Ace Time rescued an ordinary Sunday

Talk about the best-laid plans! On Sunday I fancied two horses at Leicester – Seaborough in the 2m handicap hurdle and Miss Bamby in the ‘lucky last’.

I struck a bet of £120 each-way at 6-1 (Ladbrokes) on the former, and placed wagers of £120 each-way (6-1 with bet365) and £60 each-way (13-2 Ladbrokes) on Miss Bamby.

To my intense frustration, Seaborough was deemed a non-runner in midmorning when generally available at 4-1, while Miss Bamby (generally 9-2) was pulled out on account of soft ground.

Almost resigned to the fact that it wasn’t going to be my day, I had one more look at the Leicester card and decided Ace Time was highly unlikely to finish out of the first three in the novices’ handicap hurdle.

A bet of £120 each-way at 8-1 with bet365 yielded a profit of £1,152 when John Jenkins’s runner bolted up. Punting? It’s a funny old game.