SOME punters will bet on anything when the racing is cancelled and Parrot Mouth is guilty of perusing the lists of novelty bets assembled by bookmakers to mark the new year.

The usual propositions involving the potential exploits of Aidan O’Brien and Willie Mullins in 2025 all feature. Last year The Irish Field recommended taking the 3/1 offered by Ladbrokes on Willie being top trainer and Aidan doing the same at Royal Ascot.

That double was easily landed and we note that the odds on it happening again this year are just evens.

We’d much rather take the same price with bet365 on Frankie Dettori riding at least one Grade 1 winner in America in 2025 but Coral’s 20/1 on Frankie being knighted won’t have any takers, given recent revelations about the jockey’s ‘complicated’ income tax situation.

Top marks to William Hill’s odds compilers for their creativity. They’re offering 66/1 on Denzel Washington winning the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in Gladiator 2 and I Am Maximus winning the Grand National again.