Mother's ruin

I knew that posting my bets in advance had the potential to make me look like a blithering idiot (OK – more of a blithering idiot). And, for almost the first time during this project, my opinion was right.

Those of you could who could be bothered to check the results will have discovered that my predictions for only two of the six matches last weekend were correct. I can sit here and claim that a couple of the losers were very unlucky and that this was my worst performance of the season. The only upside is that if anyone had took my advice and backed the opposite of what I had, they would have made a few quid.

The following day, I entertained my parents for Mothering Sunday lunch. As I hadn’t been near Betfair all weekend, I was willing them to leave (I shouldn’t have cooked three courses), so that I could have a little dabble on the last few races of the day. Of course, my father fell asleep on the sofa (I knew it had been a mistake to ply him with so much booze).

By the time they were putting their coats on (with my eager help), I had logged on and laid a horse whose name I didn’t like. By the time I had locked my front door, the horse had won and I had lost £20. And that was before I had even switched the TV on.

I had no time to waste. And I wasted no time in throwing money down the train. I proceeded to lay the losers of the next three races for a total loss of £170. Although, I won on the final four races of the day, I had managed to blow £160 in an hour. Perhaps I should decide which horse that I want to lay – and then back it. It would certainly be a more profitable strategy. Mind you, so would asking my two-year-old nephew to stick a pin in the racing pages.