If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
Announcement
Collapse
Fat Jockey Patrons
Fat Jockey is a horse racing community focused on all the big races in the UK and Ireland. We don't charge users but if you have found the site useful then any support towards the running costs is appreciated. Become a Patron!
Thanks, Ferdy was a great trainer and an absolute gentleman and fantastic company, such a funny down to earth man, a sad loss RIP. Also a great judge of a jockey, used Adrian Maguire at the start and end of his career, used Paul Carberry who was not only a superb jockey but an amazing judge of a horse. Also give Davy Russell his big break and he didn’t do too badly.
Ferdy’s record at the festival was so good, Paddy’s Return, Stop The Waller, Naiad Du Misselot and the ones mentioned and others probably can’t recall來 Lads hate to correct you but it was Aces Four that was behind Denmanno problem when you correct me when I’m wrongGetting back to Ferdy he was an amazing trainer of a staying chaser, eg Sibton Abbey, Paris Pike, Ackzo, Streamstown....
Welcome FH , you’ve stirred some memories with those great names of the past .
Hi my name is Danny and I’m 49 I’ve been into Horse racing since a very early age due to my Dad. I used to watch it with on a Saturday afternoon, he loved Lester Piggott and in my opinion he remains the greatest jockey ever. I remember horse like Popsi’s Joy and a brilliantly versatile horse Ardross. Every Grand National my Dad used to place a pound on a horse of our choice, I picked Ben Nevis who won at 40/1 and I was hooked.
I in general prefer the Flat but without doubt the best meeting of the year is Cheltenham. It’s now my Christmas and I countdown the days. Favourite horse sorry that’s impossible far too many to pick one. Bonanza Boy, Lochsong, Salsabil, Dancing Brave, Bobs Worth. The list could go on and on and on.
I’ve been lucky enough to have shares in horses and had winners at Wetherby, Newcastle, Catterick, Hexham, Windsor, Wolverhampton, Musselburgh, Chepstow, Southwell and Newmarket. Was lucky enough to have a 1/4 share in Birkdale when he was trained by Ferdy Murphy he finished 2nd in the Thyestes in Gowran Park then later ran in the Grand National, great times and memories.
Welcome Danny Frenchholly , I'd like to agree with you and Q ,
But your'e 10 year's out for me !!.
Anyhow , Sometime when your'e in the mood .
Give us a little insight to the horses youv'e been involved with.
I'm sure there's plenty of people here , interested to hear . .
Welcome Danny Frenchholly , I'd like to agree with you and Q ,
But your'e 10 year's out for me !!.
Anyhow , Sometime when your'e in the mood .
Give us a little insight to the horses youv'e been involved with.
I'm sure there's plenty of people here , interested to hear . .
Well for those who are interested, I’ll try and keep it as brief as possible.
The first syndicate me and my Dad joined was with Arthur Stephenson way back it was the first syndicate horse at his stables and was therefore named Going Public. He was by Strong Gale and was a beautiful looking horse. He ran first time and Perth travelled well under Chris Grant who held him in high regard but petered out very tamely. He had a tendency to travel supremely well but never finish his race. Arthur unfortunately died and his nephew Peter Cheeseborough took over. He ran at Musselburgh and did his tendon. He was out for over a year, ran several times without any success. He then won at Newcastle at 14/1 I think? and I didn’t have a penny on! Next time he won at Wetherby and I had a decent bet on. Just when we finally thought all his problems had been rectified he ran disappointingly. Until he did another tendon and decided to call it a day. He did come back again without any success.
Also had a share in another Strong Gale called Strong Measure with Cheeseborough. He was very average and managed to win a small race at Hexham. The reason I actually prefer the flat is NH racing tends to be very attritional and injuries are very common and frustrating when you have a share in one or two horses.
Then preceded to get a share in a sprinter called Miss Aragon trained by Lynn Siddall. Initially another syndicate fell apart so Lynn phoned to say she was running in a seller at
Haydock and she’d win. So had a decent bet to win at first show 20/1 she duly won at 16s. So we decided to form another syndicate to join her over a year later. After running with promise, she ran one day at Doncaster and disappointed. They found out she had a bad back and after a couple of runs she then won twice at Newmarket’s July course in a week. Had Bajan Affair with Lynn who unexpectedly won on her hurdles debut then ran a very distant 4th behind Mysliv at the December Cheltenham meeting. But never did anything after wards. Had another horse with Lynn called The Other Man he was absolutely useless!
