Friday 28th February

2009 Challenge Fund (£10335 - £680 in play accounted)
This month's stake - £100

Pepys Rock rescued me at Newbury yesterday, and I played France at half-time in the rugby. The half-time analysts seemed to be watching the game through a scarlet lens compared to how I'd seen it.

Football draws today – this works best with three matches – but I've ended up with four.
Morecambe v Wycombe
Hereford v Orient
MK Dons v Leicester
Middlesborough v Liverpool
4 x £30 draws and £10 acc at around 135/1

Racing – three nice looking chases today.

3:10 Newbury.
I'm all over Hobbs Hill to be honest. Old timers will remember that this horse was about our only bright spot of last year, and if you forgive him blowing up on his comeback run 10/1 looks far too long in a race with doubts about most the other runners as well. The Package may well be a Pipe plot, but he's also shoring up the prices of the rest of the field.

3:25 Doncaster
Another race with doubts about most of them. I'll play two against the field – Gungadu and Out The Black – who look too long in a race I could easily go 11/2 co faves six runners.


5:10 Doncaster
Quinn's stable has been quiet through the winter months, but that's because his horses are mainly good ground performers. Leslingtaylor ran a great race here against Tidal Bay and with the ground drying out could easily bounce back.

Hobbs Hill £75 at 10/1+
Out The Black £45 at 13/2+
Gungadu £30 at 10/1+
Leslingtaylor £50 at 8/1+
£30 treble Hobbs Hill/Out The Black/Leslingtaylor
£20 treble Hobbs Hill/Gungadu/Leslingtaylor


My two golfers are going well – which one will let us down and come 6th?!





Barking Bets (Banked £1375/Current bank £2055 – 1 bet in play unaccounted)
This week's stake - £250.

Friday 27th February

2009 Challenge Fund (£10585 - £360 in play accounted)
This month's stake - £100

I'll play Newbury hoping Henderson does well.

As usual let's get the weekend football out of the way (draws tomorrow).

My ratings bets are:

Cardiff against Southampton £100 at 11/10ish -0.25 Asian handicap
Preston against Ipswich £100 at 11/10ish -0.25 Asian handicap
Colchester against Hartlepool £25 win at 10/11 and £75 draw no bet at 4/11

(Cardiff now actually top my ratings for that division – every chance of winning title; Preston seem to be wanted by Corals; and wasn't going to bother with Colchester at short odds but Hartlepool's injury problems leave them unlikely to win).

£30 four fold above 3 and West Ham at around 25/1



Barking Bets (Banked £1375/Current bank £2055 – 1 bet in play unaccounted)
This week's stake - £250.

Another novice hurdle upset Wednesday leaves the fund back at the start (though we have banked that £1375 profit).

Wednesday 25th February

2009 Challenge Fund (£10585 - £360 in play accounted)
This month's stake - £100

The Campbell Gillies experiment failed somewhat!

The football draws on the other hand keep on keeping on, and we now have a treble running on the Chelsea game. I'll join Kevin Pullein in gambling on cards being under 4.5 in that game as well.

Betting on the World Gold Matchplay should come with a health warning, so we'll dabble in the undercard events instead for our weekly get rich quick stab. Easy choices as well.
Dyson and Na £15 ew double.

I'll finish the day with an assault on the Bangor placepot, though it looks a bit too friendly in truth.

I'm in London again tomorrow – leaving mid-morning so probably won't post tomorrow.


Barking Bets (Banked £1375/Current bank £2305 – 1 bet in play unaccounted)
This week's stake - £250.

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Tuesday 24th February

2009 Challenge Fund (£10545 - £415 in play accounted)
This month's stake - £100

Very small win on the placepot at Plumpton yesterday, and eventually put Wycombe in singles/treble with Man Utd and Chelsea (also to be draws), so that's going nicely.

I'll slightly compound that with £5 trebles and a fourfold all English clubs to draw in Champions League, though this system's great start has led to me seeing potential draws everywhere!

Today's placepot at Catterick looks hopeless, but in studying it I kept tripping over Campbell Gillies' name. So, I'll play him today instead, half the money in doubles and half covering singles, with La Donna Del Largo each way.

I have to update my ratings with the weekend's football results, but will come back later with a bet on the league matches tonight should I find one.




Barking Bets (Banked £1375/Current bank £2305 – 1 bet in play unaccounted)
This week's stake - £250.

Monday 23rd February

2009 Challenge Fund (£10550 - £320 in play accounted)
This month's stake - £100

I went to bed thinking I'd done Ok yesterday, given that both Liverpool and Everton failed. I had two half-time bets – dutched Fulham to win and 0-0, and exactly the same in the Everton game. However, this morning I see that I have pressed the wrong button and backed Everton to win 1-0 by mistake! Bugger.

Not the first, nor last on-line mistake I'll ever make.

