Christmas with Racetrack Wiseguy

 In recent years, the Christmas jamboree of horse racing has not been an adventure park for me. It comes at the wrong time of year when I've got more than half an eye on what the year's final balance is going to be. I've either recovered from a parlous position or have been defending a diminishing profit and so have preferred to stick rather than twist.

That's not so this year, though. It's been a good Autumn on top of having done okay anyway so we can take part without worrying too much. Always remembering that success came from sticking to the plan and that on the few occasions when it felt like time to be more expansive and play some more ambitious shots was when such a profligate policy resulted in a setback, if not of Truss/Kwarteng proportions then certainly nothing that I want to happen again.

 

One isn't short of choice on Boxing Day, one Bank Holiday that still looks a bit like Bank Holidays did in olden days when there were hardly enough jockeys to accommodate how many meetings there were.

 

I'll have McFabulous (Kempton, 1.20, nap) all day long and would be taking the 6/5 now if I could find it on the Corals website. We've waited longer than we thought we'd have to to see him jump fences and he's been every bit as good at it as we hoped and so he gets backed with confidence every time he runs until he gets beaten and we get told why.

Constitution Hill in the Christmas Hurdle has quickly become a horse it's never going to be possible to back, only enjoy. From now on it can only go wrong because he could easily be Arkle and one can see why Mr. Henderson would be nervous each and every time he runs. The only bet you can have on him is the Cheltenham Gold Cup, maybe 2025, and if I was a bookie you'd not be offered any more than 7/4 about that.

Bravemansgame in the King George at 2.30 arrives at his date with destiny shading favouritism against L'Homme Presse, who gave away weight impressively last time and we will see, more or less thinking that if Hitman is 9/2 third favourite one is happy enough to oppose him. And we've been astonished by Frodon more times than we can remember by now.

The long distance hurdle is a riddle set by a sphinx lurking in a labyrinthine maze. I'd guess Not So Sleepy won't win it so he might be the most logical answer but betting on that race is almost as much of an act of faith as voting Leave was.

There will be chances worth taking, for the looking out of them, at Wincanton, Rasen, Wetherby and Huntingdon. Maybe even at Fontwell but we'll have to wait and see where Mr. Henderson's horses, and those of Paul Nicholls, Joe Tizzard, Gary Moore, Olly Murphy, Venetia Williams et al go because they will all be looking for a pay day. We want to follow them in and make it ours, too.

There's a 'personal best' in sight, as regards Best Ever Year. We'll have a go, knowing that we're playing with what was once the bookie's money. I readily concede that there's not many 10/1 shots recommended here. The wiseguy option, whether in horse racing or any other sort if investment, is the reliable blue chip, sound idea. Not exciting but more likely to win. The bookmakers have their pay days when well-backed favourites get beat and we win when they don't. All we have to do is avoid the dubious ones and make sure we're on the good things. That's how easy it is.