This has, without doubt, been the most profitable Cheltenham Festival I’ve had.  Each day has coughed up a big priced winner.  When the sport is as good as it is, and you’re making money whilst you’re watching it all, you have to ask if it can get any better.  My feeling is that no, it can’t.

Before I go through the last day, I want to answer a query I’ve had re. the figures.  It was pointed out to me that for Day 3, my ROI for the day was 30%+, but if you added up the points totals for each service it came to a negative number.  The explanation is that not each service carries the same £/point value.  So for example, 1 point of Racing Service A money is three times greater than 1 point of Jason James money.  I hope that clears up any questions folk might have.

And so Day 4.

What a start to the day!  Racing Service A told his members right at the start of the week that the first two days of the Festival didn’t have the shape for producing lots of really good, strong tips, but that Days 3 and 4 did.  How prophetic that turned out to be.  Blanks on Days 1 and 2, big profit on Days 3 and 4.  The 1.30 yesterday saw us have two big antepost bets – one on the hot favourite, Apples Shakira, which had been advised back in November prior to the horse even racing in the UK at 16/1 (went off at 6/5), and the other on eventual winner Farclas at 20s!  Oh, yes!

Things calmed down a little after that with the next five races all ending up providing a loss, despite Racing Service B finding the winner of the Gold Cup, Native River, at 5/1, but there was to be one last hurrah.

The final race of the Festival, a wide open, 22-runner handicap with all the challenges that such a race presents to a tipster in terms of finding the winner, proved to be no problem at all for Racing Service C, which ran with two selections for the race.  Three Sisters at 18/1 ran superbly well to finish 5th and therefore pick up a return via enhanced place terms at the bookies, but not as well as 16/1 winner Le Prezien.  Fine tipping, which was backed up by a healthy place return for Racing Service A pick Top Gamble (16/1) which finished third.  A memorable end to a memorable week.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these daily updates.  Thanks for reading, and thanks too for the efforts of all the tipsters I’ve followed for their hard work and diligence.  I imagine they all find Cheltenham intense and mentally draining, so it’s great to see them rewarded by winners and profits.  Well done, Chaps! 🙂

Figures for Day 4:

Jason James: Staked 3pts, -3pts.

Northern Monkey: Staked 6.5pts, -4.425pts.

Racing Service A: Staked 6.5pts, +6.5pts.

Racing Service B: Staked 3.75pts, +4.5pts.

Racing Service C: Staked 6pts, +10.25pts.

ROI: 57.52%.

Figures for the Festival:

Jason James: Staked 18pts, -4.4pts.

Northern Monkey: Staked 18.75pts, +14.214pts.

Racing Service A: Staked 21pts, +6.625pts.

Racing Service B: Staked 20.75pts, +10.25pts.

Racing Service C: Staked 26pts, +33.675pts.

ROI: 63.53%.

Can’t help thinking the above would have been a better song for Slade to sing.  Certainly it’s one that would have held more meaning.  Perhaps I’m getting  bit cocky here, but so far Cheltenham has been like having a licence to print money!  One day to go…I’d quite happily just consolidate my profit now.

Today was the turn of Racing Service A to shine.  He’d struggled over the first two days and hadn’t registered a return, but that all changed in the first race of the day, the JLT Novice’s Chase.  TVB’s tip, Shattered Love, was backed as if defeat was out of the question as the 9s I’d taken when the tip came through had shortened to 4s by the time the tape flew up at the start of the race.  And there was only our horse in it at the last – very nice.

The 2.50 – the Ryanair Chase – was a triumph for Northern Monkey who had the winner, Balko Des Flos, at 6/1, albeit to a fairly small stake.

All was pretty quiet after that, a couple of minor place returns preventing from any race becoming a disaster financially.  The Stayer’s Hurdle proved to be a little expensive as there was no return at all from eight bets in the race.  That can happen frequently during the Festival, and losses mount up quickly, but this race apart it just hasn’t happened this year.