Then in the Racing Post there was an advert for a syndicate for a 2yo with Ferdy Murphy. He only ran once at Ripon under Ray Cochrane and was no good and Ferdy got rid straight away. He then got the same syndicate a maiden hurdler from Ireland called Pharbrig. He had two sighters and then Ferdy told us get yourselves to Catterick. We backed him at 5/1 in a Maiden chase he won by 15l under Iain Jardine but the saddest thing I saw he died of a heart attack in the winners enclosure. We than got a little mare called Goldengirlmichelle who won once at Musselburgh but never backed it, she was an expensive failure at Towcester then moved on. Ferdy then bought Birkdale from Major Ivan Straker with the aim of winning the Thyestes. He was 2nd first time out at Wetherby, then over Christmas was 3rd in the Rowland Meyrick. He was supposed to have one last tune up run at Wetherby but the meeting was lost due to fog. So off to Gowran Park where he finished a gallant 2nd trying to give 12lbs to This Is Serious who won the Eider on his next start. He may have only been 3rd if The Bunny Boiler hadn’t fallen who on his next start when the Midlands National. Birkdale then ran 9 days later at Uttoxeter and pulled up the race coming too soon. He was supposed to run in the Kim Muir but the ground was considered too fast. So onto the Grand National where Ferdy hired him out for a considerable amount of money to Sporting Index. He was 10th behind Bindaree on ground too fast. That was the last time he ran any sort of race.
Then joined a syndicate with a horse Evan Williams he was unraced and for the life of me cannot remember his name? He was well regarded by his trainer and was going to run at Chepstow in a bumper but days before he was injured but fair play to Evan he gave the syndicate the money back. Then for whatever reason we moved onto Paul Blockley the syndicate got a horse called Rideawhiteswan who was a half brother to the useful Baby Strange. But I’m afraid he was a complete disappointment. At the time I’d been going through a purple patch gambling winning five figure sums on Purple Moon, Utmost Respect, Indian Trail and Pipedreamer. So I asked Paul if he could get me a quarter share in a horse? He said give him a month or so and told me he had a real fun horse. Her name Friends Hope and she really was. He said she didn’t get into foal and was well handicapped.
Paul told us she would win first time up despite not having ran for over a year. Anyway the day was Southwells first meeting back after having the track relaid due to flooding I think. Paul’s confidence was tempered by this he said he couldn’t be sure how it would ride otherwise he felt she’d be a steering job. He still said have a good bet on her and I had a decent bet at 16s. She bolted up by 5 lengths at 9/1. The handicapper put her up 13lb so on Boxing Day at Wolverhampton Paul put up a 7lb claimer Gabriel Hannon. Told she should win we went in for a decent amount at 5/1. Next she stepped up in distance in 1m 4f she was last of six but her ideal trip was 1m2f. She was then given a break before a spin over hurdles to tune her up for a Musselburgh seller. Paul said you could have what you wanted on her. So I placed my biggest bet ever on her at 5/1 she duly obliged. She then twice finished twice over 1m4f due to no suitable races. She then went to Jersey to win an egg and spoon. She was 2nd at Newmarket then won at Chepstow. She started the season on 57 and went up to 79 and she was too high in the handicap. So it was decided to move on unfortunately my Dad took ill and died so I lost my passion for a while. But good times and great memories.
Definitely recommend it to anyone and maybe if we could get enough interested parties we could have a syndicate?
Some great stories there FH, fantastic read.
I bet it was interesting working with Evan Williams, I know a few that have owned horses with him and they tell me he’s an interesting character with some equally interesting methods.
Welcome, look forward to future discussion...
Some great stories there FH, fantastic read.
I bet it was interesting working with Evan Williams, I know a few that have owned horses with him and they tell me he’s an interesting character with some equally interesting methods.
Welcome, look forward to future discussion...
Cheers, never had anything to do Evan Williams but he advised us all to back State Of Play to win the Hennessy.
The age old thing. No new members introducing themselves, then two come at once. So here goes.......................
I've been a lifelong National Hunt Racing fan, a member at Cheltenham for many years, and I’ve owned horses in the past. Although not for some time now. My early memories of racing were watching the classic Nationals of the 70's, in particular the Red Rum/Crisp race. Plus the golden era of Champion Hurdlers from the early 70's to early 80's. There have been some great horses over the years, but my top three would have to be Kauto Star, Istabraq, and Moscow Flyer.
I’m not new to horse racing forums. In fact I was the original member of a horse racing forum called Neigh, and administered it for many years, but it slowly died as the world of Facebook and Twitter took hold. I’ve also been a member of Talking Horses for a very long time, posting under the name Maruco. I’ve just stumbled across FJ in the last couple of days, and after having a good read of recent posts, I’m hugely impressed by the high quality discussions. I particularly love the dedicated Cheltenham discussion, and the level of knowledge is first class. Hopefully with my connections in racing, my passion for the sport, and my complete obsession for Cheltenham, and the Festival in particular, I can jump in and join the flow.
I'm another who's had far more antepost bets than usual for this time of the year, and I'll kick off a diary when I get a moment. I get the debate about not seeing the end of season Festivals at Aintree and Punchestown, but a look back at my own betting history says that they probably wouldn't have impacted too much on the bets I've already had. My early antepost betting has increased significantly over the last five years, and the current situation hasn't really made too much difference to my approach. I tend to have five concentrated period of antepost bets. After the previous years Festival, Christmas, Dublin Racing Festival, NRNB, and the handicaps entry stages. There are bits and pieces in between, but I look to build a Festival book over a 12 month period. I'm not wedded to particular races as I build my overall book, because the form develops at different speeds, and the likely final make up of a race can change significantly, and sometimes very late as we saw with the Champion Chase this year. Almost all bets, apart from the obvious early shorter priced horses, are each way, and I often go back in on many horses several times as the season plays out. I'll also look to lay a considerable amount of my book back in the immediate lead up to the Festival, with the intent of locking in a profit before the Festival starts, with a smaller amount of laying through the season. The development of my approach has meant only two losing Festivals in the last 20 years. But you continue to learn and adapt, and I’ve already picked up a couple of gems from lurking over the last couple of days.
