It was Christopher Hitchens (1949 – 2011) who coined the phrase: ‘Everyone has a book in them and that, in most cases, is where it should stay.’

Harsh!

He’s not even read my book.

I say that tongue in cheek because Hitchens wrote or edited over 30 books and clearly knew what he was talking about.

In truth, my secondary education was limited. Later in life, I gained an Hons degree reading Psychology as a mature student with The Open University. 

I’ve never been a gifted writer.

I had an opportunity to publish a gambling book: In A Class of their Own but it didn’t get out of the starting blocks. To be honest, I feel a little embarrassed by the whole episode as I was lacking and naive. It wasn’t a lack of knowledge on the subject matter but it was the art of writing.

We live and learn.

The possibility of a book came about through groundbreaking research into Pattern race entered two-year-olds racing in the UK. This was undertaken by my brother, Tony, who detailed the worth of this information back in 1986 (when he was just 16-years-old). The data was published in The Weekender, Nick Mordin’s Systems, a very popular read. I can’t remember the date of publication but will find it and put a link to the post at the bottom of the page. Mordin was complimentary about the research and two articles were published, the first titled: In A Class of Their Own.

The manuscript took a couple of months to write. I forwarded it to Aesculus Press Limited. I can’t remember the name of the gentleman who replied. However, I almost feared his perfect written English. It wasn’t good news although considerate in his use of words.

He didn’t want to crush my spirit but needed to get the message across plain and clear.

I’m sure a ten-year-old child could have made a better effort.

He didn’t say that but may have thought it.

I think the whole manuscript was written in capital letters, racecourse maps I’d stolen from another publication. Not a good starting point. I would hate to imagine what he thought, other than passing it around the office as if he’d found a script from Tommy Cooper’s archive. 

Tommy Cooper says: ‘Police arrested two kids yesterday, one was drinking battery acid, the other was eating fireworks. They charged one and let the other one off.’

If the news got back to Nick Mordin he was probably questioning the authenticity of my brother’s research. Perhaps we’d sent both for a laugh. Sadly not. What can you say? Do the crime, pay the time. I feel quite embarrassed thinking about the poor quality of that manuscript. The good side, the information and insight into this unique research still holds strong to this day.

I often say: ‘You don’t wake up one day and find you’re a professional gambler and it’s the same for writing a book.’

Pretty sure if I’d asked Christopher Hitchens he’d have said: ‘You’ve done a lot of damage in those 280 characters.’

[Twitter]

‘Please don’t send the manuscript.’

‘Everyone has a book in them and that, in most cases, is where it should stay.’

It plays on a loop in my brain.

What can I say?

I was foolish to think writing a book to a professional standard was something I could achieve. Not to say it wouldn’t be a possibility but I was working on being a professional gambler not an author.

Nick Mordin, Dave Nevison and Harry Findlay (the latter two didn’t need any writing skills but still found great success) sold lots of books. Perhaps their stories were just a bit more interesting.

Fame and fortune didn’t beckon for me. Not in the writing stakes.

As long as I have some success in the horse racing stakes I’ll be happy winning on that score.

You need ability to meet the level of requirement.

Good luck to all.

Photo: Pixabay (free)

Resource: In A Class of Their Own

Each to their own. Classic last words. Perhaps.

Social media influencer. TV. Radio. Podcast. There are plenty of platforms for those who want to be in the limelight. I guess those of an audio nature just deliver sound bites, hey. I can imagine most ‘celebrity punters’ are looking for ways to make money. I can’t blame them for wishing to monetise their knowledge. You see hundreds and thousand on YouTube making vast sums of money. I know what you are thinking and saying: ‘They don’t do anything special.’ In fact, most knowledgeable people know more.

As Simon Cowell would say: ‘It’s all about the X-factor.’

‘Celebrity punters’ are out there. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube… I don’t know all the platforms.

Influencer.

Do they live up to the reputation, fall short or chancers?

I could name a few names. You know who I mean. One in particular on Twitter and YouTube.

The horse racing world is a pretty small niche when it comes to the popularity stakes. Where Rate My Takeaway can get hundreds of thousands of subscribers the likes of Mr. Berry, perhaps 100,000. I haven’t looked to check. It really doesn’t interest me to listen to many ‘celebrity punters’ in all their forms.

Why?

Because I simply work on myself and in my niche of 2yo horse which – even though I say it myself – I know more than anyone else. Sounds like the kind of bloke who needs to be a ‘celebrity punter’ if not influencer.

