One of my favourite races of the year
The Hennessy Gold Cup was run at Newbury yesterday and I have fond memories of this race as this is the race I traded live at the IX Investor show for Betfair in 2006.
Seeing a betting company at an financial investment show was a shock for many people and lots couldn’t understand why we were there, so we had real trouble getting people to come near the stand.
This was when I rolled up my sleeves and traded live for everybody. A slightly unorthodox set up, but it worked. As the profits flowed in, it inevitably brought people to the stand to try and understand what market I could possibly be trading on Saturday. I found a photo last year while archiving some data that somebody took at the show, it was a good day. There is nothing like acting on the spur of the moment!
It’s amazing to think that seven years has passed since I did the show. It’s also amazing to think that here I am still doing roughly the same sort of thing that I have done every year since.
Back then it felt that was I was doing was so interesting it was inevitable that interest would grow. It has, but not in the way I thought. When so many people struggle to make a living trading (trading anything to be honest) or have tried and failed to win money gambling I imagined interest would have gone stellar. But for whatever reason it still remains a niche activity and the exchange mechanism itself is still not as well established as I thought it would have become. I can’t explain that.
It’s a shame because it’s still great fun whether you do it casually or seriously. Back then I was pondering just how long the opportunity would last. Now, with a few more years behind me, I find myself pondering just how long I’ll last! I’ll be talking about this years Hennessey Gold Cup trading result result at my next Masterclass course.
One day, I hope to get to Newbury to enjoy the big race in person. Till then I’ll have to enjoy it from behind my screen.
Category: Horse Racing
