Sunday 31st August

“£500 Challenge Bet” (£994– 5 bets inplay – accounted)

The football looks difficult today and there's no margin in any of my ratings. If anything Liverpool come out as a bet, but given I've been opposing them away for years now, I can't quite work that one out. I'll sit out.

Some decent racing abroad though. These three races all have legitimate faves, but with niggling doubts and nothing more than fair prices. I'll split bets across all three but with a degree of foreboding and knowledge that getting one winner is a loss on the day. I would have preferred a football bet and just to have done a modest treble on these three just in case, but here goes.

3:20 Deauville Getaway is one of my horses. He looked like he was going to be a world beater when picking off Sixties Icon, and ran OK at Epsom where the camber did for him. Not so good last time though, and more worryingly this is his Arc prep so a tight finish won't see Frankie over exerting himself. Doctor Dino's penalty is no good for him, so it's a question of whether a couple of lurkers step up to make a race of it.

4:15 Curragh Again's owners look to have told O'Brien not to bother here which seems as good a line in as any. Shima would have to have stamina worries – particularly if it gets testing. We may be betting on a decent wedge of hype though.

5:15 Curragh I probably like Masta Plasta's chances the best of the three here. He should get a nice break and a soft lead up the rail and be hard to peg back in a small field. The worry is the going – the more rain that helps Again, hinders Masta Plasta. Also, Alan Berry may actually have a decent horse.

Getaway £9 win at 7/4ish
Again £9 win at 7/4ish
Masta Plasta £9 win at 7/4ish
£3 win treble

“Barking Bets” (Banked £875/Current bank £2441)
A late play on the Solario looks a very bad bet in retrospect, and a later play on Murray was looking even worse! Now losing on the week and this fund is certainly in the doldrums.

1. 3:00 Newton Abbott possible match