse. missed it - he won at 3/1 at the end of September at Gowran Park, beating good horses Gentleman's Game and Envoi Allen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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