Another Mixed Bag

Royal Ascot started today and one of the girls at work was given a tip by a client and four of her colleagues decided to join in and have a bet. As I visit Ladbrokes daily (although don't always have a bet) I placed the bet for them and had a bet of my own on a different horse in the same race.

No prizes for guessing theirs won - Takeover Target in the King's Stand (and it was my decision to go for SP which was 7-1 rather than the 5-1 on offer in the morning, and to put all on to win rather than each way so I advised them well) - and mine (Reverence) was out with the washing ! Interestingly the client with the tip had seen Takeover Target win three of his races in Australia !

Then I get home and decide to have one small bet in the last at Royal Ascot - just place only on the Tote at a big enough price to win back my lunchtime loss. I find a horse with decent form at 4-1 the place and am then swayed by the commentators talking about another which is 20-1 SP but I notice is over 50-1 the win and 10-1 the place on the Tote. So I am about to back it when the same commentators say it is poorly drawn on the outside and everyone should concentrate on the low drawn horses, which my original choice is so that is the one I back. The result ? my first and final choice, Dimboola, finishes 10th and the 20-1 shot, Elhamri, romps home, paying 53.3-1 the win and 10.8-1 the place ! d'oh ! The only other thing I would say, without having seen a report on the race, is that I would be surprised if many of the jockeys drawn high in the race had kept to their racing line for as long as they are supposed to before heading left and causing more than enough bunching of the field.

Poker-wise tonight I think I played one hand in the Stan James PokerZone Freeroll and no more than half a dozen in the $500 added on Mansion. Which left me clear to concentrate on round nine of the Champions League on Sporting Odds. Played steadily to get to the final table in I think 7th or 8th place which not for the first time led to me winning the game. I get cocky if I hit a final table with a good stack so I am sure I play a far better game if I have to come from behind. Certainly have the patience to let others scrap it out before me, hoping to get to the final three still in reasonable shape and then I come into my own ! And now it will probably never happen again !

I am back up to 6th in the overall CL table with only four counting scores with everyone ahead counting their best five at the moment (although 11th, 13th and 15th have only four scores posted like me and the guy in 12th has only three). I am 25.68 points off the lead and the points scoring opportunities always drop away as fewer people play the last few rounds (four to go). Tonights win was worth 28 points which is the lowest to date and will get less so it is going to be tight at the top come the end of the month.

One unusual but pleasant occurrence today - I came here to write today's post and discovered I have one reader not personally known to me. So hello to anyone else in that category ...........