Return to Istanbul

I first visited Istanbul in the early 1970s when I worked on an American oil-rig drilling in the Sea of Marmara. Because of the conflict in Cyprus, where the USA was perceived to be siding with Greece, our presence was a discreet one and our movements strictly constrained by our American masters – Global Marine and the Marathon Petroleum Company. The latter company was the developer of the Kinsale Gas field – which explains my presence there. Experienced Cork crews were flown to Turkey for this six-month assignment. We flew into Istanbul Airport and a bus took us directly to the coast – where a tender took us out to the drilling ship (the Glomar North Sea). Our journey through the city left little impression on me at the time apart from liking the large old American cars being used as taxis – rather like those you found if you visited Havana. We retraced this journey when our fortnight’s shift was over and I remember spending an inordinate amount of time drinking foul beer at the airport. Despite the poor quality, we hammered it - two weeks deprived of alcohol on the dry oil-rig rendered us less judgemental. Every round entailed a full 12-bottle case as befits hard-drinking oil men. So, when I finally quit this historic city with its awe-inspiring architecture and its unique mix of the European and the Asian, all I carried with me were memories of big old cars and bad beer.

A couple of weeks ago I returned to Istanbul with three friends. This time staying in a hotel in the Pera neighbourhood, close to Istiklal Avenue which is a lengthy pedestrianised street running through the city centre. The many side streets off this shopping area are full of bars, restaurants, and a few jazz clubs. It’s also lined with a very perceptible police presence – heavily armed. Because of the current crackdown by Erdogan, some of our families were nervous of us visiting lest we run into riots, but the areas we hung around showed no evidence of unrest – although we read of demonstrations elsewhere in the country. The only agitation and unrest we witnessed was on the evening of the local derby between Galatasaray and Bisiktas when the streets were crowded with rival football supporters and every café and bar was showing the match on multiple televisions. No trouble, just intense excitement in the air and not a whiff of the political turmoil that is being reported abroad. I suspect our tourism-oriented location is protected from any agitation that might damage Turkey’s lucrative tourism industry.

Istanbul is split in two by the Bosphorous Strait – there’s an Asian side and a European side and we were located on the richer and more populous European side. Nonetheless I was surprised by how Westernised the place was. The staff in the smallest cafés and the most modest shops all spoke excellent English. Also, they all allowed for electronic transactions, including Revolut, so our use of the local currency was confined to tipping. Another noticeable feature was the very large number of stray cats around – mostly looking  healthy and well fed. When I commented on this to a local, she told me that feeding them was something people did in Istanbul as a matter of course. And I saw plenty of evidence of this over the few days we were there. Not many dogs around – and certainly no strays. Of course in Moslem culture dogs are not approved of, whereas cats are. Not that there was much general evidence of Islamic strictures in this happy-go-lucky hard-drinking part of town. It was the end of Ramadan so there was a holiday atmosphere – helped by the good weather.

 The architectural highlight was a visit to the Hagia Sophia – built in the 6th Century as a church by the Holy Roman Emperor, then it became a mosque under the Ottomans, then a museum, and latterly, under Erdogan’s Islamic restoration, it’s a mosque once again. As we walked around admiring its massive scale and its chipped and faded grandeur, the midday prayers were being conducted with the congregation vastly outnumbered by the tourists. Nearby were the other architectural highlights, the Blue Mosque and the dark and eerie Cistern – once baths for the populace - so you can fulfil your tourist duties with minimal travel and get back to eating and drinking.

The food for me was pretty basic but then so are my appetites. I enjoyed the mezes, that array of appetisers including hummus, kibbeh and sundry meat and fish snacks, usually served with tasty breads. The meat was mostly well-spiced lamb which I enjoy, served with rice and fresh salads. And maybe some baklavas to finish. But I’m not a fan of their coffee (too ground-laden for me), so I disgraced myself by ordering Americanos. My gourmandising friends had done their research and booked an up-market restaurant for lunch one of the days, that catered to their more refined tastes.  Lokanta1741 has, as its name suggests, been around for centuries, and you are able to indulge in such delicacies as Lambshead Terrine, Sweetbreads and Liver, and Twice Cooked Octupus. The more delicate appetites could enjoy Beetroot and Quinoa Kisir (a bulgur dish). I eschewed the food and but enjoyed the company and the spectacle while sampling the generally excellent local wines (including a fine earthy Riesling.

The highlight of the trip for two of my companions was their attendance at the raucous local derby – surrounded by 70,000 chain-smoking and bellowing Turks. Noisy but great fun I believe. Myself and our fourth member found a funky jazz cellar (Kemsaati Blues Club) where the ambience was somewhat superior to the music. Although, when the band wasn’t playing, the recorded selection of blues standards was mighty fine.

