Thursday, April 06, 2006

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!


Grand National time again! This time last year, I wrote:
"(You should) pick your horse using the tried and tested "Oooh I like the jockey's colours" method... Although also the choice of the BBC's top racing tipster, I'm going for Forest Gunner because my paternal grandfather was an artilleryman from the edge of Epping Forest in East London (see how this works?). My second, outsider, no-hope, I'll put a quid on it for a laugh horse is the 100-1 shot Europa, because the jockey will be wearing yellow and green, the same as Norwich City FC."

You can choose your horse for this year's race here. My personal rules state that I can't go for the same horse two years in a row. Therefore, despite the presence of Forest Gunner at 40-1, my picks for the 2006 Grand National are:

Number 1 horse: ROYAL AUCLAIR (16-1). Last year's runner-up, the jockey rides in yellow and green (see above).

Rank outsider horse: IRIS ROYAL (50-1). It may look like I'm hedging after picking a "ton for a one" nag last year, but Iris is the name of our friends Med School Mama and Syrupy Troy's daughter.

I strongly urge you follow my advice; after all, its not everyone who today was presented with a box of odd computer accessories by the office supplies salesman for winning the "can you find where things are in the office supplies catalog and fax us your answers" contest. I may not have made it on Jeopardy, but there is nobody finer in the State o' Maine at finding on what page break room biscotti can be found.

8 comments:

Joe said...

My pick is clear: Joe's Edge at 25:1.

My "put a quid on it for a laugh" entry is Native Upmanship at 66:1 because, ayuh, I'm Native. I'm also drawn to the austere look (or is it the monochromatic look) of the solid-blue silks.

Mondale said...

Hedgehunter, yellow and green in the Bristol Rovers quarters, What's not to love.
Also, It takes time. It had better bloody not.

Wisdom Weasel said...

Ok lads, I'll be keeping a book. Although Mondale, you did have Hedgehunter last year (and you won). If that's how you want to roll, far be it for me to judge...

Bill Norris said...

10-1 Irish National Winner, NUMBERSIXVALVERDE of course.

Anonymous said...

OK. Quakers are not the betting sort, so this comment is not about that. But I finally just had to ask. What Ed Burns' Jacket and why am I beneath it in your sidebar?

Wisdom Weasel said...

Somebody finally asked!

In the movie Saving Private Ryan Ed Burn's character (Pvt. Richard Reiben) has "Brooklyn" written on the back of his fatigue jacket.

You'd think quakers would be all about horse racing, with the oats and all that.

country mouse said...

I pick Silver Birch and Shotgun Willy as the long shot. I was hoping for a horse named either Jonesy or Shorty but Shotgun will have to do.

Anonymous said...

Due to the rule that you can not bet on the horse you get in the work sweep stake I can not go for my prefered NUMBERSIXVALVERDE but the one that is named (almost) after the standard East Midlands greeting LE DUC. I will take the winnings in small demoninations used Euro notes please.

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