Rickyralph Draws Up

The footy didn't work out for me today (yesterday). None of the roughies I wanted got up so the $660 stays in the Sportingbet vault. Worse, Rickyralph caught up two on me, I had North and Essendon. We are now level with a third of the season to go.

After my customary kip after dinner I woke up thinking about the many things I want to do tomorrow and decided to start now so I've spent the last hour cutting up vegies and adding it all together with some stock I made late last week from some chicken frames that were reduced to 99cents. Talk about a second wind, I'm as fresh as a daisy. It's a bit of a discovery, this finding an extra couple of hours in the middle of the night. It's actually the best time for me. My time, no distractions, master of myself.

If there's any joy to be had from the punting today (yesterday) it's that I had one dollar each way on Glaneuse each way at Flemington, race 6 I think. It fought it out to win narrowly at 40 to one, returning me $50.50 for my two dollars and recouping the $16 I lost on the footy tipping in total, and my unsuccessful running doubles at Flemington and Warrnambool, plus a small profit.

I backed Glaneuse because I heard its trainer Mick O'Leary interviewed on the radio some time ago. I don't remember detail but he was a reconteur extraordinaire with some fantastic stories of his successful horses and his love of the game came through. One story in particular involved a horse owned by a bloke who was up for murder and in custody for much of the horse's career.

I do find the horse racing industry interesting. It attracts a diverse range of society, from non conformists and desperadoes through to established conservative wealth right to the queen, if you get what I mean. Every race has the horses and jockeys lives at risk and somebody's house riding with them. I love the vernacular.

My father Lyle used to say that horse racing was from Lucifer's pit, as was alcohol. You could argue forever but I enjoy both. Evil is evil, and you can find it everywhere if you want to, in politics, the police force, the church. To me a glass (or bottle) of red and a wager on a nag is harmless good fun.

I'll go and add the mashed potato to thicken and noodles to the crocky and let it simmer away and go to bed. You know what I'm having for lunch tomorrow with fresh bread.