I considered Wycombe for the draw tonight. Not sure, will decide after playing Plumpton this afternoon.







Barking Bets (Banked £1375/Current bank £2305 – 1 bet in play unaccounted)
This week's stake - £250.

Sunday 22nd February

2009 Challenge Fund (£10610 - £350 in play accounted)
This month's stake - £100

A much better looking fund balance this morning and February has been kind.

We still have a fourfold running on the football after yesterday, with Liverpool and Everton today. So, we can sit on a Cahill-less Everton and hope Liverpool get us a free shot. I will play Liverpool though - I nearly laid Man City in the barking bets fund - but for the risk the bet up here looks better (little fish are sweet).

Liverpool £40 win at 8/13; £60 draw no bet at 1/6 (1/5 available).





Barking Bets (Banked £1375/Current bank £2305 – 1 bet in play unaccounted)
This week's stake - £250.

Mickelson?? Not for me.

I seem to have a curious case of the yips with this fund, considering I started off doing about 30 bets a week in it! Let's see where we go this year.

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Saturday 21st February

2009 Challenge Fund (£9925 - £320 in play accounted)
This month's stake - £100

Football advices posted yesterday. Thanks to ChrisK for the heads-up on Everton. And Slipperytoad is gallivanting around Brussels so no AW ratings today.

Racing – I'll play the Racing Post Chase but in truth there's nothing properly worth a bet on my tissue. However my three against the field:
Lacdoudal £25 ew at 14/1+ (one of my faves, showed signs of a recovery and well weighted if so)
Naccarat £30 at 10/1 (only distance doubts stop this looking a very big price)
Piraya £20 at 30/1+ (I'm sure Pipe thinks a lot of this one – getting expensive finding out though!)

I'll also play the placepot and my get rich quick ew doubles/treble this week are:
Aimigayle (not rated to win but tough and genuine) 16/1ish
Trenchant (decent effort last time and gets loads of weight in 8 horse race) 20/1ish
Lacdoudal (see above). 14/1ish





Barking Bets (Banked £1375/Current bank £2305 – 1 bet in play unaccounted)
This week's stake - £250.

Quiver Hill blew another hole in the fund yesterday. Struggling.

Friday 20th February

2009 Challenge Fund (£9925 - £320 in play accounted)
This month's stake - £100

A day where decisions landed butter side up yesterday. I got a slice of the placepot only because I did a 10p saver perm which contained all 20 horses in the last race. I backed the draw in the cricket when it looked certain only for it to go right to the lightmeter. I also dodged a bullet in avoiding Stubbs Art. And in the barking fund I decided against Phil Taylor with the draw as a runner.

Today I'll play Sandown but not the placepot. One bet will be small doubles/treble the Mark Rimell runners.

So, let's put the weekend football up today.

John has given us the heads-up on Weymouth's problems – so we'll join in and back Rushden – and hopefully thank him later!

Ratings throws up two matches.
Leicester seem strangely long, and Ladbrokes are after them which is a worry, but I'll play, and this week I just can't neglect Luton against my favourite away side.
Leicester £40 win 6/5 and £60 draw no bet at 4/9ish
Luton £40 win at 2/1 and £60 draw at 11/10ish
Four fold Leicester/Luton/Liverpool/Everton £30 at 20/1ish and I'll come back to the scousers on Sunday.

The draw system has started well. This week.
Bolton/Middlesborough/Nottingham Forest – each £30 draw and a £10 draw treble at 33/1ish.





Barking Bets (Banked £1375/Current bank £2555 – 1 bet in play unaccounted)
This week's stake - £250.

Will look closer at racing again later, but not looking likely.

Thursday 19th February

2009 Challenge Fund (£9845 - £320 in play accounted)
This month's stake - £100

I'll play the placepot at Huntingdon – some longshots – Von Galen, Safari Adventures, Helpston and Teddys reflection – included in small ew doubles.




Barking Bets (Banked £1375/Current bank £2500 – 1 bet in play unaccounted)
This week's stake - £250.

Possibly dutch front two in Pasco's race. And possibly Taylor tonight. Musing.



Lyric of day
“I started off with nothing, and I've still got most of it left.”

Sunday 15th February

2009 Challenge Fund (£9805 - £425 in play accounted)
This month's stake - £100

Three winning weeks in a row – I'd forgotten what that was like.

My tissue has Notre Pere in at 3/1 this afternoon. Happy to play £100 at 7/2 in what looks a virtual match.

War of Attrition is being talked of as a potential runner in the National as well, so I'll start backing him now £20 at 40/1.


I'm off walking in the Lakes – back Thursday.




Barking Bets (Banked £1375/Current bank £2500 – 1 bet in play unaccounted)
This week's stake - £250.

