<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=windows-1252">
<META content="MSHTML 5.50.4134.600" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>By virtueof my job, I received
an invitation to this year's Grand National (the longest and most watched
steeplechase of the year). The race is sponsored by one of my clients,
Martell, and they very kindly flew myself and a guest to Aintree (Liverpool),
wined and dined us - along with 350 others - and allowed us to watch the races
from their VIP lounge. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>I am not a gambler (apart from doing
the National Lottery each week) and I am not </FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=#000000 size=2>interested in horse racing in the slightest,but it
was one of those invitationsthat I was in no position to decline. I
decided to bite my tongue about the potential cruelty to the horses running in
this rather boisterous race, and attend. Further to this, I decided to
pick a horse andbet on it. I thought, 'If I become a gambler, I can
always sue Martell...'</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>There were 40 runners, and I decided
to choose one that hadsome link to Harry Potter. This made the
choiceeasy: ithad to be a horse called Red Marauder -a bit of
an outsider, but not incapable of finishing upright. A very helpful turf
accountant explained what all the different bets were and suggested that I try
an "each way bet" on my chosen horse. This meant that I placed £10 each
way on Red Marauder at 33-1,and that Iwould win something if it won
the race or if it was placed in the first four.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>The going was very soft (in other
words, it was raining cats and dogs and the course was a quagmire) and the
racewas a complete shambles; some said they only ran it becauseit
would not look good to cancel it in lightof thefoot and mouth
scare. Horses fell and refused hither and thither, and halfway through the
race there were only sevenstill in it. By the timethe end was
in sight, there were just two horses left inone piece, with a rider still
in the saddle. You know what's coming, don't you? (especially if you're in
the UK and saw it on the news) - Red Marauderwon the race!! I
could hardly believe my eyesas it passed the winning post.; I
wasspeechless.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>I won £193 from my £10
bet,s</FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>o,you could say
thatHarry Pottermade me rich.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>Neil</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>PS - Dame Maggie Smith was
there. We didn't speak, but I wondered if she had chosen Red Marauder
too.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000
size=2>________________________________________</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>Flying Ford Anglia</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>"Krum, his red robes shining with
blood from his nose, <BR>was rising gently into the air, his fist held high, a
glint <BR>of gold in his hand." ["The Quidditch World Cup", GoF]</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>Check out Very Frequently Asked
Questions for everything <BR>to do with this club:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2><A
href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/files/VFAQ.htm">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/files/VFAQ.htm</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#000000 size=2></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>