Kalyptra is a serious rival to forecast odds-on chance Mon Frere in an eight-runner Novices’ Hurdle over two miles of ‘good to soft’ Wincanton today when the only other English fixture is scheduled for Aintree on a similar surface; each-way ‘thieves’ will be praying all ‘decs’ stand their ground and allow them to utilise double/treble facilities with other selections of my daily patent.
No one enjoys ’tilting at windmills’ more than yours truly, taking on ridiculously short-priced favourites with three places to aim at was part of my growing up process in the betting jungles; ‘The Knockout’ won us thousands and represented getting profit from placed horses at the expense of winning.
Never mind the exploits of Barney Curley and so many other high-profile bettors ‘we’ were imperious and brought off-course bookies to their knees on several occasions; I came into horse-racing for the thrill of betting and would enact another ‘knockout’ scenario on racecourses but for being too old and unable to gather a team to implement the practice which I’ll briefly explain.
The purpose was fixed on novice hurdles/chases with scope to exploit places; three were targeted when eight or more ran but we often ravaged the small fields of five and six when only two places counted. A process of elimination was paramount, no contact was ever made with trainers/jockeys and selections were based solidly on form, usually with a time bias.
Two on-course bookies were made aware on the morning of a race and they, for instance, would invest thousands in betting shops far and wide to minimise the devastation and deflect chronicling, if the first selection won.
Once that happened mega ‘win’ odds were offered on-course and the only consideration was for the second leg to be placed; Kalyptra would have been ideal, only a fall will prevent this thrice-raced five-year-old from making the frame.
Unfortunately there is nowt to initiate a ‘knockout’ but I’ll be revisiting this practice often during the coming months on Betfair ‘multiples’ which offer each-way trixies/patents.
There are certainly exciting times ahead with this column which strives to profit for readers, and succeeds monthly.
I’m breaking a rule today by only offering two selections because the fare offered is poor and, as you know, I’ll never guess!
Keep opposing those ‘shorties’ in the English Premier League, license to print money!
Selections, Wincanton, 3.55 Kalyptra (nap-e.w); Aintree, 5.20 Switch Partner (e.w).
Jeffrey Ross, horse-racing correspondent for WMN since 1983 when winning the most prestigious racing journalist award, Sporting Life Naps Table, before winning it a record number of six times collectively in the Racing Post, the current ‘trade’ paper, including 2019