Hot Tips and Cold Feet at the Fontwell Races

So yesterday, for the first time ever, we did the traditional Boxing Day thing and went to the races.

Fontwell Race Course is not far from here but getting there without a submarinewasn't easy. Part of every road was under water and so was most of the race track car park..
" You'll be fine," smiled the car park attendant,  " there are enough of you to push the car out afterwards if it gets stuck."
We squelched our way to the race course where the dress code was " smart casual with wellies," - and there it was, the BUZZ.  Lots of stands with electronic lists of horses, odds constantly changing, people with their heads lost in betting magazines, voices over the loudspeaker  giving us urgent last minute betting advice, horses from other races cantering on the big screen above our heads, children running  wildly across the soggy track, weary parents chasing after them.
The Boxing Day Races.
Ninesh had a hot tip for the second race so we all bet heavily ( £ 2 each way ). The race started, the ground near us began to slosh heavily with the fast approaching vibrations of 6 racing horses. Here they were in front of us, neck and neck, still anybody's race- until Ninesh's hot tip decided that enough was enough, dropped back and wandered off the track.
" You can't win them all," we shrugged, stoically, turning to the electronic lists to choose a likely winner for the next race.
But truthfully, we didn't win any of them.
Ninesh and I did so spectacularly badly that Amy and Barry came up with a whole list of race horse names just for us:  Bad Tip,  No Hope, End of the Line, Bottom of the Pile and Stay at Home.

After 5 races the cold and rain got the better of us and pounds lighter { money wise ) we headed back to the car. But cold and wet as we were, none of us could remember the last time we had laughed so much and the kids learnt an important lesson: when your grandparents give you some Christmas money to bet on the horses, save it for the Boxing Day Sales.
"We should have stayed at home " said Ninesh,  accelerating out of the car park mud "  and used £5 notes to light a fire.  We would have lost less money that way and at least we would have been warm! "