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Good post, Glenn. I wait with bated breath the sale of the Tote and hopefully common sense will prevail and the Foundation Bid will succeed. As it stands, the Tote is way off the pace.
The Tote certainly needs reinvigorating. Twice on Wednesday at Nottingham’s Further Flight meeting, I was stuck in long queues to place bets and twice I didn’t get my money on. I ended up arguing with senior staff. The reason? They never employ enough staff. You’d think with the number of new racegoers, they would have sufficient staff to deal with bets. In the United States, you cannot move for Pari-Mutuel staff at the races – not an exact comparison, I know.
The other thing is after time betting. In Ladbrokes at the moment, you can bet after the off at SP. The bookmaker makes a big deal of promoting this audibly and visually. At Fontwell yesterday, in a long distance chase run so slowly it was altering the laws of time and space, you could bet at SP for at least four fences.
The Tote does not allow after time betting at all. I like to bet late and the Tote is no good to me whatsoever. I’m sure there is a lag in the States which allows late money.
Yet, despite the antiquated ambience, the often stroppy staff, the inconsiderate punters (with their last minute multiple exactas and trifectas, their waiting till thirty seconds before the off to cash winning tickets); the lack of staff, the inflexibility of the software and the often jawdropping lack of liquidity, particularly at Southwell, I feel as if I
should
bet with the Tote because they give the most back -something you allude to in your post. Roll on the New Tote.
So basically you’re the type of punter who runs to the counter barging everybody out of the way at precisely the same moment the race is off then screams at the poor wee lads and lassies making minimum wage for THEIR incompetence.
The simple answer has to be it enables Mark to stay one step ahead of the odds compilers: same jock on a horse easy to price the risk; different jocks each time the horse appears, a chance the animal will be over-priced and a decent touch can be landed.
I’ve only been following racing for around three years and while I’m still pretty much a novice, I learn something every day: courses, trainers, jockeys, horses. I’m at the stage now I can begin to put things together i.e. picking a jock at a certain course at a decent price or picking a trainer at a certain course in maidens, or latching on to a hunter chaser just before an upturn in form, stuff like that. At this stage, I’m well and truly hooked on racing.
One of the first things I learned, or maybe more properly felt, was an extreme distrust/dislike in the pit of my stomach for Ballydolye/Coolmore.
I’d love to see or read a psychologist’s appraisal of an Aidan O’Brien interview: to me, this is quite clearly a man living under constrant pressure, having to bend the knee daily to his masters, and for a trainer at a top yard, you get the feeling he has very little input in the operation. In summary, AOB does not appear to be a happy man. Wearing shades while staring somewhere to the left of the camera and avoiding eye contact with his interlocutar while telling us Ballydoyle’s latest wonder horse will win the Guineas, Derby, Arc, etc..etc…
Additionally, the jockey turnover is another pointer to a very stressful environment and Johnny Murtagh looks like like a man who’s been given a last minute death row reprieve since he left, a smile from ear to ear, just witness him after the Lincoln happy to chat about being available, give me a call, I’ll be happy to ride, seemed over the moon about the win and dead genuine with the Stobart Connections. Contrast this with his stilted and measured approcah of the last few seasons.
Coolmore/Ballydoyle makes people (not just punters) very uneasy it would appear.
Mark Simpson of BBC Northern Ireland is another plank.
Reported live for BBC News the Irish Bail-Out announcement outside Leinster House wearing the loudest orange tie you’re ever likely to see.
When they cut back to the studio after his crowing and triumphant "The Republic of Ireland is "******" pronouncements, amazingly, the anchor in the studio, I think it was Clive Myrie or George Aligayah, was sporting the same incredibly loud orange tie!
I don’t think before or since I’ve seen a BBC news presenter sport an orange tie!
On watching it again this morning:
1. Go off at a decent but unspectacular pace to first bend;
2. Coming out of the bend, Fujita gives Transcend, out in front, an almighy pull, slowing the pace to a crawl;
3. Half way down back straight, Demuro takes Victoire Pisa
wide of the whole field
to pull up with Transcend, everybody sees this;
4. Fujita sees Victoire Pisa pull up alongside him and finally let’s his mount go, again dictating the pace of the race;
5. Coming out the final bend, the bunched field other than Transcend, Victoire Pisa, illustrate the slow pace of the race and that half a furlong after VP’s move, the rest of the field is still wondering what do!;
6. Victoire Pisa and Transcend have stolen enough of a march (2 – 5 lengths) on most of the field that one kick coming out of the turn sees them coming home 1st and second.
