Simon Rowlands / 17 November 2009 Free Bet View Market

"Idle Talk has run well first time up every season he has been in action – winning twice and finishing second three times – and comes from a stable that not only has a fine record at Aintree but which is in notably good form. "

It is the fate of all enthusiasts of sport that life sometimes gets in the way of their peculiar obsession.

Each and every one of us must have endured our version of The Likely Lads' attempts to avoid finding out the result of an England v Bulgaria football match until they could watch it "as live" on telly (I realise that dates me: younger readers should try Googling "The Likely Lads + No Hiding Place" or simply refer to the Ant and Dec remake).

Just as memorable, for me at least, have been the occasions on which I have had to follow an important race, or a race on which I have had a bet (which amounts to the same thing), in an unconventional setting.

I recall cramming into a two-man tent at Glastonbury, with several Timeform colleagues, to listen to a crackling commentary on the 1995 Wokingham Handicap at Royal Ascot on what seemed to be the only functioning radio in West England (the 16/1 "good thing" Sheppard's Cross failed even to get a mention).

More recently, I listened to the 2007 Grand National on Betfair Radio (as it then was) while on a tricky cliff walk on the South Coast, a form of multitasking not to be recommended. The casualty-rate was high, and not just at Aintree.

The wonder of broadcasting and of modern telecommunications means that there is seldom much excuse for missing the action entirely these days.

Thus it was that anyone travelling southwards on the M1 near Nottingham at about 14:40 on Saturday would have witnessed a slight swerve from the hire van in the middle lane that coincided with Radio 5's announcement that Tranquil Sea - tipped at a double-figure price here last week - had taken the last clear in the Paddy Power Gold Cup and would not be caught.

Moving house from London to the Hope Valley in rural Derbyshire - it is, undoubtedly, better to arrive in Hope than to travel - meant that I missed seeing not only Tranquil Sea's race but several other important races in the last two to three weeks.

I have some catching up to do in other words (though I do have a hunch that I may become a Celestial Halo man where The Champion Hurdle is concerned), so it seems best for now to concentrate on what is immediately ahead of me rather than what has just passed.

Much of the attention at the weekend will be on the reappearance of Kauto Star at 14:55 at Haydock on Saturday in the Betfair Chase, for which he is trading at [2.12]. At his best, he will win, but in the kind of form he was in 12 months ago (when unseating at the last with a real fight on his hands), he is likely to lose. All things told, this is one race I will be happy to watch. Yes, watch.

The Becher Chase at Aintree the following day is a much more open-looking affair, with Vic Venturi heading the Betfair ante-post market at [9.0]. He was none too impressive when winning for the first time in precisely three years at Clonmel recently and makes limited appeal at the odds.

One who interests me at a bigger price ([20.0] at the time of writing) is Idle Talk. Yes, he has failed to win for even longer - since January 2006 in his case - and that has included four outings on this unique track, but there are some clear positives too.

Idle Talk has run well first time up every season he has been in action - winning twice and finishing second three times - and comes from a stable that not only has a fine record at this track but which is in notably good form.

Donald McCain junior has turned out six winners from 35 runners in November already and can boast 64.2% rivals beaten in that period, a figure that is behind only Paul Nicholls (69.8) and Dessie Hughes (66.1) of trainers with runners in this race.

I reckon it is worth chancing that Idle Talk will go well in this off a mark 3 lb lower than when beaten just a length at Carlisle a year ago - a 1 pt win is recommended.