Twenty Years On

[apracing]

This day in the racing calendar has always held a little significance for me, as it was the same day in 2002 that I made my debut on the original Attheraces channel, alongside John Hunt.

And whilst there have been plenty of changes since then, this day still looks much the same, with afternoon meetings at Ayr, Pontefract and Yarmouth, just as it was in 2002. And although small fields have been the order of the day for much of this summer, we have 287 horses declared at those meetings, compared to 291 in 2002 – I remember that meant a lot of homework.

Actually there were quite a few small fields in 2002, but they were offset by eight races with 16 or more runners. Yarmouth staged two divisions of a 0-60 6F handicap and two divisions of a 1M maiden handicap that offered optimistic punters four places for each way bets.

There were selling races at Ayr and Yarmouth, which have disappeared, there were races over 1M 7F and 1M 3F at Ayr, where now 1M 2F is the maximum distance on todays card. The 2M handicap at Yarmouth is now 1M 6F. This lack of variety is much the most depressing change from 2002 – today offers 16 handicaps and 8 maiden/novice races, of which only 6 are over further than a mile.

One name that stands out now from the 2002 results, although I don’t recall any comment at the time, is Ryan Moore, who rode the winner of an apprentice handicap that opened the card at Pontefract. Further down the field in that race, riding at 8st 1lb with a 7lb claim, was Liam Treadwell.

[IanDavies]

Great stuff, I enjoyed reading that.

It’s sentiments echo many of my own.

When I first got interested in racing in the 1970s it seemed racecards were structured to entertain and provide variety whereas nowadays it seems the priority is what’s easiest for the track.

Take my first ever day at Beverley in 1977 – a 1m contest, then 5f, then 1m2f, then 1m4f, then 5f again, then 2m35yds to finish.

Lots of starting stalls movement but an array of variety.

Ditto my first day NH at Doncaster – a 2m150yds Chase, then a 2m4f hurdle, then a 3m chase, then a 2m150yds hurdle, then a 2m4f chase and another 2m4f hurdle to close.

Nowadays it would be all the 5f races, then the 1m, and so on to minimise stalls movement.

And over the Jumps the nadir that is Worcester, get the Chases out the way, then the bumper(s), then the hurdles to minimise portable obstacle movement.

Dull as ditchwater.

Less variety nowadays in race distances and what there is less imaginatively staged.

I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"

[gamble]

RESPECT YOU SPROGS

I first got interested in racing in the mid 50’s on a small black and white twelve incher – a mate of mine had a bigger one – an eight incher -but set in a much bigger more grandiose, mahogany frame with less utilitarian knobs than mine. He was a strange character and he had a monkey tree in his front garden and had changed his name to not sound German.
All crouching menaces had two knobs back then; one to turn ON and OFF, and to regulate the VOLUME and the other to possibly change channel. Most stuck to the good old trusted BBC – and when the talkies finished there was an imaginary test card ( came in for real in 1967 )to gaze at where you could let your imagination roll and watch your own lazily produced filum. Charlie Chaplin lived on in my house but he grew a beard and got a bit taller.

I used to bet by post back in those days. I’d send postal orders and you needed a postmark before the race started, quite obviously, and it was quite a palava all in all with a necessary trip to the Post Office with that healthy walk thrown in.

I would receive postal orders and sometimes notes of the realm – often a ten shilling brownie, or a pound note, or a fiver, more rarely – in the very regular winning return envelope. Royal Mail was to be trusted back then and the postman might have a Christian name, and had equal status with the milkie – and both were eagerly awaited.

After 39 consecutive winning bets they had had enough of corresponding with me and I wasn’t expecting a Xmas card after I received a rather unusual accompanying letter with my winnings.

Dear Mr Gamble,
please read the new addition to our betting rules attached….

YOU ARE FIRED !!!

[Nathan Hughes]

Great thread
Gamble, That reminded me of the days I started betting in a Hills shop gamble.
I was naive and not clued up on betting but managed to run up a streak of 15 or so winning football bets, all very short odds and tax paid upfront. I started with a £10 bet and after a few winning bets thought this was easy and combined with working stupid hours and cash in hand would bet £200 on the weeks dead cert football team. winning about £10 profit from each bet, which got me an easy 5 pints of cider
anyway after the 15th winner, I went into the shop with my £200 stake only to be told that they only take doubles on such short odds. I walked off a bit disgruntled
anyway it turned out a good thing as the team drew which equated to a losing bet..
The same cashier years later tried telling me she couldn’t pay out on my Ante post winning slips as a rule 4 had occurred and they needed to reduce the winnings.
She must have thought I was still wet behind the ears.

Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026

[gamble]

If I was a cashier in a Laddies Hills or a Waitrose and Gnats walked in – I’d run a Frankel mile to buy a bag of toffees !

[gamble]

[IanDavies]

I know it’s (characteristically) shallow of me, but the brutal truth is I don’t revere gamble quite so much since he accepted the “wrong” (i.e. not my suggested one) avatar after that sham of a poll, which was a manifest affront to democracy (because I lost and I’m a bad loser).

I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
https://mobile.twitter.com/Ian_Davies_
https://www.facebook.com/ThePointtoPointNHandFlatracingpunter/
It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"

[gamble]

😁 The avatar has also changed gamble – evidenced by last night’s foray into strange dark places.
I don’t think being without an avatar in any way detracts from Alan’s posts – in fact one possibly concentrates more on his words making his many insightful posts, better received.

Monks in monasteries wear simple cloaks and often cover their heads with a hood. This gives them an equality and sameness, that encourages harmony in the community and is less distracting in church and assists prayer.

I find Ian’s avatar very artistic and have often viewed it covetously. It has caused me therefore to sin slightly – as jealousy can rarely be considered a virtue.

It must have been over 20 years ago when I experimented my writing style on Flutter and there was another poster called Anakin who I always remember considered himself a smart cookie in the gambling house and often said ” I know my sport” – he considered himself an expert in betting on sport considering he had better knowledge than most and therefore had an edge. He mentioned he had a good picture of himself and he had found a way to show it. I strongly advised him not to, saying it would single him out, and others might follow ,and the evidence of physicality would destroy the almost spiritual communication of unblemished thought we shared in those pioneering days of much freer and novel speech.

I think everyone was anonymous back then which greatly added to the magic and the freedom to write without restraint. A photo exhibited would have be akin to a monk putting on a red pullover and pointed galoshes for sandals – an unnecessary distraction to greatly spoil the magic.

[homersimpson]

I think it’s 20 years ago today since I first went to a meeting at Listowel followed by the Egg and Spoon race down the main street.

[Author]

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