Huntingdon Racecourse

20th February 2025

This afternoon, the Gambling Gods presented me with a rather pleasant conundrum to solve: What to do when your first bet of the day comes up with a decent win (£70 for a £10 stake, in this case).  

Should I just turn around and leave with my pleasingly bulging wallet?  Should I add my winnings to my £50 gambling pot for the day, and really go for it?  Or, restrain myself, and stick to my five tenner bets.

In the end, with admirable self-control, I stuck to the latter course.  But, boy could I feel the pull of sticking the whole lot on one horse; just for the buzz of watching a race with a LOT (or, a lot for me) riding on it.

But, having had to fork out £70 for a ticket at Villa Park the previous evening, I decided there was a bit of karma going on here, and that some deity somewhere had chosen to pay for my footie ticket for me.

The horse who had done the biz for me in Race One was TimeToShine ridden by Nico de Boinville.  But such are the vagaries of betting, even as I was being congratulated by the bookie when picking up my money, I found myself vaguely disgruntled.  I had placed by each-way tenner on at 10/1, and had noted the odds had briefly fluctuated up to 14/1 on the lady's board.  Why hadn't I waited?!!

TimeToShine winning Race One

...and into the Winner's Enclosure...

...before the important weigh-in.

As it transpired, I discovered I had used up all my luck (for I am not so silly to think I have any skill in this business) in Race One, and all but one of my selections in subsequent races toddled in way down the order.  The sole exception was Sea Presenting who came second in Race Four - but this was part of a Place Double, which collapsed with Far Away West's dire display in Race Five.

Here we have J'Habite En France leading Race Two, with my horse Thank You Blue
 way back out of shot.  He/She pulled up with two to jump and leisurely trotted in
 long after the race had finished.

Horses coming out for Race Five - I needed to Far Away West 

to be placed for a wee double to come up.

First time round the course - that's my horse at the back!  

He/She did briefly challenge the leading pack late on, but finished sixth.

So - excluding my entrance fee and race card I wandered away from Huntingdon £20 to the good.  Hardly lifestyle-changing, I admit, but a darned sight preferable to the chap I overheard glumly admitting to his mate he had "lost £300 today".

With a few hours to spare before the racing started, I had toddled into Huntingdon itself for a poke around.  And a rather pleasant little town centre it has.  Oliver Cromwell was born and raised here, I learned, so went into the modest little museum in the town housed in his former school.

Therein, I was rather surprised to see the extent to which the reputation of the murderous thug is being rehabilitated.  I suppose the good folks of Huntingdon are taking a similar view to that of the Russian people with regard to Putin: He may be a vicious dictator, but at least he is OUR vicious dictator.