Ok, here we go; (deep breath)
First memory of Horse Racing was watcing the 1968 Grand National, my dad put me 2 bob (10 pence was a lot in them days!) on Red Alligator at 100/7, these days that would be 14/1, loved the race ever since. First meeting i went to was a couple of years later at Docaster where my dad was born and bred.
As soon as I was old enough - or maybe before- I was reading the Sporting Chronicle and The Sporting Life and always wanted to work in the industry. Me and my brother applied for a bookmakers license in 1979 and worked the Point To Point scene for a couple of years around the Midlands. You learn fast in that type of racing, no stewards, no photo finishes, no rules basically and some very shrewd farmers!! I have a good story to tell but i'll leave that for another thread.
Anyway, we couldnt get on the main courses because of the huge waiting lists, i think we were number 100 at Cheltenham, that means 100 bookies have to go out of business or die before we could stand there, so we gave up in the end. We did stand at the Epsom Derby in 1980, thats public land and anyone with a permit can try their luck. Henbit won the big race and we won £65 on the day after L.Piggott had a treble and nearly skint us. It wasnt the money that mattered, it was just being part of it, we stood next to a guy that had been to the last 38 Derby's, thats history for you.
These days the highest bidder gets the pitches so it might have been different if we had kept going?
10 years later I joined
William Hill and for another 10 years enjoyed being in the business, ran the shop on Statford Racecourse, a brand new shop in Melton Mowbray and finally the biggie in Coalville which took 3 thousand bets on a Saturday! also got involved in Odds Compiling and the Raceroom at Leeds head office. It was ok and then one day i just got fed up of the way Racing and Betting Shops was heading. They got computers in to settle the bets which took half the fun away and was more interested in how much the Roulette machines made than the bets, I just gave my notice and left, hardly been in a betting shop since. That was 5 years ago. I could write a book on the things ive seen!
Since then i've ran a newsagents and now as many of you know I'm a Photographer, finally making a hobby pay for itself.
As far as Racing goes today, I follow NH Racing closely but not the flat so much, hate the AW but also understand its place in the game. Used to like the Dogs too, had Greyhounds at Sunderland, Brough Park and Leicester before it was closed down, like to get back into that at some stage.
I dont bet that much anymore to be honest, I play around on
Betfair and mainly back horses for a place and dont back odds on. Like to seek a bit of value and watch as many races as possible, in fact I record all meetings every day and watch them back, your eyes are the best form book in the world, racereaders nowdays miss so much in my opinion and can mislead the betting public. Trust your own opinion.
BH