Back in the day I used to like a flutter on the horses. But it all got a bit out of control so I decided to knock it on the head before I hurt myself. However, I thought I could still allow myself a little fun bet on the National.

I believe the expression is “Amberleigh House, you beauty”.

It still feels good to win, even when the decimal point in the stake is a couple of places to the left of where it got to in the bad/good old days. Also, instead of studying the form and the tips like I used to, I selected Amberleigh House because I saw an interview with Ginger McCain before the race and he seemed like such a genuinely nice old bloke, I thought, “I’ll put my tenner on his horse”.

UPDATE - a few clichés and a few hometruths: Before anyone goes getting excited, I should remind you kids about the dangers of gambling. Fact: I have already lost all the National winnings described above by allowing myself to be sucked back into the murky world of betfair.com. So before entering that crazy world, you should bear in mind that after all the highs, you’re really gonna feel all the lows. Every pound you win, you spend three times. Then you spend it again when you lose. Gambling tends to make you poor even when you win sometimes. It also makes you lose your sense of proportion and concept of the value of money and of work. Win more in a day than your weekly salary? Lose more than a month’s pay during a bad streak. I’ve been there and it can screw you up. My advice would be work hard at your job, try to better yourself, try to earn what you get and you might not see the big bucks, but you’re less likely to go nuts or go bankrupt. And that’s gotta be worth something.

I don’t think I have a problem with this. Yet. Quite. But I’m going to step away from it again, maybe a little wiser, but still with a bit of that crazy hope — or is it greed — that is what’ll finish you one day if you let it. But for now, I know I can walk away. See you at Aintree next year.