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Just a quick post to say I’m bowing out from the flat season at least but possibly for good depending on how the winter goes and what I can fill my time with on those long, dark, wet evenings and weekends. I think auditing my results closely this summer has led to the harsh realisation that I’m not a successful punter, not a huge shock admittedly and I’m not a big loser by any stretch, probably about level if you looked over a year but time is the key thing for me rather than finances, I’ve found if I don’t focus a certain amount of time and energy into studying the sport then I may as well just throw a dart at one, there aren’t shortcuts. I’ve taken two summer holidays this year during Royal Ascot and the Ebor festival, something I wouldn’t have dreamed of in the past where we’d have deliberately gone away in a quieter racing week and I’ve not missed the racing nearly as much as I feared I might. If I’m being honest I’ve quite enjoyed not being stressed from hours of form study during those busy festivals. I’ve rediscovered exercise and spending more time with the kids over the summer, whether that extends to the winter we shall see. I’ve certainly not been addicted to gambling but I’ve been addicted to following horse racing on here or the TV or online and its time for me to step away, maybe I’ll be back but maybe not. Good luck to you all with your punting journeys and life generally
Good luck Tinman , you’ve got to do what feels right , hope it’s not the last time we hear from you
Pick 3 on Saturday champion 2025/2026
Best of luck Tin man
I often find myself agreeing with a lot of your posts in the big race discussions and there’s usually something in them that I have missed myselfGaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
It looks like the Tin man has a heart after all.
Very kind of you to wish us all well
and we’ll just have to row a bit harder without you !Italy is a very cultured place
I must get back there one day.The last hotel I stayed at in
Blighty – oh it was about a month ago
and I booked in after attending a funeral.
They asked me if I had luggage.
I said no but in point of fact
sitting next to my wallet
in my top pocket was my green toothbrush.
In the side pocket I had a small tube
of toothpaste with the lid tightly
screwed down.
I showered in the morning and slipped
into my yesterdays clothes.
Its rather odd behaviour
but I don’t think anybody noticed,
but I felt a bit of a fraud,
as like the cat, I didn’t fit the matrix.I looked identical to how I arrived.
Got away with it very nicely.
Fact is I like travelling light.I presumed you might be spending
more time in Italy !!!Wish you all the best, Tin Man.
Sometimes you’ve just got to take a step back, and enjoy the real important moments.
As for Question 11 in chezza’s bank holiday Questionaire. Have you ever felt you fully understood a posting by gamble?
Italy is a very cultured place
I must get back there one day.The last hotel I stayed at in
Blighty – oh it was about a month ago
and I booked in after attending a funeral.
They asked me if I had luggage.
I said no but in point of fact
sitting next to my wallet
in my top pocket was my green toothbrush.
In the side pocket I had a small tube
of toothpaste with the lid tightly
screwed down.
I showered in the morning and slipped
into my yesterdays clothes.
Its rather odd behaviour
but I don’t think anybody noticed,
but I felt a bit of a fraud,
as like the cat, I didn’t fit the matrix.I looked identical to how I arrived.
Got away with it very nicely.
Fact is I like travelling light.Still don’t understand, but as Oscar Levant once said “There’s a fine line between genius and insanity.”
You've got to accentuate the positive.
Eliminate the negative.
Latch on to the affirmative.
Don't mess with mister in between.Best of luck Tin Man and I’m certain you will reap the benefits of all that extra time with your family and leading a healthier lifestyle.
I must admit that this has not been the best of years for punting and I found both Royal Ascot and York extremely difficult to find winners but then I’m only happy when I’m on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket..lol
Hope you pop in occasionally to let us know how you are getting on.
All good wishes..Jac
Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...It is hard to give up the game you love
Tin man has has done this after
having a serious light bulb moment – and
the light bulb took a season to light
and then finally lit and rather dramatically uttered this statement..‘There may be other things in life
that have value, apart from race horses and
the study involved in evaluating
their quirks’I suppose a bit of Dante is called for.
Out of interest I visited his tomb when
I was last in Italy in a place
called Ravenna where I ate a lot of rabbits.
I didn’t stay long at the tomb
because I was on holiday.