The highlight for me was a two-hour cruise around the Bosphorus where a charming and well-informed local guide pointed out landmarks and gave us a potted history of the locale – and, bravely I thought, threw in a number of sour comments about their current dictator. My friends were staying at the Pera Palace Hotel, made famous by Agatha Christie who began her famous Murder on the Orient Express in Room 411. She stayed there regularly as did Ernest Hemingway and many other luminaries. If you can’t afford the five-star rates there, I would strongly recommend a visit to its famous bar – where we started each evening with an impeccable Negroni.

I knew not what to expect when I undertook this brief holiday, but I would certainly recommend Istanbul as a holiday destination as long as you don’t get caught up in the political demonstrations. And, by the way, for those conditioned to abusive interactions with airlines, Turkish Airlines provided a very amiable service and got us there and back at the scheduled time. Ok, they did spill a main course into my lap but luckily it was a rice dish so no major scalding was entailed.

Finally, I’d like to report that I have changed my attitude to Turkish beer. I found a very tasty local beer that I would strongly recommend. Bomonti is a traditional Turkish beer with that grainy weissbier flavour – much superior to the rather bland Elfes which is more popular but has less character.

The Face of Our New Government

People seem puzzled that Michael Martin should abandon principle, precedent and the smooth progress of government to shove through this ludicrous deal with Lowry. Students of history know, however, that abandoning principles for power comes naturally to Fianna Fáil – going back to the oath of allegiance in the 1920s. That Lowry and his rag-tag cohort enabled FF to cement power meant that no request was too ludicrous to consider. The result of this farrago is to place this tainted sleeveen, this blot on the escutcheon of Tipperary front and centre in our proud new government. Its entire term of office will be tainted by this completely unnecessary stroke. If FG had any sense, it would pull the plug on the whole sorry saga.

 

Cheltenham 2025 – Day 4 and Conclusions

 

I’ve been gambling long enough to realise that whenever you have a good day, you think you are invincible and that can lead to giving back quickly your hard-earned winnings. I approached Day 4 with this in mind and had only two bets before racing started. I avoided the temptations of the first race the Triumph Hurdle – a host of inexperienced four-year-olds competing, with 11 of the runners coming from the Mullins stable. My caution was justified as an unraced horse of Mullins, Poniros, won at 100-1. In the second race, the County Hurdle, I liked the profile of Elliot’s horse Nadawi and thought he was overpriced at 25-1. He looked the winner two out but, inevitably, was caught by one of Mullins’ battalion (Kargese). Still a tidy profit at that price for my each way bet. I avoided the next few races, including the Gold Cup, which, like most people, assumed would be won by Galopin Des Champs. In retrospect, the fact that McManus supplemented the winner, Inothewayurthinkin (horrible name), for €33,000 should have elicited an each-way bet. But retrospect is no use to me so we move on. My other bet was Angel’s Dawn in the Hunter’s Chase at a very slim 3-1. I had been advised to back it by a close connection of the stable. Knowing it was my last bet of the meeting, I was wondering should I add to my modest stake. I was uneasy about the quickening ground so I rang my source. He confirmed my misgivings by saying that the ground wasn’t going to help. However, he told me, the stable’s other runner, an outsider called Wonderwall would love it and that he couldn’t believe the generous price. Now I have lost a lot of money over the years from inside information (Dermot Weld once put me horribly wrong about a good thing at Galway many years ago.), but I liked the look of the horse’s form and he had a featherweight. So I abandoned hope for Angels Dawn and had a decent bet on Wonderwall. He jumped beautifully throughout and took the lead from two out. He was pursued, ominously, by one of McManus’s after the last but held on by a diminishing neck. The crowd watching the race at Finnegan’s in Dalkey were left in no doubt that I’d backed a winner. He came in at 28-1. Angels Dawn finished down the field. This was the cherry on the icing on the cake of my Cheltenham.

Over four days, I had 17 winning bets (that includes profitable each way bets). An unheard-of statistic in 50 years of betting at the Festival. I wish my old buddy Donal Murray was still alive to enjoy my run – we shared our resources and insights every year. There were only three disasters:  State Man falling in the Champion Hurdle while I was counting my winnings; the wretched showing of Workahead in the Supreme Novices – he finished last despite being strongly fancied (I had him singly and coupled with my second William Munny); and the arrant failure of Maughreen to be facing in the right direction in the Mare’s Novice Hurdle when the tapes went up. That’s mares for you, and novices. Paddy Power very graciously refunded losing bets.

