David's Daily Diversions

The first Saturday in April

The first Saturday in April in the UK is similar to the first Saturday in May in the US. More people than usual gamble and everyone gathers around the TV to watch the horses. In the US it is the Kentucky Derby; here it is Grand National, which is held at the Liverpool race course known as Aintree. Unlike the Kentucky Derby and most US horseracing, the Grand National is jump racing, not flat. Also unlike the Kentucky Derby, the field consists of forty horses.

I’m not a big gambler. I’ve played the national lottery twice, I think. But I have a long-standing tradition of betting on the Grand National, going back to the year 2002. That year I put all my money on a horse called David’s Lad. I figured if somebody had gone to the trouble of naming a horse after Aidan, it was worth putting a bet on. I’d never been in a bookie’s before so I didn’t know exactly what to do. Fortunately, the betting shop was well staffed, since I’m not the only person who only ever bets on the first Saturday in May. I remember a nice older lady with a three-pack-a-day voice filling in my slip for me and pointing me toward the cashier. Alas, David’s Lad, though quite promising with some of the shortest odds, did not manage to finish in the first four places. I lost my £2.

This year I bet on the horse named after my old band, Ad Hoc. In a similar train of thought, I figured I should back any horse named after one of the best bands in the history of local Christian music in Indianapolis. For a time Ad Hoc was the joint favourite to win. When I went into Ladbrokes, it was at 10 to1. I had the choice of either taking it at 10 to 1 or at the price in effect at the start of the race. I opted for the former. At least this part of my keen gamblers intuition was correct, because Ad Hoc dropped to 8 to 1 and rose to 9 to 1 just before the start.

There are 30 fences to be jumped in the Grand National. They vary in height and drop, but they are very high fences. This is what separates this race from the rest of the season. Horses that have no problem jumping throughout the country are put to the biggest possible test. One year, only four horses finished the race at all. Horses are often lost in the Grand National. I said all that just to say Ad Hoc fell at the 19th fence and I lost my money again. All £3.

I was watching the race with Mrs Holford’s mother’s domestic partner. He fared better. He had £10 both ways (to win or finish in the top four) on the horse that finished third and won about £30.

Well, enough gambling for one year…