[INSERT EXCUSE FOR INACTIVITY HERE]
Your intrepid correspondent is away on a stag do this weekend and, inspired by a blog entry from 2011 (check the archives) has been asked by those attending to write up a betting preview, featuring many of the runners, riders and typical stag do shenanigans that can be written about without serious risk of libel
THE HURLING BY THE HORN AWARD - to be awarded to the first person to throw up (the start of the stag do will be considered the bus departure from deepest darkest Aberdeenshire). The fireball start puts Duguid (the stag), Brucey and Danny at an immediate disadvantage, while Lee could be in a perilous position depending on which way his bus seat faces
Duguid 7/2, Danny 5/1, Brucey 11/2, Lee 6/1, Rory 10/1, Shifty 12/1, Jamie 16/1, Pud 20/1, the field 33/1
THE NATHAN PETERMAN AWARD - to be awarded to the person whose weekend performance is considered the most shambolic. Given the level of punishment he's in line for, the stag simply has to feature prominently in this one, while Mr Friday Night Kyle has to be careful not to peak too soon
Kyle 3/1, Duguid 4/1, Shifty 11/2, Stu 8/1, Lee 10/1, Rory 12/1, Brucey 12/1, Jamie 20/1, either Malcolm brother 28/1, the field 33/1
THE JEFFREY DE VISSCHER AWARD - to be awarded to the first person to commit a non-specific act of public relief. Based on (alleged) previous actions, there are really only 2 realistic contenders here:
G 7/4, Pud 7/4 the field 10/1
THE BUGSY BROWN AWARD - to be awarded to the first person during the inevitable gentleman's club visit to take a dancer into a private booth
Brucey 6/4, Kyle 4/1, Lee 8/1, Jamie 12/1, Stu 16/1, Rory 20/1, Duguid 25/1, Shifty 40/1, the field 50/1
THE FRANK DREBIN AWARD FOR POTENTIAL ARREST - hat tip to my boy Brucey for supplying some background here. While obviously everyone hopes for some well-behaved, good, clean fun this weekend, this "award" is on the off-chance anyone manages to find themselves on the wrong side of the law. I've been told "Dave has fire-starting tendencies, Ryan is potentially a KGB spy and Lee is an outlaw who makes his own rules", while Pud in a bar called Blackie Boy is just asking for trouble
Any member to be arrested 20/1
THE TED DIBIASE AWARD - to be awarded to the person who has the most profitable day at the Fighting Fifth race day at Newcastle on Saturday. Like many of the races, this one is wide open. Keen students of the form of the fillies G and Shifty will fancy their chances of witnessing some strong rides, while a big-priced outsider could easily come away with a result
G 5/1, Shifty 6/1, Brucey 13/2, Pud 8/1, Duguid 9/1, Kyle 11/1, Danny 12/1, Lee 14/1, Rory 20/1, Jamie 25/1, the field 33/1
THE FRANK MCAVENNIE AWARD - to be awarded to any of the Dons fans planning an early departure on Sunday morning in order to make it to Hampden failing to make it
Any of the members planning it failing to make it 7/2
THE TONY STARK AWARD - to be awarded to the general Man of Steel of the weekend
G 4/1, Jamie 9/2, Danny 5/1, Pud 11/2, Rory 8/1, Doug 10/1, Stokesy 11/1, Shifty 12/1, Lee 14/1, Brucey 20/1, Stu 25/1, the field 33/1, Duguid 5000/1
Some sort of follow-up may or may not follow next week
Tuesday 27 November 2018
Monday 19 February 2018
Austin Backlash 2000
Howdily-doodily
Let's give this blog some attention again (and hopefully get it up in time for Go 8 Bit), and we'll start with an old favourite (naturally). Grand National weights were unveiled (eventually) last week, so what better place to start than by having an early gander at a few of the likely contenders. It does feel a bit like cheating to pick out the 3rd favourite in a 40 runner handicap, but Cause Of Causes surely has a massive chance. He should warm up in style with a big run in the fabulously bonkers Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham next month and isn't unduly burdened with the sort of weight the 2 market leaders Total Recall and Blaklion have to contend with (although the latter is likely to go close again after placing last year). A bit further down the weights, Regal Encore should enter calculations after winning at Ascot on Saturday, while I'm sure Carole's Destrier was on my long list last year but can't remember why, so you'll have to trust me on that one
From one 40-runner sporting institution where just about anyone can win and carnage is never far away to another: last night saw the NASCAR season start with the Daytona 500. Based on what we've seen so far, one story we're likely to hear a lot of is the emergence of Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr, the first NASCAR African-American driver in a generation. Somewhere in North Carolina, series bosses are no doubt rubbing their hands with glee after Wallace's highly impressive run to finish 2nd last night (indeed, he's already landed a new sponsor for this weekend's race in Atlanta). It could quite easily be argued that he was the true star of the race, ahead of the unfortunate long-time leader Ryan Blaney and Austin Dillon, who won the race with a rather crude last-lap move on Aric Almirola. After the relative insanity of Daytona, expect a somewhat more routine race at Atlanta's 1.5 mile intermediate track, which based on last season's form means a victory for Martin Truex Jr
