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Well mine is very simple. I had my doubts about the sport for a while. One day I was introduced to a jockeys mother, she started giving out about the type of people going to races i.e the rowdy crowd. She was giving out how the racegoers would have a go at jockeys for not trying. She then said to me "Sure if the jockey is told not to win then its not their fault is it, they are only following orders"
That told me everything I needed to know, it did make me laugh but it also woke me up….
For some reason a lot of people seem to be annoyed as to why I dont back horses so I thought I would explain why…
I did back a horse the other day for the first time in 5 years, thought it was clear cut, I couldn’t of been much more wrong…
Anyway thats why I dont back horses, plain and simple….
Joncol,you stick to quality horses in qualty races and you will get a run for your money thats fair and square more often than not! Your namesake wont be out to win every race he contests next season but he will win more than he loses!
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I hope he enjoys a lot of success next season fingers crossed.
You might be right about the quality aspect but Ill take my chances and stick to other sports where you dont have to consider your selections integrity into consideration.
It really did make me laugh at the time an in fairnes she had a point, it aint their fault, they are just doing their job
I still very much enjoy watching racing just wouldnt want my money at stake…
I love the sport of horseracing but I couldn’t give you one reason why I very rarely gamble in the sport… I could give you a hundred
The latest being tonight’s fiasco at Ballinrobe (the 6:20 race).
If you didn’t see it, a horse was gambled on from 20/1 to 8/1 (persumably because of its perfect draw of 16 in a 16 runner handicap). The horse then broke through the front of the stalls, was allowed to run, but amazingly was put into stall one; stall one at this track being a huge disadvantage.
There is absolutely no protection for punters whatsoever. Fair enough if the horse is fine and well after its antics, but if the stall it was meant to go in was broke then it should have been withdrawn, not put into another stall. Punters backed that horse because of its draw, and punters were then basically kicked in the teeth. Disgraceful.
When I say I very rarely gamble in the sport that isn’t completely true. What I mean is that I don’t back indiviual horses in races, instead I play quite a bit on distance betting. It’s much more fun for me; I’m not backing a horse; I’m simply backing the margin of victory so I don’t care who wins, who tries, who doesn’t try etc.
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Its ironic really, the sport that started off the pastime of gambling is now perhaps the worse for value, fairness and many other reasons as you have mentioned.
The one interesting thing about horses racing is if there was no such thing as betfair and all gambling on racing was banned I guarantee you we would see much different races take place.
If you removed betting from any other sport it wouldnt make any bit of difference in terms of what you see on the pitch,court,table etc..
- Total Posts 17716
Distance betting doe seem a good way of getting involved without the risk of getting stung…
There is absolutely no protection for punters whatsoever.
Paul Roy in Sunday’s Racing Post: "I don’t agree that racing does not care about punters."
Well, if he says it, it must be true…
Distance betting doe seem a good way of getting involved without the risk of getting stung…
Yeah, really… and when a jockey eases up and costs you?
Hopefully this will be a very narrow discussion. Far far to much whinging and crying on here lately.
This is a bleeding racing forum. Not kindergarten.
Joncol –
I struggle to wonder why you post here – you have no faith that racing is straight, you clearly intimate that the jockeys are cheating, you haven’t had a bet for five years, when you do it loses and you now seem more disenchanted than ever, if that could be possible.
All that and every thread you start has a sneaky undertone of negativity to it. Every one a whinge (designed to extract even more whinges). All that bitterness can’t be good for a person.
If you removed betting from any other sport it wouldnt make any bit of difference in terms of what you see on the pitch,court,table etc..
That comment is so laughable it’s untrue!
Wherever betting is involved there will always be a small percentage of people trying to gain an advantage any way they can.
Are you seriously telling me you have missed all those stories of match fixing in sports such as…football, Rugby, Tennis, Cricket, Snooker, etc, etc….
Added to that, there will always be sportsmen who aren’t as good as they used to be who may cost you some money when you bet on them.
In the same way you were saying Kieren Fallon may have cost people money because he’s older and weaker now in a finish… Is that really any more different than say…backing Roger Federer in a tennis match but him losing because he’s not quite as good as he used to be….or a defender costing a team a goal which costs you a match result all because he’s a few years older and is outpaced by an attacker because he’s a few years older?
Distance betting doe seem a good way of getting involved without the risk of getting stung…
Yeah, really… and when a jockey eases up and costs you?
Not when you back Under X Lengths Jose
It’s the chance you take. I backed Over 17.5L tonight at Ballinrobe. The first race was won by a horse that won by half a furlong
. True, you only get 12L for that in flat racing, but there was a 6L winner of the third race, job done.I also backed Over at Beverley and had a 7L winner in the second race. The next four races were won by a combined distnace of about two lengths and I lost. It’s the chance you take whether jockeys are easing down or pushing right out to the line.
The point I’m trying to make is that the distance only matters from the WINNER to the second, and you don’t get ‘non-triers’ (for want of a better word) WINNING. Easing a winner down is part of the game and is acceptable. A horse easing down in sixth or seventh sometimes isn’t acceptable.
