Throw caution to the wind. The best decisions in life are made on the spur of the moment, says Piers Pottinger
Spontaneity can be wonderful. Several years ago, I was at Deauville Races on a glorious Normandy summer’s day. Despite hours of homework, my selections had all failed to cross the winning line anywhere near the front. In the last race, I had ten euros left and decided on the spur of the moment to throw caution to the wind. I picked four horses at random to finish in the correct order in the first four places – a real long shot. To my astonishment, it came off. My wife and I enjoyed a splendid dinner at Deauville’s finest restaurant that evening. In more than 50 years of backing horses this was, sadly, a unique experience. Some of the most memorable moments in sport have originated in a single, spontaneous piece of skill: the inspired pass in rugby, the sensational shot in golf or the unexpected goal in football. Hours of...
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