Those Post National Blues

Is there a name for it? That maudling feeling I experience - whether I've won or lost - on the Sunday morning after the Grand National. The jumps season is effectively over. It's at least 6 months before those heroes, and following this year's Champion Hurdle, heroines are seen again.
Still this year's race provided a heart warming story to cheer us through the summer months. Most importantly all the horses and jockeys were safe and sound. The rain drenched ground probably helped in this respect, although it also did for my tip The Druids Nephew. He could not 'jump out of it' (basically he got stuck in the mud) and ended up being pulled up.
The winning horse, Rule The World, was cheered home by quite a few women, because apparently his name is the title of a Take That song. Remarkably it was the horse's first ever win in a steeplechase, ridden by a 19 year old jockey having his first ride in the National. Who needs to spend hours studying the form and watching the videos when being a woman of a certain age and having a crush on Robbie Williams provides the key to profits?
Whilst I could not have selected Rule the World even with unlimited devoted expert research, I was almost able to join in the cheers because the trainer is Mouse Morris. Son of Lord Killanin, the Irishman nobleman and President of the International Olympic Committee, Mouse has always been an entertaining character. Now in his mid-sixties he still sports an impressive (albeit now grey) mullet, and chainsmokes the gaspers. His training base is in Fethard, a small town in County Tipperary where I once spent a memorable evening with a bunch of local racing fans in the Chinese pub in the centre of the town.
Mouse had a shattering experience last year, when his son Tiffer was killed by carbon monoxide poisoning whilst travelling in Argentina. Most observers also thought Mouse's training career was in decline so the win must have been a real tonic. 
I had watched the National at Lingfield, where they managed to put on a good show* for the largish crowd. They started with shire horse racing. All a bit gimmicky for me as they 'sprint' for 4 furlongs. One jockey, Luke Morris, even managed to fall off which in hindsight is perhaps not all that surprising as he looked very small on these massively impressive steeds.
As usual the handicaps on the Lingfield card were tricky. It is easy to see why the bookmakers sponsor them; indeed calling the 13 runner second race the Bookies' Benefit Stakes would have been an apt title.
The maidens though offer opportunities. Unraced horses from top yards tend to start at short prices. There was money all morning for Musdam in the 4.50. Trained by Sir Michael Stoute, and ridden by Ryan Moore, it was always likely to be over bet. I fancied John Gosden's Dommersen, which had the advantage of the experience of a previous run. I could not believe the 5/1 price it opened at on course and steamed in (err I mean backed it accordingly). Remarkably - for me anyway - there was then a massive gamble on Dommersen which saw its price shrink into 5/4. I like to think it was sparked by my early wager but sadly I suspect not.

Ridden by Frankie Dettori - I knew it was him because he had his name on his socks - Dommersen held on to win, and there was no doubt that the advantage of a previous run made the critical difference. Musdam will win, but needs more time and experience.
Lingfield offers the opportunity to see these great jockeys up close, walking through the spectators on the way to and from the paddock and winners enclosure. Frankie is the most popular, and seemed very happy to stop and chat, sign and be 'selfied' (not by me obviously). The taciturn Ryan Moore gets less attention, but it is still a thrill for me to watch the man who is now widely regarded as the best jockey in the world at one of our local tracks. And even though the morning gamble on Musdam went west, he did the business by winning two of the 'impossible' handicaps.
Brighton's second best ever sportsman, Steve Ovett, was given the freedom of the city. I hope Ryan, undoubtedly Brighton's greatest ever sportsman, is given a similar honour one day.




And the post National blues were lifting by Sunday afternoon  -after all it's the Craven meeting on Wednesday.

*I did though wonder why they put the stalls in front of the big screen, partially obscuring the National for much of the crowd - (see pic below)

Time to test the Little Polveir theory for this year's Grand National

At this time of year I tried to avoid all my friends, work colleagues, acquaintances and neighbours for the fear of being asked, "Come on you know about racing, what's going to win the National?"
Over the years I have had a reasonable amount of success. An illicit bet on Red Rum as a 15 year old was probably the start of my life long fondness for racing (and yes, gambling). Party Politics, Maori Venture, Numbersixvalverde and most profitably of all, Royal Athlete, successfully carried the Cox pounds in the Grand National - and on at least one occasion enabled me to pay the gas bill. Of course there have been many more losers, none more painfully than Little Polveir, so much so that I am still scarred by it more than a quarter of a century later.
I backed this great little horse in 1988 at 33/1. He was going really well, leading the field, with only 5 fences left when his jockey, Tom Morgan, was 'unseated'; that's the official racing term anyway but to my ( admittedly back pocket influenced eyes) poor old Tom simply fell off.
Next year Little Polveir was back but there was no way I could see him winning as a 12 year old, having failed the previous year. Indeed his long term owners obviously thought the same as they sold him 2 months before the 1989 renewal for £15k.
Little Polveir proceeded to romp home under new jockey, Jimmy Frost, at an S/P of 28/1, clearly relieved to not be burdened by the pressure of shouldering my money. Tom Morgan duly fell off the favourite, Dixton House, at Becher's this time.
In the spirit of learning from your mistakes, admittedly 26 years later, my tip for the 2016 Grand National is The Druids Nephew. He fell last year, when in the lead, at the same fence as Little Polveir had done in 1988. Let's hope he can do a Little Polveir, stay on his feet, and win for us at best price 16/1.
My other advice is as follows-

• The quality of the horse in the Grand National has improved enormously in recent years. There are no, no-hopers, so if you fancy one at longer odds, back it.
• Rather than having an each-way wager, it is better to have two win bets.
• Do not be put off last year's winner, Many Clouds. He has easily the best chance of winning the race again since the golden days of the great Red Rum. 
• And whatever you do place your bet in the morning and TAKE THE PRICE. Our friends the bookies annually rip off once a year punters by reducing the prices of all the horses in the 45 minutes before the race. It's as shameless as a Panamanian tax haven so do not let them sell you short as well.

Good luck.