For the first time this year, a strong week’s betting has been immediately followed by another, and it was almost entirely down to a nice winner on the golf in 50/1 shot Jesper Svensson for Weekly Golf Value.  That really though, is only half the story.

I woke, as usual, at around 7.00 on Sunday morning (why is it the older I get the harder I find it to enjoy a lie in?).  made some coffee (why is it that as I get older, although I can’t enjoy a lie in I do need a strong dose of caffeine before feeling moderately human?) and switched on the telly to see what my golfers were doing in the latter stages of the tournament in Singapore.  And there was Svensson at the top by two shots, with Golf Betting Club’s wonderfully-named Kiradech Aphibarnrat (80/1) behind in second.  The first shot I saw was the latter eagling the 18th to force a play-off!

It’s a nice position to be in as a bettor.  A two-horse race when you’re on each at 50/1 and 80/1.  Although my selfish slight preference was for Jenssen, bearing in mind I had twice as big a stake on him, albeit at the shorter odds, it was lovely to just be able to enjoy my coffee and see what panned out.  What did pan out was an incredibly tense play-off and have to admit, I think I’d have had to have turned it off if I was only on one of them!

So, as it worked out, with the win and another three placers in the US event that Sunday evening, it was an excellent all round week for Weekly Golf Value, and despite the disappointment of Aphibarnrat’s ultimate defeat, Golf Betting Club were able to enjoy another profitable few days.

Away from the gold and it was, as had been noted in my previous Bet Diary post, a very quiet week.  The Bookie Bashing Early Pay Out Tracker usually generates most turnover, but due to the lack of domestic football as a consequence of the infernal and completely superfluous international break, only  managed to get five Lucky 15s down all week.  Only three Value Bets from the same outfit’s Bet Tracker too, no DD/HH strategy bet….you can see the impact.

Sys Analyst was able to carry on as normal of course, and generated a bit more profit to keep pushing forward, but sadly the horses was the main drain on resources last week with the Lucky 15s from Bookie Bashing Racing Tracker enduring a horrible few days.  I thought we were about to get a major boost from these just yesterday when the first horse in a Lucky 15 came in at 20/1, as did the second at 9/2.  Here we go!  Pants were being removed (Josh!) and about to be placed on head, but that would have proved to be premature with how the two remaining horses ran.  Oh well, that big win will arrive some day.

Before it does, here are the figures…

Betting 2024

Account Angel: Staked 1,370pts, -34.22pts. ROI -2.49%

Bookie Bashing Early Pay Out Tracker: Staked 4,245pts, +628.98pts, ROI 14.81%, ROC 41.93%

Bookie Bashing Golf Tracker/Weekly Golf Value: Staked 2,047.5pts, +167.51pts, ROI: 8.18%, ROC: 11.16%

Golf (Win Only): Staked 150pts, -150pts, ROI -100%, ROC -15%

Bookie Bashing Racing Tracker (Lucky 15s): Staked 3,375pts, -312.06pts, ROI: -9.24%, ROC: -20.8%.

Bookie Bashing Value Bets Tracker: Staked 2,094pts, +450.23pts, ROI: 21.5%, ROC: 45.02%

DD/HH: Staked 474.5pts, -103.5pts, ROI: -21.81%, ROC: -10.35%.

Golf Betting Club: Staked 805pts, +239.12pts, ROI 29.7%, ROC 17.08%

NFL strategy: Staked 94.5pts, +95.45pts, ROI: 101%, ROC: 9.54%

Sys Analyst: Staked 1,266.05pts, +461.81pts, ROI: 36.47%, ROC: 46.1%

Touchdown Profit: Staked 120pts, +75.44pts, ROI: 62.86%, ROC: 7.54%

TOTAL ROI: 9.46%

What sort of percentage of those who take an interest in top level football do you think, believe this latest break for international friendlies to be a good idea?  I’m aware some countries are playing qualifiers, but which muppets are responsible for this current schedule?

We’re in the midst of what is the most exciting Title race for years, Manchester City are due to play Real Madrid and Arsenal Bayern Munich in the Champions’ League quarter finals – two hugely glamorous and exciting matches – and yet we have to stop so Gareth Southgate can take a look at how Jordan Henderson might fit into his midfield and Harry Maguire the defence.  Perleeeease!

