My first time at @NewmarketRace with the HUR team by @Gilliangilliga2

I'm pants at picking horses, no, really, you only have to look at my position in the NAPS League to see that.

I pick most of my horses by closing my eyes and picking one at random. Sometimes I'll pick them if their name has any resemblance to a family member or the neighbour's dog.

Despite being married to a member of the HUR Team, I know nothing. My hubby has tried, on numerous occasions, to explain to me odds, evens, what the price means, why it's something to one or something to two etc., but I still don't get it. If you tell me that something is at 25 to 1, I assume you are telling me what time the race starts.

I've only been to a racecourse twice in my 40….something years. The first time I went I had no idea what to expect, I was just happy that there was a bar! I was in the company of Mr Hacked Up Racing, Mr Hacked Up Tips and my Dad (who has been betting on horses every Saturday since I can remember) all of whom had already 'studied the form' (see, I'm getting good at this) and knew which horses they were going to bet on.
My favourite pastime is people watching, so I was fascinated by watching everyone pouring over race forms, studying their mobile phones and making last minute calls to get tips on who to bet on. It was great watching the 'Hooray Henry/Henrietta's' in their dapper suits and high heels (especially when said high heels got stuck in the ground which, I was reliably informed, was 'good to firm') as they sipped champagne while I wiped burger sauce from my chin and mopped it off my Dad's shoes.

I picked my horses by watching them being taken around the parade ring before the race. I chose one because I liked the pattern on his bum, another because his mane had been braided quite nicely, and if the other ones looked me in the eye as they went round, I picked them too.

I picked the bookies the same way as I picked the horses. If they looked nice I went over (I didn't check out their bums) and I tried to avoid their eyes with their condescending look of 'really?! when I mumbled who I wanted to place my bet on and handed them the cash.

Waiting at the finishing post, the anticipation from the crowd was quite infectious.
The rumbling of the ground as the horses approached and the noise from all the cheering was pretty amazing. Seeing the sheer excitement on everyone's face and the joy when their horse crossed the line in first place, you couldn't help but be happy for them (even if I was silently cursing their luck).