So because someones mother said this to you, you stopped backing horses. I do not mean offence but i find that hard to be true.
Its very hard to make a profit in any sport. Horse Racing is no exception but with the correct approach it is still possible.
According to some there is corruption here, there and everywhere, personally i find this ridiculous and to be honest quite boring.
Take the other thread regarding Fallons ride in the first at Yarmouth. I made a point regarding the fact this horse hung badly on its first start and did so again today. Nobody even replied to this point as its preferred to just presume he wasnt trying.
The point made in relation to the stalls at Ballinrobe this evening is a well made one and it is instances such as this which should be focused on. Quite clearly this is an unacceptable way to treat punters as the conditions they have bet on have changed.
But all the endless threads whenever someone backs a loser and claiming its down to corruption are extremely dull at this stage.
Take the other thread regarding Fallons ride in the first at Yarmouth. I made a point regarding the fact this horse hung badly on its first start and did so again today.
Nobody even replied to this point
as its preferred to just presume he wasnt trying.
No, because I said it before your post
Or words to that affect anyway. The horse was all over the track and Fallon did well to get it to finish where it did, so we are in complete agreement.
Some punters might not bet anymore because they are not skillfull enough to make a profit. Which is fair enough, good enough reason.
Some punters who aren’t skillfull enough to make a profit; WANT to believe the game is BENT. Because then it is not their OWN fault for backing too many losers.So… they complain at every opportunity.
Of course there is some skulduggery in horse racing, but am convinced it is less than it was; and far less than MUG PUNTERS believe there is.
The game is as straight now as it has ever been. May be it is more difficult to make a profit now than 10 years ago, as there is so much more information available. the average punter knows more than they used to.
Value Is EverythingI love going to the races for the day and will happily treat it as a day out similar to a night at the theatre, opera or an away day to the footie. Season ticket holder at Forest so prefer not to engage in deep philosophical discussion on the footie … it just hurts coz it’s meant to, OK ?
Will set myself a modest budget for my day at the races and if I get whitewashed it gets put down to experience … Been following the sport for enough years now to understand that the average punter starts at a serious disadvantage but if you knowingly accept that premise before you place your bet there is little point in whingeing about it afterwards when you’ve lost … the occasional victory when our powers of deduction provide the right answer is always just enough to keep us going back for more … My one indulgence is an annual trip to the York August meeting where I might take in 1 or more days depending on my circumstances and where I have missed just a handful of Ebors since Sea Pigeon in 1979 … I love seeing the thoroughbreds walking around the parade ring at a big meeting like York where all the horses are turned out magnificently … they really are beautiful creatures when pictured in this setting.
I rarely back off course and only have the occasional flutter on the horses on a Saturday if I see something running I’ve perhaps spotted during a trip to the races … I can happily spend a couple of hours in the bookies on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon just enjoying the racing and not have a bet at all … the bookies must love me !! … Been lucky enough to have just taken a year off work so the days out have been a little more regular of late … much prefer football betting these days though and have considerably more success … with trebles a particularly successful strategy.
Can honestly say I have never gambled more than I can afford and was well taught by my father and grandfather before him to never chase losses … feel dreadfully sorry for some of the guys that you see on a regular basis in the bookies that clearly aren’t in control … for most it’s down to personal choices … others are not so fortunate.
I have always harboured ambitions to work within the industry but cannot reconcile my sentiments on the Gambling Awareness campaign and the fact that all the high street firms (in my opinion) pay lip service to it, particularly when I look at the behaviour of some of the regulars on the roulette machines … I hate those things with a vengeance and feel they have no place in a high street bookmakers and should remain confined to seaside piers and amusement arcades … I’m guessing the players neither need nor want my sympathy but I have always felt it’s exploitation of the worst kind and no-one will convince me otherwise.
Not when you back Under X Lengths Jose
It’s the chance you take. I backed Over 17.5L tonight at Ballinrobe. The first race was won by a horse that won by half a furlong
. True, you only get 12L for that in flat racing, but there was a 6L winner of the third race, job done.I also backed Over at Beverley and had a 7L winner in the second race. The next four races were won by a combined distnace of about two lengths and I lost. It’s the chance you take whether jockeys are easing down or pushing right out to the line.
The point I’m trying to make is that the distance only matters from the WINNER to the second, and you don’t get ‘non-triers’ (for want of a better word) WINNING. Easing a winner down is part of the game and is acceptable. A horse easing down in sixth or seventh sometimes isn’t acceptable.
Fair enough if that’s how you like to play, OneEye. Personally if someone finds it hard to find the "winners," guessing at how far unknown winners will win by seems utter madness to me, but what would I know about it? Not a lot. I suppose working out the way a race will be run and ground conditions could help.
My point was that if someone has a complete lack of confidence in the sport, then they begin to attack everything. And if a winner were to win by 1 length with bundles in hand to avoid the heftiest handicap rise possible, and the bet lost for that person because they backed "Over say 20 lengths" and it ended up being 19 lengths on the day, well, I think you know where I’m heading.
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