Do you remember your first bet?

LionelNashe

In my case, everyone in my family put 20p (This was about 1989) in a pool and we picked a horse in the Grand National. I won £1.20 or so. I took it down to the bookies and tried to place it on something that was evens. I was tall, probably close enough to six foot, but the oul one behind the counter knew I wasn't 18. I was about 14. She hemmed and hawed.

"Do you have ID?"
"No, I didn't think I'd need any." (Big red face on me, heart probably pounding).

Some more hemming and hawing, and eventually she took the bet, I guess because it was only a quid. I don't remember the specific race, but I remember from other occasions the feeling of trying to keep a lid on my optimism as a horse led from start to finish, or gained steadily on the outside. You have to remain impassive. Think Spock on the bridge of the Enterprise. If you celebrate too early, or cheer it on, or get your hopes up, you'll jinx it.

So on this occasion the horse won, and I had £2.50 or so, which was rare enough at the time. I cycled down to Blanchardstown village and bought a new float in the fishing tackle shop that used to be there. I went to the canal somewhere between Blanch and Clonsilla, baited a hook and cast off, and the line and the float went shooting across the water and got completely tangled up in a tree on the far side. No chance of retrieving it. I was gutted.

mailburner

1993

was doing a course with a lad who was big into horses.
I gave him a fiver or so and he backed montelado and granville again at cheltenham and both won
I don't remember exactly how much I won tbh, think it was around 30 and after that I started gambling/losing for years
I have never watched either race funny enough but since that year I've probably not missed any at cheltenham

PopePalpatine

I think it was back in 2012, I had just turned 18 and I put a fiver on a HT/FT bet @6/4, I think it might have been a Germany game, and I won!

grebtol2

Don't show Aftertime Ansell this thread but Miinnehoma in the Grand National 1994, iirc my Dad gave each of us a pound to put on an e/w selection.

Keyzer

First and last bet: €50 quid on a 14/1 in Leopardstown, picked him cos I liked his name.

He won and I nearly had a heart attack. Quit while I was ahead.

9/9/2006 1/13 9-0 90 Leop 12f Gd/Fm Johnny Murtagh M Halford Nick's Nikita (IRE) 12/1 12/1

ballyargus

Backed Real Madrid at 16/1 for the CL in 1998 after they drew the knockout rounds. I was fifteen. Put a tenner down. I was on my way home in the minibus from an U16 GAA match when I heard the scoreline against Juve in the final on the radio. Rich I was!

danganabu

mailburner wrote: »

1993

was doing a course with a lad who was big into horses.
I gave him a fiver or so and he backed montelado and granville again at cheltenham and both won
I don't remember exactly how much I won tbh, think it was around 30 and after that I started gambling/losing for years
I have never watched either race funny enough but since that year I've probably not missed any at cheltenham

That's gas, the first horse I ever backed was Montelado in the Supreme and of course he won, always wondered what would have happened if he lost, would I have decided it was a mugs game and never backed again??

mailburner

danganabu wrote: »

That's gas, the first horse I ever backed was Montelado in the Supreme and of course he won, always wondered what would have happened if he lost, would I have decided it was a mugs game and never backed again??

Lol
I'm not sure I'd have bothered either had he lost.
I ended up working for pp a couple of years after that so there was no hope for me then

Harry Angstrom

1983. Corbiere, Grand National. Great buzz.