A great first post to this thread. Typical of the humour and affection in the community you've built on here. Get well soon.

That tweet is an hour and a half old and you can still get 2.3 with Hills, 2.1 machine. Are football markets usually that slow to react?

Yes.  I wish the loltraders were as slow closing your account though when you take the slow to react price however as they are to change these prices.

A shop run would sort that. Just looks like a bear trap to me. Loan keeper lined up?

That tweet is an hour and a half old and you can still get 2.3 with Hills, 2.1 machine. Are football markets usually that slow to react?

I was just thinking that. If everyone is now zagging...

Would explain the Tory gamble and the inexplicably short Le Pen price (given the run-off system). Smashing into politics jollies is the new contrarianism.

EDIT: What's the recommended bet that Tikay hits Ladbrokes with on his walk?

Think this might have been the last time a governing party took a seat from the opposition at a by-election (Falklands and SDP effect). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitcham_and_Morden_by-election,_1982. 50 into 6 looks a mugs' gamble but you'd forgive anyone made a bit gunshy recently of backing favs in politics.

When the bun stops, stop.

Taking a real flyer on a potential ante post bet for Cheltenham, before the Stat Pack take a closer look.

In the last 4 years Paul Nichols has really done well in the Fred Winter, two wins, 4 seconds, 1 3rd, 1 4th, 1 5th. Not bad, from 11 runners eh?!

The weights aren't out yet, but it almost feels like a bet opportunity.

He has two that take the eye at this stage. Dolos who ran ok behind the current Triumph Hurdle fav at Chepstow, without looking to be overly exerted. Clearly not a Triumph horse, but looked like it was there to get a tidy mark for this.

The real eyecatcher, however, is a horse called Chameron.
...

In Harry derham's blog today he says Chameron isn't going to the festival and will be aimed at Autueil later. http://www.paulnichollsracing.com/harry-derhams-blog/

Shame. I thought this was a great spot.

Only a reminder that now the weights are published some of these boats will show their hand in the Haydock trial on Saturday. Posssibly in the Eider on the 25th. And certainly in the Grimthorpe on the first Saturday in March (Last Samuri and Druid's Nephew one-two last year).

And the last five winners went off 25, 23, 33, 33, and 66-1. ;-)

Just wanted to say I enjoy 'Eevee for Arby' and 'Tips for Tikay' and learn (and even profit) from both.

Can't know if the race really has done him in but I certainly wouIdn't want to back him without the money coming first.

If it's the usual Good to Soft (Good in Places) going description, (Goodish ground), what does he start, 6/4 tops with the morning offers, Denise betting it to 98%? The second and third in are old-fashioned boats of the type that used to win pace collapse GCs before the drainage.

Does Tikay have a Paddy or Fred shop on his perambulations?

Happier to back Thistlecrack at 7/4 nrnb than I was at 9/4. The great danger was that the Cotswold had bottomed him, that he'd left his Gold Cup there. The money coming suggests he's come out of the race fine, eaten up &c.

The Cross  Country (no, wait!) has a 13/8 fav and 10 runners with two rags over 50s on the machine. So it doesn't take a genius to back the second in but I quite like* Auvergnat's last run at Punchestown and the easier course today will suit. 5/1 in quite a few places (quarter first three b365 if you can), 5.75 exchange.
http://www.oddschecker.com/horse-racing/cheltenham/14:50/winner

*Subject to the usual caveats when playing the JP cap colour lottery.

Some final over. England went from on to against in two balls then back to on with a wicket. I don't think India will be giving us a day-night Test in Kolkata.

England committing cricket at Eden Gardens now the ball's doing something.

Great to see Coral's cricket 'compiler' at it again. My account, like Maldini's is completely borked from backing these. No complaints. They will cut you off anyway and what a way to go.