Are You Betting This Cheltenham Festival?


It probably seems a ridiculous question.

If everyone had to bet cold-hard cash (no credit) you'd have seen the likes of J P McManus tearing about Prestbury Park with a wheelbarrow full of money. Literally bundles of fifties, a blur of pink and green, zooming across the betting ring as some cheery soul whistled the theme tune of The Twisted Nerve. I'm sure the late Freddie Williams, as much a gambler as a bookmaker, felt the shudder of a cash-laden wheelbarrow hammering into his shins. 

I love the concept of gamblers with wheelbarrows.

The reality of the betting ring, there would be traffic lights to help avoid collisions. 

Harry Findlay would have a flashing blue light on the front of his wheelbarrow called ''The Tank'' as he powered across the grass with mud and divots flying in equal measure. 

No messing about, I saw him with his wheelbarrow in 2008 as he got his cash on Denman. At one point, when seeing bigger odds, he used a pitchfork.   

Personally, I have never been to the Festival. It isn't my thing because I just don't enjoy a bustling crowd. It goes beyond a crowd. I can't get away from how long would it take to get to the bar or even more concerning the toilet. Perhaps it's not a problem. It would never be my thing. Never will. 

Give me a quiet weekday meeting at Great Yarmouth, sun shining, sound of the seagulls hanging in the air and all the fun of being at the coast. 

Yes, I know I'm different. 

Once on a bus at Yarmouth, school kids questioned why we would go to this deprived coastal town for a holiday. 

I guess it's the same reason why people who live on the coast never visit the beach. 

Perhaps that's an old wive's tale. 

Do I bet on Cheltenham in any shape or form?

I've had one or two bets in the last ten years. Nothing to talk about hey. The reason, I don't understand this code of racing [I follow two-year-old racing]. I find it frustrating to bet and lose because of a lack of knowledge.To be a winning gambler you cannot, in my opinion, have a fun bets. They are a breeding ground for ill discipline and that is the near finish for any would-be winning gambler. 

You simply don't understand how this destroys your routine or working in a professional manner.   

You will be unable to draw the line between one bet and another and encourage bad habits. 

I'm not being funny, but if you don't appreciate fun bets as a problem then you are not at the stage you need to be. 

Gambling is about doing the right thing, positive reinforcement and taking a journey of self assessment. 

Anyway, each to their own. 

I will be watching the Cheltenham Festival, as I do enjoy class hurdlers and chasers. But as far as knowledge goes I have no thoughts, opinions, tips. 

It's such a refreshing change to find a punter without a hot tip.

Joking. 

I do enjoy the Triumph Hurdle. Its not a race I bet but do enjoy following the career of the juvenile hurdlers. Often a giant field, it is a test of a class horse and as we have seen with the like of Tiger Roll, a winner can turn up anywhere.

This isn't a tip. 

But I will be cheering on Tritonic, trained by Alan King. I remember this four-year-old back in his two-year-old season. He was a talented Flat horse and is showing that pace over 2-miles. 

So, that's my interest in the Cheltenham Festival. 

All good things come to those who wait.