Results Update - Week 2

You know the only problem with this plan of mine to write a weekly update every Monday is that it is going to make my life fly by faster than Frankel on Speed.

It's been a superb week. It's not true, for I know there are plenty of times during each year when I make no money from the portfolio but don't lose any either, but it really does feel sometimes that either everything goes wrong at the same time or everything goes right. I suppose it is what makes the game so hard.

This past week, almost everything has gone my way. Read the Northern Monkey section below. It is worth reading every time you have a last minute penalty go against you as a result of a shocking refereeing decision, or your horse hits 1.01 before somehow finding a way to lose. Next door may by now, be missing their cat. It was, as I mentioned last week, about to be sacrificed, and I must now tell you that it is an ex-cat. But I tell you something. My act of rampant barbarism seems to have done the trick.


2013, Week 2: Monday 7th January - Sunday 13th January
*Figures in brackets are Month to Date.

Northern Monkey
A fairly quiet week which I imagine could well be the way of things for a while as Wayne adopts a more selective strategy to betting on the all weather. The strategy has so far paid off. Wednesday saw the second Maximum bet of the year which didn't so much romp home as laugh at it's rivals as it zoomed past them in the final furlong to win as it chose (Diamond Charlie - Kempton - 9/2, SP 7/4). Top tipping.

However, yesterday saw things really go my way. Wayne issued a tip which very unusually for the service, was advised in the Betfair Place market. I didn't notice that, and backed the horse to win at the bookies (Waking Warrior - Lingfield - 8/1), realising my error just one minute before the off. The beast was slowly away and had only one behind it entering the not massively long straight. But, I noticed it suddenly seemed to pick up and I thought that it was all just bloody typical - it might just, if fortuitous enough to be granted a clear passage through the field, scrape into the frame and thus ensuring that I lost on what should have been a winning bet. What actually happened was that within the space of about 20 yards, the beast went from doing a fair impression of a lumbering carthorse to a turbo-injected Pegasus, sprouting wings and flying home to get up right on the line to win by a nose. If you don't believe me, read the race comments on the Racing Post website or Sportinglife. A nose. And the nose of a horse is, let's face it, about the width of a knat's todger. Unbelievable.

Wayne recorded the result at the Betfair place SP (2.5). For the purposes of results recording for both NMP and the portfolio, I shall do the same. As for the extra money, I shall put it in a 'Rainy Day' pot because as sure as eggs are eggs, I'll make a similar mistake again only next time, more likely than not, it will cost me money as opposed to make it for me. Let's look at the extra cash as constituting a 'Contingency' fund - after all, all good businesses have them. :)
Staked 5.25pts, +7.668pts (Staked 12.25pts, +6.668pts)


On The Nose
The week started well with a nice winner found on Tuesday (Reginaldinho - Leicester - 5/1, SP 2/1), which was followed up on the Wednesday with a long-priced horse backed each way finding the frame (Go Set Go - Doncaster - 25/1). No luck since then though, so a small loss on the week.
Staked 7pts, -0.375pts (Staked 11.75pts, -1.625pts).


The Sportsman Racing
Just the one bet, on Saturday, winning nicely (Emerging - Lingfield - Evens).
Staked 0.5pts, +0.5pts (Staked 2pts, +0.994pts).


Winning Racing Tips
The Star of the Week. Absolutely superb day on Thursday with two selections winning to provide a great return (Miss Conduct - Leicester - 8/1, SP 5/1 and Only Orsenfoolsies - Catterick - 7/1, SP 5/1). I commented to a friend of mine, who is also a WRT subscriber, that Paul keeps on churning out selections using the same method which he applies as consistently as George Graham's Arsenal used to grind out 1-0 wins, and over any decent period of time, such an approach makes money.
Staked 5pts, +5.722pts (Staked 6.8pts, +7.634pts).


4PA
A blank week. No bets.


Football Elite
Just the two bets on Sunday, and two winners. I've got to say, putting money on United to win just makes me feel dirty, and celebrating Van Twatsie scoring a goal? Nope. Not this little duck (not that I'm bitter or anything). Having said all that, a nice winner at 1.909 is never to be sniffed at. Elsewhere, Catania (2.42) did Matt proud and produced a good week for FE.
Staked 2pts, +2.329pts (Staked 4pts, +2.799pts).


The Football Analyst
A profitable week as System 7-22 seemed to rediscover it's mojo a little, producing two winners on Saturday from two bets (Scunthorpe DNB - 2.19 and Burton - 2.11). E3-E7 also turned a small profit, finding one winner from two (Rayo Vallecano DNB - 2.95).
Staked 3pts, +1.442pts (Staked 7pts, +1.797pts).


Summer Of Football
A good week for James, who identified five winners amongst eight selections. He's certainly enjoying the Australian league (Western Sydney (+0.25) - 1.79 and Sydney (-0.25) - 2.03).
Staked 8pts, +2.14pts (Staked 9pts, +2.99pts).


Skeeve
Bwin. Bloody useless! I placed one of Skeeve's doubles with them. As it worked out, one of the teams won (Basingstoke) but the second match was postponed. This means it was a winning bet, but I don't know my return. Still. I've emailed Bwin and am awaiting a response. It's a good job I'm not holding my breath, for if I had been I'd now be in the same place as that bloody cat! I'll not post the figures and wait instead until I know what exactly what they are. Does anybody know the rules?

The Asian Handicap bet was a winner (Newport (-0.25) - 1.84) although due to temporary traffic lights on my way home from work on Friday night, I didn't secure a price as high as I would normally do. The other double was a loser. It wasn't until injury time in one of the games, but them's the breaks I suppose.


Sportyy
Not quite so busy this past week, although with the start of the Australian Open I've no doubt this will change. All told, just two winners from eight bets (Baker to bt Janowicz - 2.625 and Falla to bt Zemjla - 1.909). Let's see what the tennis brings over the next two weeks.
Staked 12pts, -3.563pts (Staked 37pts, -5.1pts).


The Sportsman
Not much to report, with just the one bet which returned stakes.
Staked 0.15pts, N/A (Staked 0.15pts, N/A).


On The Oche
The antepost tip for the BDO World Championship came in in fine style (Scott Waites - 4.33) and even allowing for the hedging advised in the final, landed a nice and solid two points profit. It was a shrewd bit of picking, Rich seeing that Waites had an exceptionally favourable draw. To be honest, I've never seen any winner of a darts tournament have an easier time of it before lifting the trophy and I was confident this bet was going to be landed after the first round.

Premier League starts soon, and I'm looking forward to it on both a betting and a spectating basis.
Staked 2.333pts, +2pts (Staked 3.833pts, +2.666pts)


The total ROI after Week 2 on the racing is 42.48%. The total ROI on sports betting is 18.36%.

The total ROI across the portfolion is 26.09%, and the total ROC is 7.21%.

Can't continue like this, can it?