60 odd minutes in to the rugby yesterday and I felt England were very likely to come back and win. Wales were still 1.3 at the time and to be honest I was grateful to be able to get out at the same price as I got in. Grateful until full-time that is!


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Saturday 14th February

2009 Challenge Fund (£8745 - £680 in play accounted)
This month's stake - £100

Football draws system (prototype A!). Four this weekend –
Sheffield United
Swansea
Bradford
Everton
£25 on each draw and £10 acc.

Racing.
No obvious tissue-based bets. Three horses I can make cases for though, and if you forgive them one run they all look nicely priced.

1:40 Ascot Issaquah (that actually was a good run last time, with the big boys, and maybe still improvement in him, maybe upped in trip).

1:55 Haydock Nenuphar Collonges (have to forgive Welsh National run, but conditions perfect here, and Haydock is for slowboats, so his jumping shouldn't be under too much pressure and he can out grind them up the straight.)

2:40 Wincanton Ashkazar (Crack Away Jack form rock solid, with the 5 year olds looking seriously good and Songe, who he should beat anyway, penalised).

Something like £60s on each and and a £30 accumulator (only 750/1 this week!)



Barking Bets (Banked £1375/Current bank £2500 – 1 bet in play unaccounted)
This week's stake - £250.

Not sure it's a fair price and wouldn't want to play the handicap, but Wales should definitely win in the end against an England who were beaten by Italy in every department bar scrum half.
£250 at 1.3 I've been on the wrong end of some terrible rugby turnarounds though – you've been warned – but for me here there's little downside should England actually surprise – as I'll get to taunt a few friends!


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Friday 13th February

2009 Challenge Fund (£9135 - £430 in play accounted)
This month's stake - £100

Thanks to John for the heads-up. I was indeed going to go for Bournemouth again this weekend, but will hold fire. As I will Birmingham.

So, we're left with: Portsmouth. Who aren't as bad as Tony Adams made them look, against Man City who continue to be the wrong price away from home. Not for the faint-hearted obviously.

We'll follow this with Huddersfield, who could claim to be as good a team as Leeds currently.

Portsmouth £100 -0.25 at 6/4
Huddersfields £35 win at 7/4 and £65 draw no bet at Evens.
£25 fourfold – Portsmouth/Huddersfield/Birmingham/Bournemouth at 25/1ish

I'll decide on my weekly draw bet tomorrow.


Sandown – one of my favourite meetings to attend – another year speeds by. I'll play and if 8 runners remain, wouldn't mind an ew double on Bowleaze (loves the track) and Triggernomerty (Ollie Ellwood).



Barking Bets (Banked £1375/Current bank £2500 – 1 bet in play unaccounted)
This week's stake - £250.

Thursday 12th February

2009 Challenge Fund (£9200 - £430 in play accounted)
This month's stake - £100

I'll play Chepstow today. Placepot and small each way doubles – key horses Prince Sabbah/Zaffranger/Something Wells/Mister Potter/Shaking Hands.

My betleague exposure made me row in with a £100 treble on the rugby this weekend taking the faves collectively at 4/6.

And I threw £100 at some longshots in the Grand National – looking at the weights I really hope War of Attrition turns up.

Garde Champetre (following the Silver Birch route 40/1)
Knowhere (travelled well last year 66/1)
State of Play (could be v well hcapped 33/1)
Offshore Account (sneaky one if can get going – 150/1 fair)
Piraya (small, and hopeless but Pipe definitely likes him, and he's 400/1)






Barking Bets (Banked £1375/Current bank £2500 – 1 bet in play unaccounted)
This week's stake - £250.

Wednesday 11th February

2009 Challenge Fund (£9430 - £200 in play accounted)
This month's stake - £100

Modest win at Plumpton (Milennium Royal)

This week's hit and hope golf bet - £15 ew double Dyson and Harrington.

Another quiet day with Musselburgh looking tricky and doubtful.





Barking Bets (Banked £1375/Current bank £2500 – 1 bet in play unaccounted)
This week's stake - £250.

Monday 9th February

2009 Challenge Fund (£9360 - £200 in play accounted)
This month's stake - £100

Interesting thread on betfair suggesting Denman was light prior to Saturday's race. That would be a real worry – much easier getting condition off than putting it on I'd have thought.

May play Plumpton today, but can't get excited about it.

I'm off to London again tomorrow – trains permitting! - so back Wednesday.





Barking Bets (Banked £1375/Current bank £2500 – 1 bet in play unaccounted)
This week's stake - £250.

Sunday 8th February

2009 Challenge Fund (£9395 - £200 in play accounted)
This month's stake - £100

A bit early to be writing Denman off if you ask me. Nice win by Madison though, and got me back above £9000 which is a relief, even if it's still a loss on the year!

Today Arsenal seem to just about qualify for a bet on ratings – 5/4 looks about right.

