Tipsy punter has the last laugh

Try and picture this scene in your head.
Friday night in a local bar around 8.30, there are five guys huddled round a table with Racing Posts and form guides littered round them. They have been there since they knocked off work and have been punting and drinking for quite a while. Their punting day is reaching its end with just one race to come from Wolverhampton.
One of the party is a little the worse for wear and the rest of the lads decide to play a practical joke on him. “We just received a tip for Hope Everlasting in the 8.44 at Steepledowns,” they tell him.
A tip at the virtual racing I hear you say? Yes, our poor, tipsy punter fell for it hook, line and sinker. One of his mates filled the docket out for him and our tanked-up punter rushed next door to place his bet.
He placed £10 each-way on the horse and came back to the bar to watch the race – that’s how far gone the guy was. No, it’s not on TV, fella, his mates told him, it’s a virtual race, you can only watch it in the bookies. At that stage the penny dropped.
He called his so-called mates all the names under the sun and left abruptly – you can’t blame the poor guy. He called into the bookies anyhow to check out the bogus tip and had to look twice. Hope Everlasting had just won. He blinked at the price. No way, he thought – the horse had won at 100/1!
He returned to bar with a wad of notes, £1,270 to be precise, and his mates were dumbstruck.
Their practical joke had just won their mate over a grand and suddenly nobody was laughing any more. Except for one person, of course.

Weekend Soccer Predictions
What a bad lot Leicester are – we were waiting on them for our quad last week after Brechin 17/10, Preston 6/5, and Huddersfield 6/5 all did the business for us last Saturday afternoon.
The Foxes were outfoxed and outplayed by a Plymouth team who took all points to leave us a wee bit gutted.
As usual we will dust ourselves down and try to bounce back this weekend.
We are leaving the match of the weekend between Man Utd and Arsenal well alone after some Reds fans gave off that this column is anti-Man Utd, a claim that we reject. Go on the Gunners!
The weekend matches are dominated by the FA Cup matches. We start with our weekend banker bet and we have opted for MIDDLESBORO (5/4) who take on bookies’ team Sheffield Utd at Bramall Lane.
Sheffield Utd beat Bolton in the last round but are currently struggling in the Championship and a defeat against his old club could cost Bryan Robson his job.
Boro have been in good form of late and have a striker in Jeremie Aliadiere (above right) who at last has found the net after his transfer from Arsenal. His goals have won Middlesboro their last two games and we expect that run to continue on Sunday with the French striker priced at a tasty 11/2 for the first goal.
WEST BROM 11/8 can hopefully get the ball rolling by beating managerless Coventry on Saturday.
CHELTENHAM 11/10 are starting to string a few wins together at home and should beat Hartlepool.
NORTHAMPTON 1/1 are another team in-form and we are taking them to beat strugglers Gillingham.
The quad pays £112 for a fiver
XXX : Cardiff v Wolves, Inverness v Dundee Utd, Doncaster v Leeds, all at priced at 11/5
(remember those doubles and trebles)
EURO QUAD: Valencia 6/4, Villareal 5/6, Lazio 1/1, Marseille 11/0 (all Euro prices PP)

Punt of the Day
Bayern Munich (-1) 1/1

Horsewatch Thursday:
Crescent Island (2.50 Chepstow) NAP
Nadover ( 3.25 Chepstow) Double
Dickie Lewis (3.40 Kelso) treble