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After the interesting recent topics entitled "Milkshaking racehorses" and "Jekyl and Hyde", I wondered what the general educated opinion is on just how bent racing is, if at all.
How bent do you think racing is?
Personally, I think there are more than a few horses running every single day who are:
a- unfit to race to their full ability, unbeknownst to the betting public
b- drugged, unbeknownst to the betting public
and
c- not allowed to run on their merits, unbeknownst to the betting public.
And I’d say that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Don’t get me wrong, I love the game, and I’m not talking through my pocket- I make a nice few quid from it. This is simply something I’ve been thinking about for quite some time. I’m absolutely convinced that the fourth option in the poll above is the closest to the truth. What do you think?
(Edited by dandan at 2:08 pm on Mar. 29, 2007)<br>
(Edited by dandan at 2:10 pm on Mar. 29, 2007)
It is entirely dependent on your understanding of the term ‘bent’.
I don’t think any hardly any, if at all b) happens.<br>I don’t think a) comes under ‘bent'<br>and c) is an occasional occurance I’m sure – but virtually impossible to prove…
So I’m plumping for the 2nd option.
dandan, you have done well to condense the subject into four options. Option 4 is the clear winner in my book.
Option 3. Always has been, probably always will be. Difference now is that it’s easier to spot/trace/police thanks to Betfair. Prior to this ’twas only the bookmakers who knew – in many cases – what was going on ‘inside’ and, unlike Betfair, they were/are not willing to divulge this knowledge for the greater good preferring to fleece an unsuspecting public with their squalid privileged information.
Better times, if not good.
Sailing Shoes- just to mention, I think (b) happens almost every day.
And what I mean by (a), is that the trainers/owners/ other associates are aware of a circumstance(s) which may affect the horses running, which the betting public are not. Probably doesn’t come under "bent" per se, but something of a grey area I would say.
Its like anything in life, where there’s money and people you will always get some kind of illegalities.
Generally I think racing is pretty straight to be fair and the authorities do a very good job in keeping it that way.
There will always be people claim racing is bent like there will always be people that claim they’ve been abducted by aliens.
Yes there’s bound to be the odd case but by and large I don’t think racing has a serious problem any more certainly compared to years gone by.
Dan,
You believe horses are drugged daily? Beyond belief surely.
a) is not illegal or ‘bent’, no horse can be 100% fit everytime it runs and the rules don’t state it has to be.
<br>Flatseason,
I can see horses everyday that haven’t run to their merits, I think the point was though that the horses are not being on their merits, a slightly different angle.
What a stunningly depressing thread…….from amidst a group of racing enthusiasts.
I despair!
Rob
- Total Posts 17716
Just my opinion, but a poll like this is laughable.<br>The vast majority of punters regularly lose on the horses, very few ever accept it is their own fault, so what is the only conceivable result?<br>Do turkeys get to vote on Christmas next?:o <br>
Reet Hard-
I think it’s a question that needs to be asked, probed, and probed some more. I can’t stress enough it has absolutely nothing to do with punting. I’m not looking for kudos by putting up an interesting topic or a useful poll, so I don’t mind if the poll comes across laughable- I just want to find out what general opinion is.
Yes, Sailing Shoes. I think there’s a strong possibility there are horses running every day who are under the influence of illegal substances. It’s not an assertion I make lightly, nor is it a flippant remark.
Also, what I refer to in (a) are situations similar to the Hillside Girl debacle. In that case, for example, it is alleged that connections ran the horse knowing full well it was lame, and laid the b##llocks out of it. I’m not referring to a trainer running one which is simply "likely to come on for the run".
(Edited by dandan at 6:34 pm on Mar. 29, 2007)
I think reet hard is right. A few losers in a row and a few beaten favourites and the average punter starts waving his arms about and claiming its fixed.
There’s a guy at my work, every Monday I go in I get "****
ing McCoy the robbing b*****d
".He is of course talking through both his pocket and his derriere.
Flash- that’s why I asked for educated opinion!
I presume most of us here are more clued in than the average muppett down the local bookies!
as someone who bets on an extremely regular basis I feel that there is little doubt that racing is bent. How many times have you been in a betting shop and the whisper starts about a "wire". This happens regularly and on more than one occasion I have been told to back a horse one week and then informed not to bet it again until it’s odds return to double figures.
A syndicate own a horse that runs for crappy little races on a Tuesday afternoon at Ludlow with £1500 to the winner. Do they try to win that race whilst being a short priced favourite or wait a few weeks until they get the price they want. Then hammer it at 8/1 and make a killing. As we have discussed on this forum before money rules the roost in racing and in my experiences this happens on an all to regular basis.
How else do you explain horses being backed in from 50’s into 4’s and the like.
The low grade races are benter than Dale Winton
The reason that some horses on a daily basis don’t appear to run to their merits is that they are not machines and can have off days just like us, I reckon it’s almost impossible to tell if a horse isn’t trying unless ofcourse you’ve been given or heard info from connections of said animal that they will not be doing their best, however those that back a horse and it loses will almost certainly cry wolf, my own take on if racing is bent or not is that there has to be some that see opportunities to cheat and with this I can safely say the game isn’t as straight as we would like it to be, I didn’t vote as I find the topic a bit depressing and have always said that if you really think racing is as bent as some make out then why stay in the game? I’m not bothered too much as I still find enough winners to keep me interested and I still enjoy horses competing against each other no matter what grade they are in.
No-one ever says the exchanges are bent, I wonder why? ;)
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