A strange old week has seen my BETDAQ account yo yo from black to red and back again with more heart stopping moments than I can cope with!
I presume I bet on the football because I love the game, because it cannot be for any more sensible reason as it just seems to get less and less predictable year after year (or is that me)? It started well enough on Friday night when I backed England to see off Bulgaria which they did in clinical fashion, so like the greedy so and so I am I put all my winnings on Scotland to see off the Czech Republic while planning a cruise or similar holiday with my winnings. Someone must have told the referee about my potential winnings (OK, so it was more likely to be a canal holiday, but the principle is the same), as he gave a questionable penalty to the away side before waving away a more obvious one for the hosts that would surely have won the game. Not my day, but no worse than a stewards enquiry I suppose though I was re learning (and using) some quaint Anglo Saxon terms as I saw the scores go in, live on my laptop.
Luckily, I always have the horses to fall back on and although my win and place bet on Eurystheus went astray at Ascot (fourth at 34.0 to win, 8.5 to place, isn’t it always the way with each way bets), I made that back and more with a decent bet on King Torus. May I offer a personal thank you through this page to the person or people who let me “steal” a little 3.6 with BETDAQ, which was better than I could find anywhere else and believe me, I looked! He won with some authority and could be called the winner some way out and should go on from here to bigger and better things, and as he owes me nothing I suspect I will back him again next time out.
Sticking to the bets I gave out last week I had a decent place bet on Bronze Prince in the next at Kempton and collected again when he finished second but you guessed it, I frittered most (but not all) of my profits away on races that a sensible punter would have left alone. I lumped on “good thing” Athens at Leopardstown only to see him beaten at 2.0 to my disgust, and again on Misty For Me at the same meeting (third 2.6), before I started thinking about laying some short priced favourites myself to get my own back. Naturally, So You Think was one of them, but at 1.27 little damage was done, though I am convinced I can make a bundle laying certain short priced jollies, and I will update you my progress next week.
Back to my positive mind set and this week we have some decent bets worth a second look in Rugby Union, Football, and Racing (of course).
In case you may have missed it, the Rugby Union World Cup starts in New Zealand today (Friday), and a quick look at the betting tells us all the home nation are expected to win with odds of 1.66 which is just not for me. I spoke to a few players/fanatics at the local rugby to garner a few stats and after double-checking, I think they are far too short. As recently as August they played the tri-nations tournament where they lost to both Australia and South Africa meaning they are not as unbeatable as their odds imply, and at 5.5 with BETDAQ (less elsewhere!), I will be having a bet on the Aussies who look to have a less physical path to the final and could arrive here with all or most of their star players in one piece.
At home we return to the more mundane day-to-day football leagues after the International break, and where I will have a couple of bets for the fun of it if nothing else. Value is the name of this game and much as it pains me to say it as a Toffee, Everton are in dire straights right now and have suffered some injuries after international duty that will make a win at home to Aston Villa all the more difficult. With Darren Bent likely to start for the Villains they will have more firepower than the home team and at odds of 4.1 on BETDAQ as I write this, a small bet could well pay dividends. Tottenham are another team waiting to kick start their season and a trip to Wolves is the last thing they need right now. Apart from fan loyalty I can see no reason why the home team should be the underdogs here and at 3.05 they will be my second bet. Finally, and as more of a long term investment, Manchester City may not be everybody’s favourites after a spending spree that some would find embarrassing, but they are beginning to gel as a team and should be a force to reckon with. The 2.2 with BETDAQ about them winning their Champions League Group looks pretty generous with Bayern Munich their only serious rivals, and I will have some of that to collect for a rainy day.
Horse racing is foremost in many punters minds at present with the final classic of the British season to be run on Saturday at Doncaster. Before then I will top up my betting bank via Opinion Poll in the 2.25 at Doncaster this afternoon (Friday). Godolphin are certainly having a strange season with plenty of flops but this five year old is leading the way with wins at Goodwood and York as well as an excellent second in the Ascot Gold Cup. The further he goes the better he looks and although he has nothing in hand of Tastahil on official ratings, that rival has been out of form and he will be my bet of the week (for his sins).
The St Leger looks better than many a year but Sea Moon is far too short at 2.53 for my liking despite his likely improvement with racing. Blue Bunting has won the 1000 Guineas over a mile as well as the Irish and Yorkshire Oaks over a mile and a half so has that rare combination of speed and stamina, and as Frankie Dettori is convinced she will be even better over a mile and three quarters, she is the clear value call at BETDAQ odds of 4.9 in receipt of her fillies’ allowance.
Summary of this week’s bets:
2pts Australia to win the 2011 Rugby Union World Cup
1pt Win Aston Villa away to Everton Saturday
1pt Win Wolverhampton Wanderers at home to Tottenham Hotspur Saturday
2pts Manchester City to win Champions League Group A
2pts Win Opinion Poll 2.25 Doncaster Friday
1pt Win Blue Bunting 3., 10 Doncaster Saturday