Racing Service A chipped in again in the 4.10, one of those big, open handicaps that look all but impossible to solve, when each way bet King’s Odyssey finished in the frame at 33/1.  But the highlight of the day came in the last when Northern Monkey’s Missed Approach won in what I felt was a particularly game way at 20/1!  Wayne’s sheer consistency at this meeting this year has been truly remarkable – can he repeat the trick by bagging a winner or two tomorrow, Gold Cup day?

One thing I’ve noticed this year is that each day so far has been a superb one for one particular service or another.  Northern Monkey had loads of winners on Tuesday, Bet Alchemist had a stormer yesterday, and it was interesting to see the Morning Value Festival service find three winners today at 6/1, 10/1 and 11/1!

Figures for today:

Jason James: Staked 6pts, -3.5pts.

Northern Monkey: Staked 5.625pts, +4.019pts.

Racing Service A: Staked 5.5pts, +9.125pts.

Racing Service B: Staked 8.5pts, -8.5pts.

Racing Service C: Staked 6pts, -2.3pts.

ROI for the day: 34.67%.

Prior to today’s racing it all felt a little anti-climactic after yesterday’s excitement, truth be told.  There were far fewer bets, but I think it’s fair to say that no day at the Cheltenham Festival can ever be described as mundane.  The events that unfolded certainly proved this to be the case!

Interesting fact of the day – Lee Westwood won £22k on the Tote jackpot yesterday.  Good for him – he must need the money!

Nothing of interest happened in the first with two horses backed each way finishing in the place positions but the odds meaning each produced a tiny loss.

Better in the RSA Novices Chase up next as Northern Monkey continued his fine form with Presenting Percy, backed antepost at 14s winning very nicely.  Despite a few losers in the race from elsewhere, a profit was the reward and if you can come away from a race at Cheltenham saying that, then all’s good!

The most profitable race of the day was by far the Coral Cup, an impossible looking handicap hurdle.  Not for Racing Service C, it wasn’t!  Bleu Berry – a winner at 28/1, William Henry finishing in the place money at 9/1.  Wow!  Just wow!  Northern Monkey’s William Henry chipped in too by placing at 10/1 to bolster the gain, but not by as much as The Organist which, at 25/1, was a good one to place for Racing Service B.

A small profit from the Champion Chase with Altior showing what a splendid beast he is and landing the odds for Jason James.

It was all downhill from there though.  No more winners and only a tiny return from the place part of an each way bet in the last.  The thrill of the Coral Cup was still causing tingles to run down the spine.

What a day.  What a race!

Cheltenham figures:

Jason James: Staked 3pts, -0.9pts.

Northern Monkey: Staked 3.375pts, +3.4pts.

Racing Service A: Staked 2.5pts, -2.5pts.

Racing Service B: Staked 3pts, +4.25pts.

Racing Service C: Staked  6pts, +16.025pts.

Total ROI: 107.59%.

And it is chaos!

Seriously, loads of bets going down, many on long priced horses in races that on paper, look unfathomable.  This is a meeting that can test the mental fortitude of us punters, and from experience, the week is much easier to handle if it can only get off to a decent start.

Interesting fact of the day that I heard on Radio 5 Live whilst making a cuppa – over £2.5 million pounds will be withdrawn from the cash points in the main stand between today and Friday.  Two-and-a-half-million!

Bearing in mind what I said about getting off to a decent start, it was so good to end up nicely in profit from the first race, the Supreme Novices Hurdle.  Racing Service C had put up Summerville Boy at 12s a wee while ago, and despite making more than one error over the hurdles, including clouting the second last and hardly flying the last, it still managed to get up to win by a neck!  It was such an exciting climax to the race and in that regard, the first race set the tone for the rest of the day, a number of the races providing thrilling finishes.

So heartened by a winning start, it was on to the Arkle, and this time it was Northern Monkey coming up with the goods.  As the second leg of an 8/1 double (the first leg being some winner I can’t even remember from the all weather), I was hopeful that hot favourite Footpad would come up with the goods.  Bearing in mind that it too, like Summerville Boy in the previous race, made more than one jumping blunder, the fact that it won going away suggests to me it is quite the racehorse!