I've been interested in the debate about value prices, and in particular the likes of Envoi Allen, Shishkin, Epatante, and Easysland. I know Archie (who I know from TH), would think I'm crazy backing them at their respective prices, but I respectfully disagree. Three of the four of them will go off odds on, and bets at the earlier prices on each are a steal. I'd even consider current prices. My view is that they are part of an overall Cheltenham book, and I accept that some will go south. I'd need two (EA and Shishkin) or three (any other combination) of them not to make the Festival as a group for it to be painful. Even then quick cash out can save the day, and my overall book would usually cover it anyway. Also they are perfect to have running through each way multiples, and are a perfect dirty each way yankee, which I've split up in to separate doubles, trebles and the acca for cash out purposes. The bottom line is we all have very different betting styles, approaches to form study, appetites for risk, available betting banks, etc, so it makes sense that it's an individual thing with no right or wrong answer.
Finally, to end my first War and Peace post, by coincidence, I too was friends with Ferdy. And I concur. He was one of life's gentlemen. He was fantastic company and fun to be around, so it was a very sad loss when he passed away. One of Ferdy’s horses remain my biggest ever win single at the Festival. Naiad du Misselot had been on my radar for some time. I knew the horse, I knew Ferdy's style, I knew he liked the horse a lot, and he was a genius at handicapping a horse. I began backing him the moment the handicaps were out. I had one really good bet immediately, and I then continued to chip away at him every few days. I had further sizeable bets at the five day stage, and then again when the final entries came out. And then finished off with one big bet on course on the day, still utterly convinced he’d win. The race itself was different though, and it was a roller coaster ride that turned in to pure agony. He looked to have it won when he went to the front at the last going as well as anything, but Kicks For Free was tough and came upsides up the hill, and at the line I pretty much convinced myself that the Nicholls horse had got up and won by a gnats whisker. Waiting for the photograph was excruciating and seemed to take an age, but agony turned to extasy the moment the announcement came. I don’t remember the rest of the day because it became an alcohol induced blur, but I found out some time later that I’d also had a 50/1 winner in the County Hurdle with Silver Jaro. I didn’t even see the race!!! The celebrations that night were late, long, and extremely messy. The winning amount from Naiad du Misselot winning was literally a life changing sum. One that allowed me to make some investments that subsequently paid off, and a few years later left me set me up for the rest of my life. I love Cheltenham!
Anyway, I don't intend to be one of those new members who makes a few opening posts and disappears. I'm looking forward to getting stuck into the discussion about the coming season with you all, and to continue doing so for many more seasons to come.
Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more I sweat, the luckier I get.
Welcome aboard Spectre, and also FrenchHolly, looking forward to you both getting stuck in to what is already a very informative place. I have no doubts you'll both add value
Welcome Spectre - a great opening post and love the Naiad Du Misselot tale. Your nerves must have been shredded waiting for the photo - I was convinced he was beat.
Anyway, I don't intend to be one of those new members who makes a few opening posts and disappears. I'm looking forward to getting stuck into the discussion about the coming season with you all, and to continue doing so for many more seasons to come.
Welcome
I feel like we've signed a world class footballer on the bosman after reading that.
I feel like we've signed a world class footballer on the bosman after reading that.
Haha....thought similar. Spectre welcome, any chance there is a link anywhere for the Naiad Du Misselot win, I feel like reliving that drama? Did have a look but couldn’t find any
Wowsers!! That is some introduction Spectre! Great read and always wonderful to hear when people have life changing wins as they are few and far between in this game but just what we all hope may happen to us one day. Great to have you on board.
Haha....thought similar. Spectre welcome, any chance there is a link anywhere for the Naiad Du Misselot win, I feel like reliving that drama? Did have a look but couldn’t find any
Don't think YouTube was about in the 1950's .....lol !
Welcome Maruco. Anyone over 40 will help redress the balance! Absolutely you are old enough and, probably, ugly enough to back all those hideous shorties.
Maybe you can answer a question that has puzzled me for years. I've been doing forums for, what, 20 years or more and I've always been 'archie'. What's the rationale for different names on different forums?
To everyone, experience on Neigh and TH says that this is a sound bloke who is civil at all times even when provoked. He backs the occasional winner.
We process personal data about users of our site, through the use of cookies and other technologies, to deliver our services, personalize advertising, and to analyze site activity. We may share certain information about our users with our advertising and analytics partners. For additional details, refer to our Privacy Policy.
By clicking "I AGREE" below, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our personal data processing and cookie practices as described therein. You also acknowledge that this forum may be hosted outside your country and you consent to the collection, storage, and processing of your data in the country where this forum is hosted.
Tweet
Comment