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I’ve not yet ”packed it in” I may never call it a day but optimism is dying, it has barely a pulse. I find myself pitting myself against tipsters in the RP and, without being boastful, trouncing them in races of my choice.
There is simply too much disguised ability around especially in lower grade racing, too many unconsidered runners romping home like champions passing your selection laden with ticked boxes.
Precisely. It’s ridiculous to have this amount of racing each day which is, let’s put it this way, basically a farce of disingenuousness. It is ridiculous for the authorities and the racing post to wonder aloud why it is not more popular at that level. There are far easier ways to be conned out of money. The bookie likes rubbish racing, they said that last year. I wonder why? There’s only one trouble: courses that deal in this crap will start to close. It will be very sad but only a fool will ask why it happened.
Ooh, i’ve ended up outside Aristotle’s cave with the philosophers!
Anyone would think it’s all financed by disinterested gentlemen anoraks having a fiver on the Derby!
Wot a larf!
I hope you enjoy your ivory towers: do you wear white to the racecourse to signify purity and intellectual rigour?‘Without gambling, it’s all just horses running around in circles basically.’ D Nevison, 2005.
All people are suggesting is that you can enjoy racing for its own sake without having a bet.
If that concept is so beyond your ken that it elicits a response like the one above then the answer to your original question is yes – you should pack it in.
I think I made my side of the discussion very clear. You don’t agree. OK.
Ooh, i’ve ended up outside Aristotle’s cave with the philosophers!
Anyone would think it’s all financed by disinterested gentlemen anoraks having a fiver on the Derby!
Wot a larf!
I hope you enjoy your ivory towers: do you wear white to the racecourse to signify purity and intellectual rigour?‘Without gambling, it’s all just horses running around in circles basically.’ D Nevison, 2005.
Frozen Over wins. V apt; the name matches my enthusiasm.
I think I’m going back on holiday – it’s cheaper than working.
Fun Was My Living by Quintin Gilbey, The History of Steeplechasing by Michael Seth-Smith, Flat Racing (1939, Seeley Service), Sods I Have Cut On the Turf, The History of the Derby Stakes, The Faber Book of the Turf, Talking Horses by Jeffery Bernard, A Bloody Good Winner by Dave Nevison, Eclipse by Nicholas Clee, Turf Accounts, The Little Book of the Turf, The Turf by J Hislop.
Most modern racing biographies are desperate: badly written and poorly edited.
Age
40
Gender
male
Location (area/type)
london
Occupation / Class
journalist/lower middle-upper working
Political views
total contempt for the political class. Personal viewpoint: small c conservative on domestic and social issues; old style socialist on things like trains and power. Think Orwell’s Lion and the Unicorn.
Relationship status
I get around
How often do you go racing?
ten times a yearish, sometimes more.
Favourite racecourse(s)
On the big side: goodwood, ascot and big soft spot for Chester. Like the small jumps tracks, particularly plumpton. Brighton is a great day out when the weather is with you.
How would you improve the racegoing experience?
It’s far too expensive in relation to how difficult the game can be for joe public and the interested newcomers. I think if figures were available for how many first-timers walk away and never come back, the industry would be shocked. I am basing this on conversations I have had.
What initially got you into racing?
My nan used to watch it. My mum likes a bet.
Which other sports to you watch?
Tennis, boxing.
Flat or Jumps?
Both but jumps is where it’s at.
Favourite horse(s) of all time?
Sea the Stars – met him and the Queen on the same day. I never won a penny, I just marvelled.
Racing hero(s)?
Richard Hughes is the best jockey in Britain!
Do you gamble? (if so to what extent, if not why not)
Yes, but not excessively. I keep records and view it as a hobby.
What are your views on promotion of the sport?
They need to get over how compelling, exciting, dramatic, amusing and aesthetically satisfying a day at the races is. To an extent television has been both a boon and a curse because it has kept the sport alive but has given rise to cliches and cannot communicate atmosphere.
What are your views on animal welfare?
It needs to be rigorous, but the game should not be held to ransom by extremists.
How would you improve the sport in general?
Somehow it needs a boost from popular culture, as casino gambling has had. Re-open Ally Pally – London needs a track which stars can visit to create interest. Class 2s and 3s at Brighton (London-on-sea). It also needs to get across that you can win and it is, up to a point, a game that can be learned, as you would learn the rules to any game. There is a problem in getting across what is going on, what jockeys have to do, which races mean what etc.
Finally, is racing bent?
In its middle an upper divisions is it fairly straight but a few people are a bit artful. Elements of low division Flat obviously sail close to the wind. I would say if you watched the rubbish end of racing you’d see a few pulled horses a month. My guess though is that most of the artfulness in racing can be accounted for by any half-decent form student. It usually amounts to running a horse in unfavourable conditions. I don’t mind about that because that sort of thing merely becomes an element of form and ultimately leads to good prices. There are elements that can never be accounted for, such as boxing certain horses in, jockeys who cannot win boxing in others who can win, or indeed letting others out. That is part of the game and there it is.