Another impact that this international break is having is on my betting output.  I’ve barely struck a bet this week.  We have the golf, but other than that there’s been one (unusual) Monday tip from Sys Analyst and today, Thursday, I’ve placed my first Lucky 15 of the week.  The Bookiebashing Early Pay Out Tracker has been rendered almost redundant by the lack of football, and there have been no Bet Tracker Value Bets to speak of.  Seriously, this betting week has been a wash out.

Fingers crossed things will pick up a bit over the weekend.

Talking of things being quiet, and I promise this will be my last word on this year’s Cheltenham Festival, but I was a little surprised by how quiet the bookies was when I went in last week.  I tend to get to the local shop between 12.30 and 1.00 most days, so about half an hour or so before the first race each day at Cheltenham.  There were a couple of the old regulars in, but no-one else really.  I remember when shops were heaving during Cheltenham week.

Talking to the chap behind the counter though, and he was saying that early mornings had been busy with some sizeable bets being taken.  When I asked what sizeable meant, he said £500 or £600 quid.  Got to be honest, I’ve not seen anyone in the shops I go to putting down that kind of stake on anything.  Just goes to show that people are still invested in racing and Cheltenham, despite what the doomsayers (including me) say.

Flat season starts this weekend.  A sure sign of spring, although I wish the weather would recognise it’s nearly here!  I bet Wayne at Northern Monkey is gearing up for it, and I wish him all the best for this season’s Flat Turf wars against the bookmakers.  Before we know it, it will be Royal Ascot and Glorious Goodwood.  Think it will have warmed up by then!?!

‘The vibe coming into the meeting was as muted as I can recall and I’ve never experienced a flatter two days at the meeting than the first two days of it this year.”

This was a tweet from Declan Meagher, the extraordinary tipster behind the Learn Bet Win service.  I hadn’t thought I’d misread the room in last week’s post, but it was good to see someone as esteemed as Declan back up my thoughts on the feeling going into Cheltenham.  To be honest, I saw the pundits on ITV Racing debating the issue of Cheltenham losing its bling/charm (delete as you feel appropriate) so at least there is some recognition that there is at least, an issue.

From a personal point of view it felt at least, that things were more like you would expect the Festival to be, on the Thursday and Friday when more competitive racing kicked in.   From a punting point of view, the meeting was a fairly successful one.

The Lucky 15s from the Bookie Bashing Racing Tracker had been seriously underwhelming, but a couple of decent winning tickets took a good chunk out of the year to date losses, and ensured the week in isolation was a good one.  No spectacular winning bet, but a couple with two winners and another with a win and three placed netted circa 10 points profit on each, and that soon adds up.  The Lucky 15s are still in the red for 2024, but a good step has been taken towards the promised land of profit.

Sys Analyst ran a free trial over Cheltenham and those dabbling weren’t let down.  There were some good winners and overall a decent profit made.  I think I said this last week, but if you get the opportunity to join this long term winning service, I would recommend you do so.  If you look at my figures for 2024, I’m currently running at 35% ROI and have achieved 40% bank growth, which is obviously excellent.  The main thing here though, is that 90% of the bets I place for Sys Analyst I do so on the Exchanges.  Because of Allan’s desire for everyone to be able to get on, I’m betting into liquid markets and getting the prices I need.

It was also a week when after a couple of “sideways” weeks, the Lucky 15s from the Bookie Bashing Early Pay Out Tracker took another step forward.  This is now running at a 15% ROI and a wee bit under 40% bank growth since the turn of the year, so another going along swimmingly.  Managed to get all four up in one bet, although the prices on three of the teams were relatively short, but a couple of L15s that carried three winners at odds between 2.0 and 4.0 meant returns from those tickets were solid.  Just a case of plugging away with these.

The only thing to suffer a poor week was the Double Delight/Hat Trick Heaven strategy with more bets to place than has been the recent norm, but none of the beggars winning.  It will change.

Figures for 2024:

Account Angel: Staked 1,370pts, -34.22pts. ROI -2.49%

Bookie Bashing Early Pay Out Tracker: Staked 4,170pts, +562.98pts, ROI 13.5%, ROC 37.53%

Bookie Bashing Golf Tracker/Weekly Golf Value: Staked 1,843.5pts, -318.49pts, ROI: -17.27%, ROC: -21.23%

Golf (Win Only): Staked 150pts, -150pts, ROI -100%, ROC -15%

Bookie Bashing Racing Tracker (Lucky 15s): Staked 3,015pts, -151.93pts, ROI: -5.13%, ROC: -10.12%.