Cheltenham 2025 – Day 3 – The Stars Align

 

The day started disastrously with my fancy in the first race (Maughreen) facing the wrong way when the tapes went up – so she had no chance. (The starts have been a mess right through the meeting so far – big unwieldy fields all angling for position.) Paddy Power generously refunded my losing stake. However, I had been taken by the effusive praise for Air of Entitlement’s condition in the parade ring before the race so put a saver on De Bromhead’s horse at 16-1. She duly obliged, narrowly besting the favourite. Next up was the Novices Chase, not my favourite type of race, but I very much liked Paul Nichols Caldwell Potter so I backed him singly and also in my Yankee. He led from start to finish at the very decent price of 7-1. We’re on a roll. However, the next race was where I knew the stars were aligned in my favour. There were 24 runners in the Pertemps Final over 3 miles and I very much liked both Henderson runners – the favourite Jeriko Du Reponet (11-2) and the erratic but potentially well-handicapped Dodiethegreat (25-1) – for whom the added tongue-tie gave grounds for optimism. Both had been placed in good handicaps last time out and Nicky Henderson specialises in these high-class handicaps. The pair were always handy and came to the fore two out, pulling well clear after the last (see above). The long shot won me a decent amount, the second kept my each way Yankee going but crucially I had also backed the two in a reverse forecast that paid 144-1. Now you can relax, knowing that whatever rashness ensues, this is going to be a winning Cheltenham. I couldn’t separate Fact or File and Il Est Francais in the Ryanair Chase but backed the latter. He ran well but failed to stay and Fact or File was a most impressive winner. Next up was the Stayer’s Hurdle where I strongly fancied The Wallpark and backed it both singly and in my Yankee. My old favourite Bob Olinger was also running but its form had been spotty, and it was not proven over three files. However, I noted that it was being backed (from 20-1 to 8-1) and couldn’t bear the thought that such a proven Cheltenham horse would win without me – so I lobbed on a reasonable saver. Both ran well, the Wallpark finishing 3rd and Bob Olinger outstayed the warm favourite to win narrowly. I ignored the two concluding chases and retired from the fray, exhausted and elated. There were of course regrets. None of the three long-priced horses were in my Yankee. Had I put my four winners in a Yankee it would have yielded around €72,000. But any profitable day at Cheltenham is to be cherished and this was my best day ever (in 60 years) from that point of view.

Cheltenham 2025 – the Story So Far

This has been one of the most eventful Cheltenhams so far – with hot favourites (Marjborogh, Constitution Hill, Jonbon etc) failing and romantic stories abounding. My betting returns have been solid but unspectacular – two winners and lots of places. Prior to the Festival, I had been going through a prolonged period of seconditis (almost getting it right) – so much so that I began to halve my win bets and back everything each way. This seems to have worked well the first two days. The opening day is my favourite, and the opening race, the Supreme Novices Hurdle, my favourite race. Sure enough the very hot Mullins favourite won, but I had the second, William Munny, at 8-1. He was also in my each way Yankee. I just watched the next two races which were chases, I mostly focus on the hurdle races. In the Mares Hurdle I had another second – Jade De Grugy at 5-1. The next race was the Champion Hurdle and I had a very strong fancy for State Man (owned by my old classmate Joe Donnelly) – especially at the generous 10-1. He won it last year and there was widespread uncertainty about the short-priced favourite Constitution Hill. I had a decent single bet as well as having included it in my burgeoning Yankee. When Constitution Hill fell my bet suddenly became more promising and with the second favourite Brighterdayahead weakening from two out I was already calculating my winnings, and feeling that warm glow about being correct in my judgement. He was well clear at the last hurdle, but instead of just popping it, Townend inexplicably went for a long jump, clipped the top and went arse over tip. From woe to weal and after out of joy eh. Just to add salt and vinegar to the wound, the fourth horse in my Yankee, Haiti Coleurs, trained by the fragrant Rebecca Curtis, won the last race at 7-2. So while I didn’t lose on the day, I didn’t win as substantially as I coulda, shoulda.

 But you wipe the slate and get down to studying day 2. I did the usual Yankee and my anchor bet was Impose Toi at 13-2 in the Coral Cup – on whom I had a hefty each way bet. Jumping the last he looked the winner, but was caught on the run-in by a Mullins dark horse. Second again but quids in and Yankee intact. I know I shouldn’t bet in the Cross-Country but, as am I sentimentally attached to Henderson’s Mister Coffey, I had  included him in my each way Yankee. He gave me a good run for my money and plodded home in 5th -  which kept my Yankee intact as Paddy Power paid for 5 places. Next came the Two Mile Champion Chase and I had a decent bet on Marine Nationale – considering him a certainty to be at least placed. The hot favourite Jonbon jumped poorly after a slow start and my choice ran sweetly from start to finish and provided a poignant reminder of what might have been.  His erstwhile jockey was Michael O’Sullivan, tragically killed a few weeks earlier. Quids in and each way Yankee intact. The fourth and last leg of my Yankee was the most problematical – Jason Des Dames at 22-1. He is trained by Henry De Bromhead who has not been going well so far. However he has a tiny weight and surely Henry’s luck must change on a course where he has been so successful. He jumped well all the way around but when the going got tough between the last two fences he began to fade. However, there was a lot of fading going on and he managed to drag his weary arse into 5th place – just making the each way mark. Suddenly my each way Yankee made for a very decent day.