Post Cheltenham blues

The time of reckoning has arrived...

This year a £1.00 level stake wager at SP on each of the blog's 18 highlighted selections returned a loss of £6.37. Not particularly impressive you may say and, of course, you'd be correct, but I'll plead mitigating circumstances.

In the opening race on the first two days I picked the wrong one from two, with Cinders And Ashes (10/1) and Teaforthree (5/1) obliging while Tetlami and Universal Solider failed to make a place. There were other near misses on that opening day too with Overturn (20/1) and Fruity O'Rooney (16/1) both running well in defeat while sole winner Balthazar King was backed into 11/2 from 14/1 in the morning; if you'd taken the price quoted about each selection, you would have returned a profit.

And, of course, although ante-post wager The Giant Bolster wasn't one of the highlighted selections, David Bridgwater's gelding ran a huge race to finish second at odds of 50/1; just for a moment, between the last two flights, I dared to think he might do the business...

Wednesday's clement weather made my annual visit to the track a memorable affair this year - that, and the fact that Cheltenham Racecourse had no qualms whatsoever in charging me £4.30 for a pint of Guinness. Still, colleagues redressed the balance somewhat by pointing out that annual membership at Hereford costs just £100 and gives entrance to 18 racedays as well as 70 reciprocal meetings. Is that one of the best deals in racing?

Following on from the excitement generated by The Giant Bolster's run in the Gold Cup, I was fortunate enough to be offered a ticket for Saturday's Grand Slam decider at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff; Wales beat France in an atmosphere I haven't experienced for many a long day.

Now it's back to earth, to the humdrum, with something of a big bump...

Anyway, here's the latest plans for some of last week's Festival runners:

Synchronsied - a decision will be made later about the Grand National
Champagne Fever - Mullins considers novice chase campaign
Noble Prince - trainer Paul Nolan aims for the Punchestown Festival
China Rock - Guinness Handicap Chase, Punchestown
Four Commanders - Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse
Sir Des Champs / First Lieutenant - kept apart at Punchestown
Rubi Light - Guinness Gold Cup, Punchestown
Smad Place - 'seriously considering taking on Big Buck's...at Aintree' [Alan King / Weekender]
Grumeti - 'would like to give him one more run...at Aintree next month' [Alan King / Weekender]