To be fair, unless being in the public eye makes a lot of money, I’d rather be a mysterious shadow or someone who simply pleases myself.

No doubt if someone come along and said: ‘I will give you ‘hell and all money’ to have an opinion I would give it serious consideration.

Time will tell.

I would much rather be interested in my own world, not reliant or need to please others and the pressure or hassle which comes from being in the social media.

For many of those trying to get to a point of being a name it can be a difficult path. You have a swarm of trolls to hassle you or the odds nutcase who thinks he’s saving the world from ‘you’ because he thinks you’re selling tips for horses without legs.

As the song goes: ‘People are strange when you’re a stranger…’

I’d rather show most people the door.

I don’t think there is much demand for ‘celebrity punters’ because there really isn’t the demand.

Dave Nevison has always come across as a decent bloke and I enjoyed his publications. A Bloody Good Winner (2007). An absolute gem of a book. He kind of served his apprenticeship and evolved into a ‘celebrity punter’.

I’m sure they would much prefer making lots of money gambling without the need to be on TV but money talks and I don’t knock anyone for earning a living.

Harry Findlay is a mouthy character with an opinion. I can’t knock the man as he’s gambled all his life and had the ups and downs. I’m not sure he’s my kind of personality as I am a pretty quiet and reserved person but we can learn something from everyone. I’ve yet to read his publication Gambling For Life (2017) but looking forward to it. 

I take my hat off to anyone who ‘Bets like a man’. It takes some balls.

In truth, I like the quiet life and keeping myself and my knowledge to myself. Sure, I’d help anyone on their journey and point them in the right direction. I have done and still do. But whether I’d enjoy being a ‘celebrity punter’ I don’t think so. All that glitters isn’t gold and I think unless you are very clever you may replace one problem with another.

Sometimes it is better to let someone else answer the question. Not because they know more. Simply because it can often save you problems you don’t need. 

Often it’s better to live your own quiet life and let the populous consider what, when and where.

Good luck.

Photo: Coote 2022

You place a bet. Fingers crossed and all that. Low and behold, you have the day of days and that big win becomes a reality.

It happens.

Not enough, but it happens.

A win is a win is a win.

Preferably four figures. A decent win means many different things to many different people. I could be small change to you or a sack load of wonga. I’ve had a few big wins. The sad fact is that I remember far too many big winners. They fill me with horror just thinking about them now.

One should have returning about £10,000 for a bet of just £45.

I really can’t bring myself to talk about it. I could point you to the race and you would watch the video and say: ‘What the fu*k happened there!’

Years later, I’m still asking myself the same thing.

The school of hard knocks, hey. It’s a killer.

Anyway, I would say this, if you ever fancy a horse at giant odds, bet on it. Else you will be tempting fate and horrified if the beast wins.

This is a slow introduction. I do, thankfully, remember a number of big wins not only for me but my family and friends.

Winnings are good but what you do with the money is what can be a reminder and memory of a great day.

Here are a few memories which stick in my mind:

My Dad’s A Winner

I’m sure plenty of sons and daughters think their dad is a winner. I have little doubt if it wasn’t for my father’s interest in horse racing I wouldn’t be a gambler this day. It hasn’t been a negative in any shape or form. In fact, I often wonder how different my life would have been without. It sounds an unusual thing to consider and say but I know my life would have take a different path.

I remember a couple of stories about Dad’s winning bets.

It’s All In A Name

Believe it or not (you should do as it’s the truth) that our childhood pet cat, Pogle, was named after a horse called Pogle’s Wood. I have no idea when this happened but I imagine from the date we had our cat it must have been in the mid to late 1970s. So Pogle was named after a horse! A winning bet. I don’t even know how much dad won but I guess it was a good few hundred. I can be confident it was an accumulator. What a beautiful moment in time and reminder of good times. Pogle was a loving cat and part of our family. Happy memories.

A Fully Paid Holiday

On one of our family holidays at Great Yarmouth, staying a not so good house, with my lovely aunt and uncle, too, dad placed an each-way Yankee. It wasn’t a big bet, probably a few pounds at most. The first three horses won. We all walked around the corner to watch the last winner. My brother and I always had a big interest in horse racing and we selected the last horse. It was a pleasure to watch. A winner from start to finish, pulling clear of the field. Dad didn’t say a word. He didn’t shout or cheer. Just smiled. He won £800, which paid for the holiday and extra. I wish I could go back to that day and just watch dad and give him a hug. It’s only when loved ones are gone you see the truth of love.

