Forget all the speculation on who is going to be the next boss at Chelsea Football Club, or even which horse is going to win the forthcoming Derby at Epsom – the bookies are allegedly reporting huge sums of pocket money, housekeeping funds and conductors fees are being placed on the outcome of the 2008 National Finals test piece!
...the early favourite by Ravel has lost a bit of ground with the backers, replaced it seems by the news from the composition stables that former champion jockey Kenneth Downie may well be favourite to take the saddle with one of his compositions4BR
Speculation
After the details of the Harrogate selections appeared on the Kapitol Promotions website this week, speculation has been rife to what the best bands in the UK will be faced with come October and the Royal Albert Hall.
Honest Harry
When the official announcement will be made appears to be unclear to all and sundry, but 4BR has been making tentative enquiries with ‘Honest Harry Hill – Brass Band Bookmaker to the Stars’ to see what rumours he has picked up on.
Snouts
His snouts from the Pennines to Penzance, Porthcawl to Paisley, Peterborough to Pimlico, and all stops in between, have tried to find out what the all important choice has been.
Odds
Harry has then come up with the following odds – all of course done with a spectacular degree of intuition, speculation and the use of a direct link to the brass band equivalent of Doris Stokes…
Latest Betting?
5 – 4 favourite: The Promised Land – Kenneth Downie
6 – 1: Titan’s Progress – Herman Pallhuber
7 –1: Daphnis & Chloe – Ravel arranged Howard Snell
8 –1: Benvenuto Cellini – Berlioz – arranged Frank Wright
9 – 1: Visions of Gerontius — Kenneth Downie
10- 1: Montage – Peter Graham
12 – 1: Extreme Make Over – Johan De Meij
14 – 1: Salute to Youth – Gilbert Vinter
16 – 1: Riffs & Interludes – Torstein Aagaard Nilsen
20 – 1: Spectrum – Gilbert Vinter
25 – 1: Revelation – Philip Wilby
28 – 1: Beyond the Horizon – Bertrand Moren
33 – 1: Variations on the Shining River – Edmund Rubbra
40 – 1: Checkmate – Sir Arthur Bliss arranged Eric Ball
50 – 1 outsiders: St Magnus (Downie); Visions of Gerontius — Part 2 (Downie); Seascapes (Steadman Allen); Les Preludes (Liszt arr. Gay)
1000 – 1 bets: Dreams (Bertrand Moren); Treaty of Rome (unknown); Gems from Sullivan’s Operas No 1 (arr Ord Hume).
Early favourite
Harry tells 4BR that the early favourite by Ravel has lost a bit of ground with the backers, replaced it seems by the news from the composition stables that former champion jockey Kenneth Downie may well be favourite to take the saddle with one of his compositions.
Who knows?
Who knows though? Plenty of time before the official announcement is to be revealed, so why not place a few bob on one of your favs if you can find a bookie willing to do business on a race that seems to be shrouded in misplaced silence….