Bookie Bashing Value Bets Tracker: Staked 2,044pts, +455.23pts, ROI: 22.27%, ROC: 45.52%

DD/HH: Staked 474.5pts, -103.5pts, ROI: -21.81%, ROC: -10.35%.

Golf Betting Club: Staked 723pts, 218.12pts, ROI 30.16%, ROC 15.58%

NFL strategy: Staked 94.5pts, +95.45pts, ROI: 101%, ROC: 9.54%

Sys Analyst: Staked 1,141.05pts, +407.04pts, ROI: 35.67%, ROC: 40.7%

Touchdown Profit: Staked 120pts, +75.44pts, ROI: 62.86%, ROC: 7.54%

TOTAL ROI: 3.19%

There’s only one place to start with this week’s round up, and that’s with Matteo Manassero’s wonderful win at 175/1 in the DP World Tour event in South Africa at the weekend.  Tipped up pre-tournament by Golf Betting Club, this was the first big win since I added the Campbell brother’s service to the portfolio.  The Italian managed to hold on despite a wee wobble in the final round, but with this and a couple of placed finishes across the golfing board (there were four tournaments last week), it was a great week for GBC.  More please!

Elsewhere and it’s all been a bit uninspiring.  My Lucky 15s from the Bookie Bashing Racing Tracker continue to struggle, and Weekly Golf Value couldn’t avoid a loss this week.  Sys Analyst had a bit of an underwhelming pre-Cheltenham week, and a tiny profit from the Bookie Bashing Early Pay Out Tracker which counterbalanced the previous week’s tiny loss.

There was a winner for the Double Delight/Hat Trick Heaven strategy, but not a huge profit once a couple of losers too.

So away from the fun and games in South Africa, it’s all been a bit mundane.  The first two days of Cheltenham haven’t changed that either, but more on that in the next post, when I’ll stick up all the figures.  Just need to get down to a couple of the bookies to pick up some returns, and I’ll be able to reckon up.

I’ve seen a lot on social media recently, about how the 2024 version of the Cheltenham Festival, which takes place next week, represents a “tipping point”.  From what I can gather, what seems like interminable dithering from a number of high profile trainers about the races their high profile horses will contest is one big reason, as punters are left in the dark.  Exacerbating this problem is the fact that with the addition of a number of races over recent year, horses those invested in horse racing as a sport and as a betting medium would love to see take each other on, don’t.  Which of course dilutes the excitement, reduces the competitiveness of a number of the races, and makes those races of less interest from a betting perspective.

Certainly in terms of what I see are the prices for entry and food and drink, I can understand why a tipping point may easily have been reached for many who simply can’t afford the exorbitant prices of tickets, food and drink.  I can imagine that a lot of families who might once have gone, wouldn’t now.  You’d have to take out a second mortgage to take a family of four it seems, and all whilst still in the midst of a cost of living crisis.  It’s fine for ex-footballers who are now retired but were able to cash in on Premier League riches in terms of wages to advertise the fact they’re going.  Coming from a sport once maligned as pandering to the “prawn sandwich brigade”, it appears that to be able to afford a prawn sandwich at Cheltenham you’d need to be on and enjoying the level of salary these ex-footballers were once on!

From a personal point of view, I have to admit that Cheltenham isn’t to me what it once was, but I think that is more down to personal circumstance than anything.  Most of my fondest betting memories have Cheltenham at their core.

I remember being on a train to the Festival back in 1996 with my best friend and his Dad, convincing anyone that would listen (that wasn’t many) that hot thing One Man couldn’t perform to his best on an undulating track and that Imperial Call would win the Gold Cup that afternoon.  Having just read Nick  Mordin’s book, I had spent hours scouring the form book and had formulated  this theory.  Still don’t know if I was right or wrong, but when Imperial Call stormed up the hill with One Man trailing in way back, I can think I was pretty unbearable company.

The Kauto Star/Denman rivalry feel like halcyon days now, but were so absorbing at the time.  I remember a 50/1 winner (can’t remember the name of the horse) tipped up by a service called On The Nose that went off in front in its race, and simply stayed there all the way around Prestbury Park.