A Golden Handshake

I have had winners. A few decent sums of money. Although I do feel I am unlucky and need to be twice as good as other to get a fair crack of the whip. Anyway, you may be thinking this sounds like a limp excuse. It proves the point that we can make a memory live long in the memory. I remember a horse trained by Andrew Balding called My Learned Friend. This was on the horse’s third start and a 16/1 with bookmakers. I think on the exchanges I got about 34/1 and had a bet to win £1600. Thankfully, My Learned Friend won in a photo by a short-head. Thank the Lord. After so many hard luck stories something good happened. [There has been other good things happen]. To celebrate the win I bought a 1970 Omega gold watch. I think it cost £160. Whenever I wear that watch I think of that day. It’s a good idea to buy something when you have a big win as it marks a moment in time.

It’s Tony Time

I could write a book about my brother Tony’s wins. I’m not sure if he has bought a gold watch or something extra special to mark those precious moments. I remember an excited telephone call just after a horse race had finished. It was Tony saying he had won £4,000 for a £20 bet. A horse called Puggy, making her debut at Salisbury. The only win of her life but that doesn’t mean this filly wasn’t a star performer because she raced at pattern class including a great run in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket. Wonderful memories. Thinking about it, he did mark the occasion with a photo of Puggy either winning on debut or when racing in the Classic. What a day that was.

Tony has had some many big wins and a good few at Great Yarmouth, a couple of four-figure wins in photo finishes.

In fact, our holidays to the Norfolk coast always coincide with big wins. This year we won over £3000 in a week. I said to him: ‘When you make more money being on holiday than working you should stay on holiday.’

He has had at least 8 triple figure winners (on the exchanges) and they have all resulted in four-figure wins.

Danny & Paul Great Days

We are lucky to have a loving family. And my two cousins are in the same mould as us. I’m sure it all comes from your Dads. It does for us. They both had big wins at the bookies, casino and racecourse.

The next time you have a win and a decent wad of money goes into tour pocket think what you can buy to add to the memory.

The win itself is enough but it’s a beautiful thing to spend money on yourself and especially others.

Photo: Pixabay (free)

I’m peculiar. I’m obsessive. Once I get interested in something I just can’t stop until I’m the best.’

Perhaps some people would see that mindset as a little too full on.

However, I would class it as a strength. In fact, if you want to be a professional gambler you need to be obsessed with everything you do.

Many punters have the thought of being a professional gambler. Who wouldn’t like the idea doing your own thing, of making easy money, a jet-set lifestyle and all the trappings that come with a touch of mystique.

James Bond doesn’t even gamble. Well, not professionally.

In truth, being a pro gambler isn’t an easy task. I doubt you thought it was but most people have ambitions of achieving elusive goals without too much work. It’s like online entrepreneurs with shiny object syndrome. They love the latest gadget, buzzword, software but simply head straight toward the next even shinier object. Each to their own, hey.

To become a professional gambler is even more difficult.

Why?

Because, realistically, no one who knows a stuff is going to be your mentor, sell you something worth having in a course or software that really could change your life from rags to riches.

It might be possible, but it really isn’t likely at all. In fact, the person selling you the ‘info’ is more interested in your money going straight in their pocket than yours going down the chute.

Yes, I’m far too critical of these ‘well meaning on-liners who love to dress up as Leprechauns each weekend and go to a Bernie Inn for a good meal at your expense’. You know, that £15 you invested doesn’t get you much info.

Cynical!

If I asked which sport would you like to be a pro gambler I wonder what you would say.

Jack of all trades?

One favourite sport, your niche.

I recently watched a video on YouTube about a supposed ‘professional gambler’ and this bloke saying he bet big money on this that and the other. I watched a third of the first of four videos and switched it off.

I thought what is all this about.

The idea that a real pro gambler would be betting on a multitude of sports including politics was absurd to me.

Jack of all trades and master of none.

Not one.

The individual didn’t register to me as someone who knew much at all. A rich bloke with money to lose trying to fool people that betting big money means they are a professional gambler. Whether you bet big money or not isn’t, in my opinion, a definition of a pro gambler. Knowledge is based on what’s in your brain not what’s in your pocket. I’ve seen many people saying if only they had enough money they could be a pro gambler. The theory being that if they bet on giant odds on bets they would be guaranteed to make easy money.

As Dave Nevison once said: ‘No easy money!’

I knew a couple of friends about 35-years ago (in their late teens if not early twenties) had the same idea. Bet a grand on a 4/7 on the National Hunt and just pick up the winnings £571.40. Not too surprisingly, they aren’t pro gamblers today. They gave up that ghost about 6-months after trying to be Phil Bull and Alec Bird. They weighed a bit less too. A couple pound in cash.

