THE BETDAQ PUNTER returns with his usual mix of looking back on the highs and lows of his betting week on BETDAQ and looking forward to this weekend.
His bets this weekend include of course the Grand National where he has a horse trading around 17.0 on the BETDAQ win market.
Now, how did the last seven days fare?
He started by scrabbling around for a bet on Good Friday.
Friday
Watching them prepare for the big meeting in Dubai made me wish I was somewhere a little sunnier but as that costs money, time to redouble my efforts at taking some cash off other BETDAQ punters – preferably the layers but anyone will do! No horse racing on Good Friday (what’s so “good” about that, out of interest?), no tennis I had ever heard of, so football it was with the Championship though I wish I hadn’t bothered. Anyone who saw Birmingham winning 0-2 at Crystal Palace can lend me their crystal ball anytime they like and they sunk my first bet even though I felt the BETDAQ odds of 1.9 were a steal (doh), and with my other good thing being Watford to beat Burnley at 2.1 on BETDAQ (ended 3-3), I should have just stayed in bed and kept my money!
Saturday
My trainer following theory of last week got a bit out of hand this afternoon with 37 runners if I backed them all, 20 of them trained by Richard Fahey! Small stakes were the order of the day in those sort of numbers but it did throw in some winners at BETDAQ odds of 6.8, 4.7, 4.75, 17.0, and 4.2 which pretty much meant I broke even after all that hard work! Still, the football was a lot kinder to me (eventually) as Hull won as predicted here last week at BETDAQ odds of 2.26 though Cardiff threw it away at lowly Peterborough despite leading all the way to the 72nd minute. With the Dubai meeting high on my agenda I left Doncaster alone which was lucky as I don’t think I would have been even close to a winner, and those losses may have had a knock on effect for my evening punting. Soft Falling Rain was tipped here and duly did the business (all be it by the narrowest of margins) at BETDAQ odds of 4.3 (well, that’s what I took nice and early!), and personally I followed that up with a little on Cavalryman (BETDAQ odds 6.8), though it still seems strange not having Frankie on his back? Starspangledbanner carried my money for the last time when well beaten and he simply looks like he has no interest in racing any more, while Igugu ran a blinder in fifth even if she failed to land me any place money being that far back. I backed the Japanese raider at 2.6 on BETDAQ and missed St Nicholas Abbey like the mug I can be, but did have a small bet on Animal Kingdom in the World Cup at BETDAQ odds of 6.9 and ended up a little in front on the day which is all I ever ask for!
Sunday
I have an adversity to Sunday racing as do many others, and with Aston Villa v Liverpool the televised match (and my inability as a Toffee to back Liverpool), I was running out of options. No tennis I understood, no rugby, and no cricket – day off anyone, and a Sunday roast?
Monday
From the sublime to the ridiculous with nine meetings from the UK and Ireland. Some would call it spoilt for choice but I call it confusing, but then it was a day off and what kind of relaxation could I have without striking a bet or three? A few bets were struck thanks to the ever-generous BETDAQ layers while sticking with my trainer list, and I ended up with eight bets on Richard Fahey runners and one with Mark Johnston, but happy days again as the money rolled in! Winners at BETDAQ odds of 3.4 (Time And Place), 4.7 (Wyldfire), and 9.5 (Gabrial The Master) more than covered the losers though I really must remember to keep updating my hot trainers list as they fall off the chart. With so much racing on offer I clean forgot about the football to be honest but as there were no premiership games of interest (sorry but Fulham v QPR failed to catch my attention) that was that for the day.
Tuesday
It may sound greedy and probably is but don’t you just hate it when you spend ages working out your horses only to pretty much break even on the day? Six trainer runners as above hit the tracks but with just the two winners on BETDAQ at poor odds of 3.6 and 1.65 I made a small loss so maybe it is now time to change my list? Nothing works perfectly I know, but it is a case of reminding myself trainer form ebbs and flows day by day let alone week by week so tomorrow is another day. Football in the evening had to be worth a punt with Bayern Munich to beat Juventus and Barcelona to beat PSG my bets of choice at BETDAQ odds of 1.7 and 2.0 respectively. The first leg came in with ease (2-0 to be precise), but I freely admit that the television got an unhealthy dose of Anglo Saxon expletives when Ibrahimovic equalised Messi’s opener when a mile offside and then a second equaliser in added time when I was screaming for the whistle to be blown! Not my day but losses were minimal on the footie and I do enjoy the match so much more with a bet on it.