Another year (2011?), I was taking a bit of a hammering, but on Gold Cup day the PCB service based around the Racing Post and Pricewise tips (which is still going strong) had Zarkander in the opening Triumph Hurdle win thrillingly, and then Long Run for the Gold Cup.  The latter beat both Kauto Star and Denman in what to me, has been the most singularly thrilling horse race I’ve ever seen.  Come the end of the day, I was up on a high, emotionally  and financially.

Happy days.

However, as my own betting has been forced largely away from online betting and following the tipsters that made Cheltenham so easy to invest in as a spectacle in itself – the likes of The Value Bettor, Northern Monkey, On The Nose and others – my interest has dwindled a little.  I’ll still keep an eye on things, but more from afar, and not the total immersion I used to relish.  No doubt I’ll have a few Lucky 15s involving Cheltenham runners gleaned from the Bookie Bashing Racing Tracker, and Allan from Sys Analyst enjoys a fine record at Cheltenham and I’ll be backing his bets on the exchanges, so it’s not as if it will pass me by completely.  But Cheltenham isn’t what it once was for me, and I feel a bit sad about that.  Or maybe nostalgic, is a better way to frame it.

Those of you who do still follow the best tipsters out there and who can take advantage of their acumen and insight at the Festival…embrace it and enjoy it!  I envy you.

NOT…a good week.  One of those that feels like everything you bet on, loses.  Having started to creep up and more or less hit my profit target for the year to date after the completion of two months, a lot of that good work was undone and although still in the black, the ROI has dropped right back again.  Frustrating.

No service covered itself in glory with no big profit contribution from any.  A few had a bit of a shocker though.

Worst culprit was the Bookie Bashing Racing Tracker Lucky 15s, especially on Sunday.  I drove around a few bookies and got a fair few Lucky 15s down, and I really wish I hadn’t bothered.  I got a fraction back from a fair amount put down, and the odd horse placing had their returns decimated by the impact of Rule 4s.  What a load of old tosh!

The golf was a big disappointment too, after having a winner the week before.  Three tournaments and only two golfers placing for the Weekly Golf Tracker/Weekly Golf Value.  Golf Betting Club got a couple of returns but not enough to avoid a loss overall, although not to the same extent as the bets from the Tracker.

Even the stars of 2024 so far, the Bookie Bashing Bet Tracker Value Bets couldn’t bale me out.  Only four bets struck, but all of them unsuccessful.  Just one  of those weeks, I guess.

A quick note that I’ve started betting the Sys Analyst Exchange Bets (as distinct from the “main” bets I’ve been reporting on thus far).  Allan has been sending these out to subscribers on what has been a bit of a trial basis, but I believe is now going to start charging for them.  Profitability has been good through the trial, and if anyone gets the chance to jump on board, I couldn’t recommend Allan’s offerings more strongly.  A proper pro’.

Account Angel: Staked 1,235pts, -17.42pts. ROI -1.41%

Bookie Bashing Early Pay Out Tracker: Staked 3,210pts, +443.1pts, ROI 13.8%, ROC 29.54%

Bookie Bashing Golf Tracker/Weekly Golf Value: Staked 1,432.5pts, -263.37pts, ROI: -18.38%, ROC: -17.55%

Golf (Win Only): Staked 150pts, -150pts, ROI -100%, ROC -15%

Bookie Bashing Racing Tracker (Lucky 15s): Staked 2,400pts, -304.43pts, ROI: -12.68%, ROC: -20.29%.

Bookie Bashing Value Bets Tracker: Staked 1,779pts, +439.9pts, ROI: 24.72%, ROC: 29.32%

DD/HH: Staked 271.5pts, -25.5pts, ROI: -9.39%, ROC: -2.55%.

Golf Betting Club: Staked 467pts, -137.88pts, ROI -29.52%, ROC -9.19%

NFL strategy: Staked 94.5pts, +95.45pts, ROI: 101%, ROC: 9.54%

Sys Analyst: Staked 816.15pts, +348.21pts, ROI: 42.66%, ROC: 23.21%

Sys Analyst (Exchange): Staked 158.72pts, -45.8pts, ROI -28.85%, ROC 3.05%

Touchdown Profit: Staked 120pts, +75.44pts, ROI: 62.86%, ROC: 7.54%

TOTAL ROI: 3.77%