The unbeaten Faugheen in the paddock prior to his surprise
defeat
At
the time of writing the punters are expecting the ‘champ’ to reverse placings
when it comes round to Cheltenham Hurdle time again. I’m not so sure. It’s a
confusing picture though with Mullins also currently responsible for the third favourite: Arctic Fire. Of course Mullins trained the first three home last year and that could happen again.
The Champion Hurdle is one of the few punter-friendly races at the festival, certainly in the last few years. It tends to be a relatively small field (last three years: 8/9/9 runners). However the bookmakers offer 1/4 odds first three and other concessions like NRNB and BOG nearer raceday.
Nichol’s Canyon was to be my only winner on the card. I’d only backed it as a
cover bet to my jackpot in which I’d bankered Faugheen! Naturally the other
three legs of the jackpot obliged…
Some young punters were doing better than I was though and I was tempted to ask them for a tip:
Underage punting doesn't seem to be an issue at the track..
We
were hungry when we got back to town so headed to Hugo’s to take advantage of
their early-bird menu. Eating out in central Dublin is still expensive despite
the favorable exchange rate. You’ll pay 50 euro and upwards for three courses at a
decent place but many restaurants offer an early-bird or pre-theatre menu. At
Hugo’s it’s served between 5-7pm although at some restaurants you have to be in
your seat by 6:30pm to take advantage. The basic three-course price was 27.50
euro. Here’s a copy of the menu:
Hugo early menu
I
went for the crab, plaice and a superb cheese board.
A carafe of the splendid Marques de Verdellano, Macabeo 2013 washed it all down.
"...And I'm still at these races with my ticket stubs and my blues
And a voice calls out the numbers, and it sometimes mentions mine
And I feel like I've been working overtime, overtime"
- Joni Mitchell, That Song About The Medway, 1969
December 2015