Horse races

Since a few years I am totally into horse races. British and Irish horse races that is. Here in Holland there is not much to find when it comes to racing. In Brittain and Ireland, racing is everywhere. There are good racing tracks all over the country and I try to follow it all as best as I can. My first bet was for the Grand National 2007. I had to do that through a friend as I had no idea how to do such thing. I was not able to see the result on TV (and I don't even remember who won), as I was in London. On the same evening as the Grand National took place I ran into Nathaniel Parker, my favorite actor and keen fellow gambler. We had a little chat about gambling and horses and he told me that he did very well that day. I still had no idea on if I won or not so I had to disappoint him with my answer. He gave me an advise that I still follow. Never gamble more than you can allow. I tried to find a place to bet on line. It was a vdery frustrating search as the Dutch gouvernement didn't (and doesn't) allow betting on foreign sites. So when I wanted to place a bet I had to send an email to my friend Joyce in England. At one point I signed up for a William Hill account, but there was no way I could put money in my account there.



But one day I found a solution and now I am able to put money in my accout there. So I make the occasional bet and I must say that I am not really bad at it. I have a very funny way of finding a winner, most of the time. As I am very new when it comes to races and their forms, I sometimes pick a winner by the name. A few weeks ago Meouw won for me. Not much, but that doesn't matter to me. I just love it. I am always happy when the BBC shows some races on TV. I don't receive other British channels over here, so I am always happy when I can watch a race live. And otherwise there is the internet with some great racing channels and You Tube. I always love the start of a race. For me it is an explosion of power when the horses start running. Sometimes a horse doesn't want to run. Sad for the jockey and the team behind the horse, but it shows that horses have a mind of their own. That is a thing I love when it comes to horses, and they show it when you least expect it.



One of my favorite horses is Sea The Stars. What a fabulous horse it is. Too bad that he is retired now. I hope he has a good life. I also love Kauto Star, Denman, Mon Mome and Workforce. Ofcourse there are more horses that are great racers, but these are the ones I go for most of the time. When it comes to jockey's I like to watch Frankie Dettori, Tony McCoy, Johnny Murtagh, Ruby Walsh and Richard Hughes. I have read some biographies written by jockeys and it strikes me that some of them had to deal with alcohol. They won their battle with it. It also looks like a very lonely profession to me. Ofcourse I can be wrong, but I noticed it when I was reading these books. They give a very interesting look in the life of jockeys. I hope to keep on watching races for many more years to come.



I was very impressed by Tony McCoy's win on Don't Push It in this years Grand National. I hope he wins sports personality of the year, as I think it is well deserved. My dream is to visit a racetrack one day. I would love to be at a Grand National or the Cheltenham festival. It would be wonderful to be part of the action instead of being in front of the TV. Who knows, in the future. But untill then, I keep on enjoying watching horse races on TV and internet.