DANTE
‘Where the path is hardest though go there;
(Does that include the odd tomb ?)
Follow your own path and let people talk’Well Tin Man you are taking the alternative
path the yellow brick road
and we wish you well and be aware
we are certainly talking about you.
goodbye Tin man of old
Hallo yellow brick road
We’ll keep the fire burning warm for you
Just in case you coming back to the fold.Maybe we’ll get a replacement
There’s not many like you to be found
Those that give their thoughts for a penny
Then buy us the occasional round.
Ah ah————————————–
…Red Rum of 77 vintage and that was a good year📈 and one to be savoured and well remembered.
Just out of interest, and I have been vexing meself, are you on Maw or Paw’s
side of me family ? 🤔It’s certainly true that there’s a fine line line between genius and insanity , however Gambles latest psychiatrist report confirms he,s definitely insane ….
Pick 3 on Saturday champion 2025/2026
Best of luck, Tin Man.
It’s a pity that it appears you can’t enjoy racing as a sport, without betting being involved, but I wish you well.
Bye TinMan,
Because of doing up my old house before selling and the same with our new property, I gave up Racing and this forum for a while… And because of that found there are actually other things in life.Am sure you’ll enjoy too.
Good luck for the future.Mark
Value Is EverythingSame here. I’ve been doing lots of work on my house and realised that racing was taking up far too much of my time. I like having racing radio on because I enjoy the banter but then I find I can’t resist having a bet, albeit only tiny ones. I did indulge in spending a bit of time looking at the Ebor and didn’t do anything but then threw a few last minute pennies at a Phil Kirby horse that was running and it came third at 50/1. So I have found myself recently just watching the racing and not having a bet and just having the occasional fun bet.And still check in to see that everyone in my online racing family are ok. Maybe Tin Man, you can do what I do and look on studying a race as an occasional treat? I only started doing it because they gave me a computer at work years ago with very little training and I found the best way to find my way round the internet and computers was to do something I enjoyed so I started studying the races!Mind you, working on the house isn’t without its dangers because I’ve done my back in!Anyways, at least you can bow out knowing that nobody will have a better internet name which, as with great horses no one should be allowed to use in the future!
TheTinMan always sounded a bit too much like Cyberman to me, so at least I’ll be able to stop hiding behind the sofa now.
As for Gladders’s purist comment, for many it’s just horses (even if one of them happens to be called Frankel) running round a field (or sand pit) for many without a bet.
Each to their own.
Good luck in the future – sounds like those wealth-protecting break-even days start here….enjoy!
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"All the best. The wellbeing of you and your family comes first and the fact that you are prioritising that speaks volumes.
I’ve barely had a bet for a few years now. I restrict it to when I actually go racing, which is not very often. That keeps it fun, I either lose a small amount that I can afford or if I’m lucky pay for my day out. I basically came to the same conclusion as you that I simply don’t have the time to make the game pay. I may go back it one day, I may not.
Respect to Tinman for his honest comments, and also to all that have opened up with their own personal feelings, and time consuming issues. Life is a very time consuming occupation and sometimes things may take us away from what is the most important part of it. The family.
Not sure if Im lucky or unluckly, most of my working life is staying away from me wife and kids..
This sort of life, being in hotels ends up with divorce due to being unfaithful or alcoholism, unless one is a saint. I tend to play with betting at small stakes like 10 bob’s while away, but its keeping me of the booze as I stay away from the bars…It keeps me out of trouble from the Mrs. We all have our own demons that can come and go.
There is no way, that I can put in the time that most of the good folks on here can, so theres not many comments from me towards the big races.
Maybe this post is better suited to the Sunday Chezza confesional list..I agree with Gladiateur that it’s a shame more people don’t enjoy racing without the betting angle. After all, football is just groups of people kicking a ball about, but it doesn’t stop millions of people being passionate about it without ever having a bet.
This isn’t a criticism of anyone who doesn’t enjoy racing without betting; it’s just something that saddens me as I think racing has a lot more than that to offer as a sport.
But I do appreciate that personal interests and priorities change regardless of this. And, like all sports, racing is really no more than a “great triviality” as per the famous Phil Bull quotation.
Wishing you all the best Tin Man
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