By Matt Markham
A $10 bet late in April is still reaping the rewards for Jesse Alford.
The Christchurch sales rep was standing at the Rangiora races on April 23 with $10 left in his betting budget for the day and was contemplating chucking it all on Classie Brigade to win the Rangiora Classic.
A last minute change of heart however and a little inside knowledge saw what would have been a $48 return become one worth more than $5,500 after he took a percentage quaddie on the last four races.
“I think I took $50 to the races that day and hadn’t had much luck.” Alford said.
“I was going to put it on Classie Brigade but decided I was better anchoring him in the Quaddie.”
Classie Brigade duly delivered in the Group Three and when Forgotten Highway won the next, things were on track, albeit looking set to be rather small.
But when Lavros Jack came from nowhere to run past Missandei at odds of $16-to-one and then It’s All Over Now won the last at $12 – Alford was laughing his way right to the tote.
“I’d been driving It’s All Over Now a bit lately and just chucked her in based on that.
“So I guess I was a bit lucky in that sense.”
With a full wallet and a smile on his face, Alford enjoyed the next couple of days before a phone call from Jonny Cox set the wheels in motion for a little more profit from the return.
“Jonny rang me and asked if I still had any of that money left, and when I said I did, he said he had a horse for me to buy with it, Regal Assassin.
“Initially I wasn’t that keen, but he talked me around.”
Alford was joined in the ownership of the two-year-old trotter by Cox’s partner, Kim Butt and the Australian duo of Matt Peden and Josh Tinning.
A fortnight ago things weren’t looking all that good though.
“He wasn’t working that good to be fair, but we chucked him in the non tote at Addington to see where we were at with absolutely no expectations.”
Regal Assassin made up many lengths behind the promising Marquis De Sade to finish second and all of a sudden, Alford could see there was some method to the madness after all.
The on Friday night, the initial return of that Quaddie at Rangiora was returned when Regal Assassin got over the top of One Over Da Skye late to win the maiden trot.
And the man who got it all to happen, courtesy of a bet, never had a cent on him.
“I didn’t want to jinx it, so I didn’t back him.”
The performance has resulted in a couple of offers being put in front of the quartet of owners so their time together could be quite short, but Alford has other interests to keep him going.
He works all day until 4pm and then heads out to Cox’s stable to work a full-sister to Captain Peacock and a half-sister to American Tart to help earn his keep.
“I enjoy it, it’s good fun and gives me something to do after work.”
Alford is also involved in syndicates with young trainer Jack Harrington, including the talented trotter, Hey Yo.
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