Indeed. Itās a pet hate of mine to go to a race meeting and nobody takes an opinion anymore. Theyāre all 7/1, 15/2 or 8/1 on one horse and everybody is the same price on the favorite, say 15/8 or 7/4. Whereās the guy that goes 10/1 on the first horse or 9/4 on the second horse because he rates them at those prices on the tissue heās done the night before? You can be sure that 15/8 horse is trading 3.10 on the machine anyway. Just put up 9/4 and youāll take all the turnover.
I was at Clonmel last week as I mentioned and I put on two bets in total. In both cases there was one bookie offering about 2pts higher than the rest on those two horses so naturally I went to him. He was White from Kildare. There were a few other lads in line to bet the same horses with him at the same time, because he was the only fella in the ring offering 14/1 or whatever it was. Both horses lost as it transpired so he was rewarded and the rest of them didnāt get my money (or a few other lads). Thatās bookmaking in my opinion.
You hear the bookies on course now saying āOh youāll lose your shirt now if you put your head above the parapet and go against the grainā but thatās bollocks in my opinion as it worked for Freddie Williams to name one. I would love to take out a bookies license and do it my way but I am in too safe a position to do so and anyway whenever I go to certain tracks I just donāt see enough people punting to make it profitable but it is certainly in the back of my mind.
Are there really sad acts going to tracks around Ireland to put ā¬500 on a 6/4 shot with the bookie thats 2.46 to lay back on the machine? I donāt know. I mean by the time the bet is struck with the bookie that 2.46 might now be 2.52. I just find that argument bollocks, but itās well trotted out, and maybe Iām wrong
Fair enough so youāre saying a lad has ā¬100 on a 10/1 shot with the bookie thatās 9.50 on the machine. But I think if that happens once youāve identified the arber, and heāll be well known on track, and you will refuse his business in future. 99% of fellas betting on track arenāt into that craic of laying that bet back on his phone at a shorter price. But yet all the bookies are beholden to it.
Weāre thinking of different fellas so Iād say. The fella youāre thinking of would he always be in the betting ring as well before a race before retreating into the stands? Heād be talking to a fella in his ear or at least listening to something. I donāt really see him betting with the bookies too often mind despite heās at every meeting but he must be doing so occasionally. Iām sure he bets in running.
Thereās another fella with glasses Iāve seen him up in the stand or across from finishing line with a laptop and he must be laying horses that fall or alternatively backing horses to win after they cross the line.