‘We wuz robbed’ and to be honest I’m fed up with the cynicism of our bookmaking profession which is allowed to ‘cheat’ punters unceremoniously!
On Tuesday we had one winner and two placed runners which should have given readers/punters useful profit with a place treble and two successful doubles but, and this is intolerable, not to mention far too frequent, there was a withdrawn runner in an eight-horse race which totally compromised our trixie/patent and thousands worldwide certainly suffered a similar financial fate. Three places became two!
Sami Bear, a 9/2 chance, was my tip but after all bets had been placed and the race-meeting about to start the hitherto useless Chronos was announced as scratched; I watched the race with trepidation and foreboding as our selection lost out on the run-in to a 28/1 chance, Russian Virtue, and finished a vexing third; this angered me considerably because punters are the reason why I’m obsessed with making profit out from a ‘specialist’ area which involves set-weight races and placings. Bookmakers used to be called ‘the enemy’ and they remain so.
I’ve mentioned many times before a well-known representative of a major bookmaking firm was once ‘tasked’ with giving out ‘brown envelopes’ to trainers (owners) for late, damaging, nigh crippling withdrawals but my words fall on deaf ears; even on twitter such revelations have little or no effect.
Incidentally this was my last paragraph in the ‘Tuesday’ article…”There are also two NH fixtures, Ayr and Plumpton where Sami Bear will not be a surprise if causing one in the eight-runner Novices’ Hurdle over two miles of ‘good to soft’ ground.”
You were duped and doubtless it will happen again and so perhaps readers should think seriously about checking the runners before placing investments; it’s a very serious financial subject, particularly so at this time of year with ‘Breakfast racing’ a good target for ‘non-runners!’
Kaboo was impressive when storming through to beat Instinction at Newcastle and could take high rank in major sprints next year, one for the notebook.
In the meantime I’ve got three days off which will be spent tidying up my house/garden, feeding hungry, greedy birds, especially the crow family, and preparing for Boxing Day and all-weather racing cards.
Enjoy your Christmas in the knowledge more profit will be forthcoming from this ‘angry’ determined racing writer!
Jeffrey Ross, horse-racing correspondent for WMN since 1983 when winning the most prestigious racing journalist award, Sporting Life Naps Table, before winning it a record number of six times collectively in the Racing Post, the current ‘trade’ paper, including 2019