Anything else?
I wouldn’t be too worried if I never had another bet on the all-weather. Also, A strictly delineated Flat and Jump season.I had Chilworth Icon (and the 42/1 forecast) so Dickie’s pointless canter is well forgiven.
Welcome to DLAP Prof.
Hope Dickies will be able to get across from his draw.Good Luck.
Turned out he was drawn way too high …
Yes, I got all excited and then noticed the draw. Only high wins. Still I’d put the bet on by then, maybe each way will save me. I’m playing with the dough Was kindly obtained for me yesterday, so in a slightly frivolous mood.
I had a good look over the Hexham and Huntingdon cards this evening. I went through the form of four races for about an hour in total.
Gee dee nen 14/1 2nd
Pee Na Dorada 7/1 L
Pair Na Gcpall 14/1 2nd
Almutaham 14/1 1st (and perhaps the easiest and best priced jumps winner I’ve ever backed.
I had a nice evening.
This, after about 2 winners out of 30 straight losers on the Flat. The gods are telling me something …The Flat is like looking for your keys in the back garden by the light of a thunderstorm at night.
Someone mentioned Veitch’s book. There is nothing in that vainglorious rubbish to teach anyone anything beyond one priceless aphorism: remember, you are betting on animals running across a field.
He refuses to reveal anything more than: look out for underappreciated performances. No ****, sherlock.I’ve found two ways to get ahead these days.
Firstly concentrate on a limited group of horses and know more about them than the majority. For all that prices are generally accurate, they only reflect the opinion of ‘the crowd’. THe layers price up all races, backers can pick and choose.
Secondly, endeavour to get on at the best terms possible. Looking at the exchanges, if I can get on at a price within the top 20% of money traded then the selection method need be no more than reasonable to have a very good chance of finishing in front.
Note to the ‘Prof’:
Surely if ‘the handicapper appear incompetent’ then surely you shouldn’t be binning the Racing Post, indeed the exact opposite, should you not be taking advantage of your ‘superior knowledge’ to benefit from his incompetence?
Rob
I don’t have superior knowledge. Form study is an art not a science, but you have to believe the handicapper can do his job and you have to accept what you are seeing in print: this horse has gone up x amount over x number of rather rubbishy races. He is up against class today and not quite on his ground and I would be most surprised if … That is how I do it. I can’t see how you can not do it like that. Once this is confounded a few times, and not by stars either, your condfidence in what you are reading starts to evaporate. If your confidence goes, your success follows.
I find the form book extremely useful over jumps and the fact I stay in profit through winter would suggest I can interpret it.
Perhaps it comes down to something fairly simple, such as stamina and weights are are easier to get a handle on over extended trips. I don’t know. All I know is that I too now dread the coming of the Flat: the good winners that take a bit of finding seem to vanish.
I see what ginge is saying, but I’m not a favourite backer and never have been.Glad to read this thread. I thought it was just me. I’ve given up the Flat, cancelled my saturday Post until October. I ran the white flag up. I am sure it is all above board and I’m just no good at it any more. This season has been a diaster for me with a capital D, my worst ever, to the point where I’ve lost interest: you see, I’m one of those odd people who need a decent winner occasionally in order to remain interested and engaged with horses running around in circles.
At this stage of proceedings I can perfectly well see how the bitter resentful mug punter is formed. Form is meaningless, the handicapper appears incompetent and much happens that is only explicable in terms of concealed information. Suddenly sticking a pin in seems as good as anyother method and when you see some serial loser yelling crooks at the screen in Corals you don’t finding yourself strongly disagreeing, just feeling pity for the poor bloody infantry of losers who finance this rather shameless industry.Trainers are like punters – as soon as the race is over, their levels of (belated) foresight seem to rise exponentially.
I started a thread recently wondering why anyone ever bothers to listen to a word they say, mainly on the grounds that they are completely unaware of the abilities of their horse’s opponents.
And in this case – before the race trainer thinks horse is doing well, after the race he knew he’d run well. Yeah, whatever.
Mike
I take your point, betlarge, and in this case it may be true. But it is a little naive to think trainers don’t know **** about their horses ability.
—
‘He always tells us when it’s going to win!’ Connections at Cheltenham 2012.There is a surefire way to predict whether he will win or lose: if I back him or not.
On the v, v, v rare occasions I’ve had a big punt on a short price it is beaten. 100 pc of bets have been dodos. No exceptions.
If I have any kind of decent bet on Frankel he will be beaten, I promise you, the gods will make sure of it.
I will let you all know on Saturday morning.