Arsenal £50 win at 6/4 and £50 draw no bet at 8/11 – (beats the best asian price available for same bet).





Barking Bets (Banked £1375/Current bank £2500 – 1 bet in play unaccounted)
This week's stake - £250.

Saturday 7th February

2009 Challenge Fund (£8810 - £200 in play accounted)
This month's stake - £100

I had a decent day playing Fontwell yesterday – aided by the long odds-on faller! I'll probably play Kempton again today, but playing is the operative word. Madison Du Berlais could look too long, but god knows how you put a price on Denman today.

I'll do a 1000/1 treble for starters - £25 Springfield Raki (top class bumper form); Madison Du Berlais (Joe Lively and Denman cut each other's throats, Albertas Run stuck in the mud and my boy stays on late); and Tartak (a decent novice in a graduation race designed for dodgepots) – I told you it was 1000/1!

Football the place to concentrate the energies though. (John look away now).

Today is the day Bournemouth get back on track against a Shrewsbury side hapless on their travels. The bookies are after Birmingham again, and as they win pretty much every match by only 1 goal that's not surprising, but with the draw on-side the price is nice. And Sheffield United are squeezed in price because it's the derby, even though they haven't lost to Wednesday at home in at least 10. We'll keep the draw partly onside, all three bets.

A friend has had me looking at draw prices as well and I'm going to throw £100 at draw games each week till the end of the season as an experiment. Today's lucky runners are Forest/QPR and Plymouth/Derby.

Bournemouth £25 win at 7/4 and £75 draw no bet at close to evens.
Birmingham £100 Asian handicap -0.25 at 10/11 (or £40 win and £60 draw no bet)
Sheffield United £35 win at 10/11 and £65 draw no bet at 2/5

Forest/QPR £45 draw at 23/10 (11/5 available)
Plymouth/Derby £45 draw at 23/10 (11/5 available)
£10 draw double at 10/1ish





Barking Bets (Banked £1375/Current bank £2450 – 1 bet in play unaccounted)
This week's stake - £250.

Front two 1:00 Ayr possibly. Maybe rugby in-running.

Friday 6th February

2009 Challenge Fund (£8770 - £130 in play accounted)
This month's stake - £100

Ronan O'Gara just needs to stay fit to be top points scorer if the other nations continue to share duties. £100 at 5/4 – will at least provide some interest throughout what currently looks an unfathomably open tournament.



Barking Bets (Banked £1375/Current bank £2450 – 1 bet in play unaccounted)
This week's stake - £250.

Actually had a bet and a winner yesterday! Would think 6 nations would have opportunities.

Thursday 5th February

2009 Challenge Fund (£8800 - £130 in play accounted)
This month's stake - £100

Good start by Pietersen. I went against Liverpool prior to kick-off yesterday – they had been backed down to 5/4 which was wrong.

And also did a midweek each way double after last week's success – Ashkazar and Rod Pampling – though don't expect the Tote Trophy will go ahead now.



Barking Bets (Banked £1375/Current bank £2405 – 1 bet in play unaccounted)
This week's stake - £250.

Maybe a bet at Nad Al Sheba – Asiatic Boy and My Indy.

Wednesday 4th February

2009 Challenge Fund (£8865)
This month's stake - £100

Pietersen will be England's top run scorer this series – surely? 2/1 for me to find out.



Barking Bets (Banked £1375/Current bank £2405 – 1 bet in play unaccounted)
This week's stake - £250.

Tuesday 3rd February

2009 Challenge Fund (£8965)
This month's stake - £100

Snow stops play. Could be a big fund for Southwell placepot if enough bored people want to play.



Barking Bets (Banked £1375/Current bank £2405 – 1 bet in play unaccounted)
This week's stake - £250.

Monday 2nd February

2009 Challenge Fund (£8965)
This month's stake - £100

Golf, Taylor, Kalahari King, Pittsburgh late on – a good weekend and a winning week for once. Just need to kick on from here!

And we'll start with a day off...



Barking Bets (Banked £1375/Current bank £2405 – 1 bet in play unaccounted)
This week's stake - £250.

Sunday 1st February

2009 Challenge Fund (£8140 – 100 in running accounted)
This month's stake - £100

Doctor David proved expensive yesterday. At least MK Dons won. Very nearly played Bolton.

If Kaymer could sneak into a place, Kevin Na is handily placed also, but no doubt one of them will falter! Phil Taylor on the other hand should rumble on.

Today 'll stick by Kalahari King at around evens.

The football is one for the ratings, not for common sense. Newcastle may be rubbish but so are Sunderland. Everyone wants to be against Newcastle and it looks to have gone too far.

£100 at -0.25 gives us at least some protection at 5/4.




Barking Bets (Banked £1375/Current bank £2405 – 1 bet in play unaccounted)
This week's stake - £250.