The Japanese horses had the run of the race in a field of quality horses. Spencer, and Queally in particular seemed clueless what to do, the pace of the race paralysed them. Queally saw Demuro make the move on Victoire Pisa right in front of him but continued to amble down the straight on Twice Over who doesn’t win races with a crazy turn of foot from the rear of the field.
I despair for Queally, I really do. Seems to make elementary mistakes and he’s incapable of dictating races or stamping his authority on the field when he’s on a class horse.
The conspiracy theories are bonkers, taking the initiative when others prevaricated won the Japs the race. Good luck to them. And finally, Victoire Pisa was a 4/1 shot, Dam’s sire and grand sire were DWC winners, and he’s done enough the last year to earn more respect in that field than 11/1 SP.
Lovely ride from Ryan Moore on Presvis as well. Fantastic racing so far and every favourite coming home. Listening to one of the jockey’s, it seems the mist has slowed the track down a touch.
I fancy Alan Jarvis’ Navajo Chief for this. 4 y o, not too high in the weights, decent form of late although struggled moving up to group company. Will be sharper than some coming off winter breaks (he hopes!).
Tanya Stevenson is never drunk or hungover… she’s trying to do ‘come to bed eyes’ Keeping the seat warm until Emma Spencer gets back from Dubai.
Allegedly.
The highlight of the flat for me last year around the time Emma and Jamie Spencer split up and apart from every time Emma had to interview Jamie after a winner (haha), went something like this:
Mike Cattermole And Emma Spencer after the Dante maybe:
Mike: Infact, Emma was just telling me last night that Paco Boy was in with a chance:
Emma: (Goes bright red and looks nervously at camera) er, yes, well, I,er, I, hmm, I did fancy it…..
Mike (Goes bright red and looks nervously at camera) Yes, er, not that Emma And I talk much in the evening you understand (smiles nervously).
CUE RAPID CUT TO WIDE VIEW OF THE KNAVESMIRE!
There is very obvious chemistry between them, it makes for great viewing!
Nationa Hunt, hmm, I’m not as much a fan of the jumps but Nicky Henderson does remind me of the farmer from Fantastic Mr Fox who survives on a diet of strong cider! "Boggis, Bunce and Bean, all as equally mean…..
On this note, Guineas’ worth £50k less each this year
due to Levy,
and not a shortfall in sponsorship:
He does say that he’s concerned about the effect on the jobs of lads and lasses of the derisory prize money available at most meetings.
I don’t disagree with the notion of a mechanism streaming a percentage of stud fees back into the game rather than private pockets but it’s not going to work in this financial climate when a lot of the big operations are already putting money back in by sponsoring the bigger races.
On the racing levy, if operators were debarred from obtaining another licence a quarter mile down the road, then a quarter mile down the road from that, the levy would not be shrinking. Can’t believe that system!
It’ll be interesting to see the effect the Horseman’s Group agreement has. If they stick to their guns, we could end up a second tier nation, bringing up the rear behing France and Ireland! It’s not unimaginable that with the money on offer at the Dubai Festival, The Breeder’s Cup, Honk Kong, that very quickly, English Group Racing will be quality thoroughbread racing in name only.
So the operation "immune to the bottom line" is complaining about…well…the bottom line? Is it an argument that crosses their mind when they’re skinning breeders for allowing their mares to spend some ‘quality time’ with Dubawi, Shamardal or Cape Cross?
I’m sure Saeed Bin Suroor can train losers in France in much the same way he can train losers here. Failing that, he can stay in Dubai and race for the Sheikh’s own money.
AF, I know Godolphin haven’t been too successful the last few years, but as someone fairly new to the sport, they do seem to be interested in the ‘sport’ of thoroughbread racing. I don’t see them as exploiting the game for profit from nominations to their stallions as say Coolmore do and they seem to be a lot more honest about their horses form and chances than some operations, keeping punters reasonably well informed.
Britain seems to be more about bookies/exchanges making profits from gambling addicts on dismal cards at Lingfield rather than quality thoroughbread racing. If that’s what the people want(?).