Wednesday
A new list of trainers has emerged – Jim Boyle, Jim Bolger, and Alan Swinbank and Kevin Condon top my list now, and they had six runners between them this afternoon. Naturally, my bet size was way too small (funny that – it always is when I have a winner – too large when they lose!). Mr Knightley 14.4 on BETDAQ, Idle Curiosity 3.2, Star Power 2.85, Linroyale Boy 2.65 and Strait Of Zanzibar 17.0 left the BETDAQ layers reeling and on the ropes (and just the one loser by the way), but to pennies not pounds, though I still feel we may be on to something – just keep it between us for now please? Once again, football was my downfall as I had a quick double in the Champions League on Dortmund (2.3) and Real Madrid (1.2), which went down with the Germans failing to score, as did their opponents (Malaga).
Thursday
Aintree and a chance to lose even more money on my Cheltenham disasters I suppose? No runners for my trainers’ list (so that’s a disaster then?), but plenty of action to get involved with. Two stand out bets for me saw a win double on Silviniaco Conti (the odds of 2.2 disappointed me though) and The New One (4.0) but the both placed without winning so that was that for the day. The Europa league does nothing for me, and we do have Aintree tomorrow (and the Grand National to look forward to), so that will do me for now.
Conclusions:
Bet of the week – Soft Falling Rain winning the first race from Dubai. Heart stopping stuff but my biggest bet of the week.
Disaster of the week – How did league leaders Cardiff let a one goal lead slip at relegation threatened Peterborough – stewards’ enquiry please?
Something for the weekend:
All eyes will be on Aintree Saturday for the Grand National card and I just hope all the horses and jockeys come home in one piece. Those not normally interested will be packing the rafters out so thank heavens for a bit of online action via the old BETDAQ app on my tablet. Finding the winner is never easy but after careful consideration and the throw of a dart, it’s Imperial Commander each way for me. Remembering that this is a marathon over pretty unusual fences, any bet here is even more risky than normal but there are good reasons behind my selection. He is certainly the classiest horse in the field at his best having won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2010, comes here as fresh as paint with just the one run since injury after the 2011 Gold Cup, and runs off a handicap mark an amazing 27 pounds lower than at his peak. Yes he may well have gone backwards, yes he is getting past it at the age of 12, and yes asking him to carry top weight of 11-10 is a lot but he has the form in the book that nothing else can muster and at BETDAQ odds of about 17.0 or better to win and about 5.2 the place interest me enough to have a small fun bet.
Earlier on the card it is hard to oppose Solwhit in the Liverpool Hurdle over three miles as he bids to follow up his impressive World Hurdle victory. He cruised up that day and should be even better suited by this flatter track in which case odds around the 3.0 mark look worthy of a punt.
As for the football, there are two stand out bets at decent odds in my book this weekend starting at Reading when Southampton are surely overpriced at 2.25 on BETDAQ for a team in top form, even if they are away to a relegation threatened outfit. At the risk of offending someone, Stoke were just awful when I watched them play Everton and one day a strong referee will have enough of their roughhouse tactics. If Saturday is that day then I can see Aston Villa picking up some desperately needed points and at odds of 4.2 or so on BETDAQ, I am sorry but I just cannot resist!
This week’s suggested bets (all prices with BETDAQ and correct at the time of writing):
Horse racing Saturday
Half point each way Imperial Commander 4.15pm Aintree around 17.0 to win and 5.0 to place
One point win Solwhit 2.50pm Aintree at around 3.0 to win
Weekend Football
Saturday:
1pt win Southampton at Reading at odds of 2.25
1pt Win Aston Villa at Stoke at odds of 4.2
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