You place a bet. Fingers crossed and all that. Low and behold, you have the day of days and that big win becomes a reality.
It happens.
Not enough, but it happens.
A win is a win is a win.
Preferably four figures. A decent win means many different things to many different people. I could be small change to you or a sack load of wonga. I’ve had a few big wins. The sad fact is that I remember far too many big winners. They fill me with horror just thinking about them now.
One should have returning about £10,000 for a bet of just £45.
I really can’t bring myself to talk about it. I could point you to the race and you would watch the video and say: ‘What the fu*k happened there!’
Years later, I’m still asking myself the same thing.
The school of hard knocks, hey. It’s a killer.
Anyway, I would say this, if you ever fancy a horse at giant odds, bet on it. Else you will be tempting fate and horrified if the beast wins.
This is a slow introduction. I do, thankfully, remember a number of big wins not only for me but my family and friends.
Winnings are good but what you do with the money is what can be a reminder and memory of a great day.
Here are a few memories which stick in my mind:
My Dad’s A Winner
I’m sure plenty of sons and daughters think their dad is a winner. I have little doubt if it wasn’t for my father’s interest in horse racing I wouldn’t be a gambler this day. It hasn’t been a negative in any shape or form. In fact, I often wonder how different my life would have been without. It sounds an unusual thing to consider and say but I know my life would have take a different path.
I remember a couple of stories about Dad’s winning bets.
It’s All In A Name
Believe it or not (you should do as it’s the truth) that our childhood pet cat, Pogle, was named after a horse called Pogle’s Wood. I have no idea when this happened but I imagine from the date we had our cat it must have been in the mid to late 1970s. So Pogle was named after a horse! A winning bet. I don’t even know how much dad won but I guess it was a good few hundred. I can be confident it was an accumulator. What a beautiful moment in time and reminder of good times. Pogle was a loving cat and part of our family. Happy memories.
A Fully Paid Holiday
On one of our family holidays at Great Yarmouth, staying a not so good house, with my lovely aunt and uncle, too, dad placed an each-way Yankee. It wasn’t a big bet, probably a few pounds at most. The first three horses won. We all walked around the corner to watch the last winner. My brother and I always had a big interest in horse racing and we selected the last horse. It was a pleasure to watch. A winner from start to finish, pulling clear of the field. Dad didn’t say a word. He didn’t shout or cheer. Just smiled. He won £800, which paid for the holiday and extra. I wish I could go back to that day and just watch dad and give him a hug. It’s only when loved ones are gone you see the truth of love.
A Golden Handshake
I have had winners. A few decent sums of money. Although I do feel I am unlucky and need to be twice as good as other to get a fair crack of the whip. Anyway, you may be thinking this sounds like a limp excuse. It proves the point that we can make a memory live long in the memory. I remember a horse trained by Andrew Balding called My Learned Friend. This was on the horse’s third start and a 16/1 with bookmakers. I think on the exchanges I got about 34/1 and had a bet to win £1600. Thankfully, My Learned Friend won in a photo by a short-head. Thank the Lord. After so many hard luck stories something good happened. [There has been other good things happen]. To celebrate the win I bought a 1970 Omega gold watch. I think it cost £160. Whenever I wear that watch I think of that day. It’s a good idea to buy something when you have a big win as it marks a moment in time.
It’s Tony Time
I could write a book about my brother Tony’s wins. I’m not sure if he has bought a gold watch or something extra special to mark those precious moments. I remember an excited telephone call just after a horse race had finished. It was Tony saying he had won £4,000 for a £20 bet. A horse called Puggy, making her debut at Salisbury. The only win of her life but that doesn’t mean this filly wasn’t a star performer because she raced at pattern class including a great run in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket. Wonderful memories. Thinking about it, he did mark the occasion with a photo of Puggy either winning on debut or when racing in the Classic. What a day that was.
Tony has had some many big wins and a good few at Great Yarmouth, a couple of four-figure wins in photo finishes.
In fact, our holidays to the Norfolk coast always coincide with big wins. This year we won over £3000 in a week. I said to him: ‘When you make more money being on holiday than working you should stay on holiday.’
He has had at least 8 triple figure winners (on the exchanges) and they have all resulted in four-figure wins.
Danny & Paul Great Days
We are lucky to have a loving family. And my two cousins are in the same mould as us. I’m sure it all comes from your Dads. It does for us. They both had big wins at the bookies, casino and racecourse.
The next time you have a win and a decent wad of money goes into tour pocket think what you can buy to add to the memory.
The win itself is enough but it’s a beautiful thing to spend money on yourself and especially others.
Photo: Pixabay (free)