Staying with 4 wheeled matters, that new Red Bull RB14 livery looks a bit snazzy, eh? Officially, it's supposedly only an interim livery, however let's see what a few positive tweets will do to that plan. Obviously the main blot aesthetically on all the cars this year is the halo- it's something of a shame that F1 is (or at least has been) so reluctant to learn from (and even acknowledge the existence of) other series, as Indycar are developing the much better looking Aeroscreen as a means of cockpit protection (and they very much are developing it- it won't be hitting the track until it's been properly tested and tweaked as required)
Great to see Marco Reus back playing for Borussia Dortmund, and scoring a lovely goal at Gladbach on Sunday, after an injury layoff of no less than 259 days (that's nothing, we've been away 432 days- Ed)
England's representatives in the Champions League may have all enjoyed success last week, however don't expect that trend to continue this week. Barcelona should see off a malfunctioning Chelsea comfortably over 2 legs, and can claim a first leg victory tomorrow night- you'll get a shade over even money with most decent bookies. Manchester United face Sevilla on Wednesday and despite Sevilla's porous defence, don't expect Jose Mourinho to let United off the leash in the first leg- under 2.5 goals is the call here at around 8/11- a helter-skelter goal-laden encounter is about as appealing to Mourinho as a free pizza is to Connor Sammon
HE'S THE MAN WHOSE NAME YOU'D LOVE TO TOUCH
Let's give this blog some attention again (and hopefully get it up in time for Go 8 Bit), and we'll start with an old favourite (naturally). Grand National weights were unveiled (eventually) last week, so what better place to start than by having an early gander at a few of the likely contenders. It does feel a bit like cheating to pick out the 3rd favourite in a 40 runner handicap, but Cause Of Causes surely has a massive chance. He should warm up in style with a big run in the fabulously bonkers Cross Country Chase at Cheltenham next month and isn't unduly burdened with the sort of weight the 2 market leaders Total Recall and Blaklion have to contend with (although the latter is likely to go close again after placing last year). A bit further down the weights, Regal Encore should enter calculations after winning at Ascot on Saturday, while I'm sure Carole's Destrier was on my long list last year but can't remember why, so you'll have to trust me on that one
From one 40-runner sporting institution where just about anyone can win and carnage is never far away to another: last night saw the NASCAR season start with the Daytona 500. Based on what we've seen so far, one story we're likely to hear a lot of is the emergence of Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr, the first NASCAR African-American driver in a generation. Somewhere in North Carolina, series bosses are no doubt rubbing their hands with glee after Wallace's highly impressive run to finish 2nd last night (indeed, he's already landed a new sponsor for this weekend's race in Atlanta). It could quite easily be argued that he was the true star of the race, ahead of the unfortunate long-time leader Ryan Blaney and Austin Dillon, who won the race with a rather crude last-lap move on Aric Almirola. After the relative insanity of Daytona, expect a somewhat more routine race at Atlanta's 1.5 mile intermediate track, which based on last season's form means a victory for Martin Truex Jr
Staying with 4 wheeled matters, that new Red Bull RB14 livery looks a bit snazzy, eh? Officially, it's supposedly only an interim livery, however let's see what a few positive tweets will do to that plan. Obviously the main blot aesthetically on all the cars this year is the halo- it's something of a shame that F1 is (or at least has been) so reluctant to learn from (and even acknowledge the existence of) other series, as Indycar are developing the much better looking Aeroscreen as a means of cockpit protection (and they very much are developing it- it won't be hitting the track until it's been properly tested and tweaked as required)
Great to see Marco Reus back playing for Borussia Dortmund, and scoring a lovely goal at Gladbach on Sunday, after an injury layoff of no less than 259 days (that's nothing, we've been away 432 days- Ed)
England's representatives in the Champions League may have all enjoyed success last week, however don't expect that trend to continue this week. Barcelona should see off a malfunctioning Chelsea comfortably over 2 legs, and can claim a first leg victory tomorrow night- you'll get a shade over even money with most decent bookies. Manchester United face Sevilla on Wednesday and despite Sevilla's porous defence, don't expect Jose Mourinho to let United off the leash in the first leg- under 2.5 goals is the call here at around 8/11- a helter-skelter goal-laden encounter is about as appealing to Mourinho as a free pizza is to Connor Sammon
HE'S THE MAN WHOSE NAME YOU'D LOVE TO TOUCH
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