What a start it had been, but the Champion Hurdle brought the winning streak to a halt with none of the three horses I had my dosh on involved in the finish.

The Mares’ Hurdle brought a modest winner for Northern Monkey who had risked just a small stake on Benie Des Dieux getting the better of many people’s banker of the day, Apples Jade.

The 4.50, a fiendishly difficult looking Novice Chase brought the best result of the day.  I felt sorry for Racing Service A who had a 25/1 antepost bet on Ms Parfois, which went off at 11/2!  The mare ran a tremendously gallant race, looking like she was going to get up about 50 yards from the line, only to be pipped by Rathvinden in a finish that had me on my feet and jumping around the living room like a kangaroo on speed.  Rathvinden had been tipped you see, by Northern Monkey (again!), Racing Service B, and Racing Service C.  The prices I had were 12/1, 7/1 and 6/1 respectively.

And so to the last, and thinking that the winning run really had to come to an end, up popped Mister Whitaker to land the spoils for Jason James and (I kid you not), Northern Monkey!

I don’t recall ever having such a consistently profitable day at the Festival as yesterday.  There’s a nagging feeling that Cheltenham might just be about to bite back.  Tune in tomorrow to find out….

Cheltenham Figures:

Jason James: Staked 6pts, +3pts.

Northern Monkey: Staked 3.5pts, +11.22pts.

Racing Service A: Staked 6.5pts, -6.5pts.

Racing Service B: Staked 5.5pts, +10pts.

Racing Service C: Staked 6pts, +9.7pts.

Total ROI: 81.57%.

Patience.

The mantra of the successful bettor.  Let’s say it again…”Patience”.

How often do you read of the need for patience?  The patience you need as your best tipster goes through a long losing run.  Or the patience you must show when a 93rd minute equalizer against the team you’ve backed goes in as a result of a shocking penalty decision? Or perhaps how much patience you are told you must bear when the nag you’ve grabbed 20/1 about finds itself three lengths ahead halfway inside the final furlong, is trading at 1.01 in running on the Exchanges, but then runs out of puff and ends up second by a short head?

Yup.  Patience is a big thing.  But you know what?  This week, I’ve run out of the stuff.

Nothing to do with losers or a poor run of form.  Nothing to do with extra time penalties going against me or backing long-priced horses whose stamina stretches for 6.5 furlongs but not the 7 furlongs of the race it’s running in.

Nope.  None of these things.

I shall tell you the source of my IMpatience, shall I?  It’s summed up in one word.  CHELTENHAM.

It’s next week you see, and not this week.  And I can’t wait.  I’m just finding it impossible to muster much enthusiasm for Fontwell or Lingfield – it’s all about next Tuesday for me.  And yes, before you start, I know a 3/1 winner at Fontwell pays the same as a 3/1 winner at Cheltenham…but it’s not quite the same, is it?  It’s just not.

I’m clutching a 16/1 antepost ticket on the strong favourite in the very first race, courtesy of Racing Service A.  I’ve been clutching that ticket for what feels like an absolute age.  What a start to the Festival that might be!

Four more sleeps.  Just four…

Figures for March

Such a quiet start to the month.

AH Edge: Staked 12pts, +1.39pts, ROI 11.62%, ROC 2.32%.

Football Service 1: Staked 1pt, +1.68pts, ROI 168.32%, ROC 3.36%.

Jason James: Staked 4pts, -4pts, ROI -100%, ROC -2%.

MVS (Lite): Staked 4pts, -1pt, ROI -25%, ROC -1.11%.

MVS (Multiples): Staked 13pts, -2pts, ROI -15.38%, ROC -0.5%.

Northern Monkey: Staked 1.75pts, +1.43pts, ROI 82.14%, ROC 1.79%.

Pilelist Racing: n/a

Racing Service A: n/a

Racing Service B: Staked 6.25pts, +4.75pts, ROI 76%, ROC 2.37%.

Racing Service C: n/a

Total: ROI 9.95%, ROC 0.36%.