Sometimes when you’ve studied for hours and you think you’ve got a good feeling for a horse, things can go awry. Maybe the weather goes against you, your horse is ridden by a muppet or the money isn’t down and the horse isn’t at the races. You can accept these. But my fellow punters, let me ask you this question – Have you ever been gumped?
Firstly let me explain a brief history of Gumping. At Tony the Bookie’s shop, there is a guy who bets on the weekend in very small stakes. You know the type, very loud, knows everything, has a nickname for all the jockeys but is a sandwich short of a picnic – hence Gump as in Forrest Gump.
On first meeting Gump he seems to be a normal every day punter who will inform you of the going and draw bias of any given course. He can tell you the jockeys family history, the trainer’s wives names, the journey they took to get to the course and any other inane information you can think of. You would think that here was a serious punter – but you would be wrong. The Gump doesn’t bet more than a couple of pound ever, not ever, no never!
However, that doesn’t make him a bad fellow, just a cautious one. The problem is that whenever the Gump backs a horse picked by any of my team – Helmet, Mr Hulmes, Tony the Bookie or myself then you are guaranteed to lose. End of. The guy is the ultimate jinx. I’ve been betting with Tony the Bookie for 6 years now and in that time not once has a horse backed by us and the Gump won – not once in 6 whole years. Now that takes some explaining. As recently as the Ebor I got Gumped, when Gezky looked all over the winner to land me a nice double with Dark Crusader but the weight of the Gump’s money hampered it in the final furlong and it got caught.
Now, I have been banging on about this to The Good Lady in recent weeks, so on Saturday past, she staged an intervention and, at 10.15 am, told me to back Sennockian Star each way (ew) in the 3.50pm at Sandown, a 16 runner handicap, meaning we get paid out if it finishes in the first four. Firstly the field gets reduced to 15 meaning only the first 3 get paid out and then at 3.49pm and 53 seconds, Gump appears like the shop keeper from Mr Ben and places the wager of doom – £2 win Sennockian Star. I text The Good Lady before the race and warned her, she laughed. Sennockian Star ran well and finished fourth, 1 place out of the money for us ew backers. The Good Lady doesn’t laugh anymore.
Anyways, we always like to have a little Ante-Post flutter when we’ve been gumped, so this week I suggest you back Chapter Seven at 25s in the Cambridgeshire with our bookie of the month bet365 or check out the prices from our other selected bookmakers.
Yours in sport, The General