There is no easy route to winning money gambling. You may be all smiles if you are a cheat but even Tommy Glenn Carmichael realised all that glittered wasn’t gold when he got locked up.

Just because you cannot see the competition it doesn’t mean it isn’t there. You could see Usain Bolt breaking world records. Did you have a thought about being a high-performance athlete? Beyond that think you could win at national level, let alone European and World.

Gambling is the same.

The opposition will eat you alive if you aren’t up to scratch.

You need to learn before you even place a bet. A wise man would bet with matchsticks for the first three years.

You think I’m joking!

The money in your pocket means nothing to your success gambling.

It’s your knowledge which counts. If you don’t understand your subject matter, don’t have an opinion, confident in your thoughts and will to put your money where your mouth is then it tells me something.

You don’t know enough.

Even knowing enough (more) might not be good enough.

You don’t have to be the best on planet Earth. You’re not representing the Milky Way. But you need to be better than most. You need to know your niche better than anyone you know. You need to listen to people and within two sentences say to yourself: ‘They don’t know much’. Not that it matters what anyone knows. You are interested in bettering yourself for yourself.

Because you need to be bloody good to win any money at this game.

Also, you need to enjoy what you are doing. The subject matter must be your passion and your motivation. Gambling can be stressful, demoralising, frustrating and an emotional roller-coaster from start to finish. You will encounter problem after problem, gains as slow as slow and you will be tested to the maximum.

You will not even imagine some of the difficulties you will face until you meet that fork in the road. If you have one question to answer you will find more and all of this takes time.

No kidding, you could spend a decade trying to amass the information to get you to the starting line.

There are no guarantees but a plethora of obstacles.

The good side is that you are doing something you ‘enjoy’ (it won’t feel like that for much of the time), you have the opportunity to win a lot of money, tax free. Your journey will lead you to many places and give you the opportunity to meet many people.

You will need to be professional. Well rounded as an individual. Logical. Brave. Determined. Ambitious.

Ultimately…you need to be a winner.

Good luck.

Photo: Pixabay (free)

You see the result of the 4:15 Newmarket.

There’s a first, second, third…

If you look at the full result you see the first to last. You are most likely searching to see where your horse finished. Happy if you backed the winner. Palatable if your fancy was placed. Perhaps joy if you lay a horse to lose and it finished tailed off.

But…

Have you ever stopped to think what the result is telling you?

It’s telling you the TRUTH.

Whether you like the result, believe it is fair or consider it was once in a million chance it is a fact.

Somehow that 100/1 winner proved that fact.

Many punters may have lost but some proved victorious.

A fact is a fact. Whether we wish to accept that point is a matter for the individual. However, it makes sense to see any result as being something we can learn from. Winner to loser is trying in earnest to tell you the truth.

Why should we listen?

The result of any horse race or skill-based wager is, in truth, pointing us in the right direction. Ever winner holds those key ingredients which shine through for all successes. If we can appreciate those factors, we have the wisdom to find more winners.

It’s the same for losers.

If we can start to learn which makes a loser we can appreciate which other horses may lose.

To understand what makes a winner or a loser will never be an easy task. It is an individual pursuit of ultimate achievement and something we strive to learn. How you go about using results can be many and varied. You may look from a global or specific viewpoint. For example, from an individual horse trainer we can learn so much from statistical analysis. In truth, where do the winners start and end? To understand this information we have a real way of assessing knowledge of true worth. It is as much a fact as the result of any given race. Reinforce the positive and observe the negatives.

The result of any race is a fact. It is a truth. We may wish to ignore it or regard it as an anomaly. However, it can help guide our thoughts, understanding and knowledge.

As regarding horse trainer analysis, any horse can defy the statistics. It may happen in the short or long term. While we may bank on this information remaining the same and help find winners and losers it is likely to be disproved at some time.

All we can do is deal with the facts.

By there very nature, every winner – whatever price – details value.

Value is key to our success as punters. Skill-based knowledge hold within the potential of value. Either as a winner or loser.

Fixed odds doesn’t. The only value perhaps card counting or the act of blatant cheating.

At the end of the day gambling offer opportunity but in truth needs ultimate responsibility.

If you do not appreciate the truth of gambling via winners and losers or the potential loss in your pocket you are doing yourself a disservice.

Your results tell a story too.

Be objective, observe.

Photo: Pixabay (free)