January review

In terms of straight cash profit, January gave me about what I would expect to make over the course of an average month. I therefore have to be satisfied. This though is perhaps understating the overall performance of the portfolio which returned an ROI figure of 11.35%. To my mind, anything north of 10% has to be viewed as being pretty decent. What stymied the actual cash return amount was the lower betting turnover through the month as a result of the weather. Many race meetings were abandoned, as were football matches as snow and ice covered much of the country.

Here are the figures:

Northern Monkey: Staked 27pts, +6.818pts, roi 25.25%, ROC 11.36%

On The Nose: Staked 22.25pts, -10.125pts, roi -45.5%, ROC -8.1%

The Sportsman Racing: Staked 4pts, +0.651pts, roi 16.28%, ROC 2.6%

Winning Racing Tips: Staked 7.6pts, +9.634pts, roi 126.77%, ROC 32.11%

4PA: Staked 16.5pts, -11.95pts, roi -72.42%, ROC -14.93%

Total for January (Racing): roi 19.35%


Football Elite: Staked 13pts, +1.569pts, roi 12.07%, ROC 6.27%

The Football Analyst (7/22): Staked 8.5pts, -0.895pts, roi -10.52%
The Football Analyst (Euro): Staked 2pts, +0.192pts, roi 9.6%
The Football Analyst (Total): Staked 10.5pts, -0.703pts, roi -6.69%, ROC -2.81%

Summer Of Football: Staked 22pts, +9.5pts, roi 43.18%, ROC 27.14%

Skeeve (Asians): Staked 20pts, +2.567pts, roi 12.83%
Skeeve (Doubles): Staked 17pts, -11.733pts, roi -69.01%
Skeeve Total: Staked 37pts, -9.166pts, roi -24.77%, ROC -9.16%

The Sportsman: Staked 0.45pts, +0.267pts, roi 59.46%, ROC 6.67%

Sportyy: Staked 63.4pts, -9.555pts, roi -15.07%, ROC -11.94%

On The Oche: Staked 3.833pts, +2.666pts, roi 69.57%, ROC 7.61%

Total for January (Sports): roi 7.89%

TOTAL PORTFOLIO: ROI 11.35%, ROC 6.22%


I'm not going to provide a running commentary as the figures are self-explanatory, but I must mention the outstanding efforts of both Winning Racing Tips and Summer Of Football. Without them, the portfolio performance as a collective would have made for sorry reading. At the other end of the scale, 4PA and Sportyy will be hoping to pull things around in Fenruary. No cause for any major concerns for 2013 yet though.


Monday 4th February

Just one bet struck today, the Winning Racing Tips each way selection finishing second at 5/1 and 9/2 for a minute loss. I had made a daft mistake in staking it to 0.5pts each way instead of the 0.7pts advised. Can't say why. Just an abberation, but it didn't matter in the end.

Winning Racing Tips: Staked 1pt, -0.014pts.


That's not the whole story though. 4PA had, a few weeks ago, tipped up Darlan antepost for the Champion Hurdle and today it ran, and died, in a prep race at Doncaster. I'm not overly sentimental when it comes to animals, but I have to say the pictures of the horse in obvious distress, although only fleetingly visible on the screen, were enough to turn the stomach. Andrew, The Value Bettor, put it in a way that struck a chord with me and explained my feelings better than I can myself.

The fatal fall of Darlan at the final flight was a truly sickening sight to witness...
The horse travelled like a top class animal - and I have little doubt he would have won yesterday, had he stood up.
Alas, jumping is the name of the game - and when you hurdle at the speed Darlan did, the margins for error are tiny.
The horse was probably tiring a little at the end of the race, and when AP encouraged him to pick up, he had a moments indecision, with tragic consequences...
Without doubt, it can be a very cruel game at times. The consequences of a fall at speed, can often be horrific.
The harsh truth, however unpalatable it may feel, is that these horses - and their riders - put their lives on the line, day in day out, for our entertainment...
A fact worth bearing in mind the next time one of them doesn't quite perform as we had hoped....

Indeed.