The Grand National

The grand national, one of the few events on the calender that brings out a number of people to place bets even if they are not a betting person. I am one of those people and will place a bet on the grand national every year for some enjoyment. This year was no exception, so come Saturday morning I was on the BBC Sport website checking out the runners and riders. Now when people choose a horse, most people will pick a name, some will pick on colours, others will just take a random number. Considering that the grand national is one of those kind of races where anything can happen, these can be just as productive as someone looking through all the form guides. I decided to go for a horse called 'Don't Push It', I liked the name, but there was also a champion jockey riding him, Tony McCoy. I liked his chances and the odds were good at 20-1. I also decided to place a bet on another horse called 'State of Play', and considering the lower odds at 16-1, decided to put him on as a winner. Shortly before the race began, the odds for 'Don't Push It' had risen to 10-1, making him a joint favourite. I figured this was good news.

Come 4.15pm, I was sat down ready for the action before me with hope. One false start and then they were off.  'Conna Castle' took an early lead, but I knew that the early leader rarely wins the race. My horses were jumping well in the middle of the pack, I was just waiting for them to come good. 'Don't Push It' made strides forward and closed the ground on the leaders, he was looking strong. By this point, I was full of elevation. Then he started to pull away, it was a two horse race between 'Don't Push It' and 'Black Apalachi', but my horse was able to bring home the victory in comfort. My first win on the grand national and £27 better off. The other horse I bet on, 'State of Play' came in third. Coincidently, if I had placed the bets the other way round (I had 'Don't Push It' as an each way bet), I would have won over £100. Nevermind, a win is a win.