Gambling

As it's the Melbourne Cup tomorrow, I'm after your gambling stories today. Known as, "The Celebration that Stops a Nation" the Melbourne Cup is run on the first Tuesday in November every year at 3.00 Australian Eastern Standard Time. That's around midday here in the west. It's only actually a public holiday in Melbourne but the rest of the country likes to get in on the act unofficially and lots of workers fail to return to their desks after the race, too busy either celebrating or drowning their sorrows.

My first memory of gambling was when I was about 6 years old. My Dad (a regular at the bookies) asked for my considered opinion on who would win the next race. Lester Piggott was my favourite jockey (and doesn't it speak volumes that at such a tender age I even HAD a favourite jockey?) so I opted for him. "OK" said Dad, "If he wins, I'll give you all the change in my pocket." Lester didn't let me down and I won about 9d in pennies and a threepenny bit. It was probably a pretty safe bet as Lester won 'British Riding Champion' a record eleven times between 1960 and 1982

FYI Lester was born on 5th November 1935 so let's pause a moment to wish him a very happy birthday.

From a start like that I suppose I should have become a compulsive gambler but there always seemed to be far too much maths involved.

Any gambling stories? Do tell.