After reading all about form and digesting 70 pages of detail I would now like tot ell you a few stories.  A friend of mine, Don Mathews once wrote that the problem with racing today was that the humour was missing, that it was all too serious.  All of the stories I am about to tell you are true stories and some are serious, but I hope you will be able to see the humour in some of the situations and perhaps learn something from them.

My horse Royal Liege was owned by a syndicate within the Racehorse Leasing Club of Australia and I looked after the two horses that were trained at Broadmeadow. although I also had shares in up to 15 different horses racing elsewhere.  Our trainer was a veteran in every sense of the word and a true aussie battler.  He picked up preparations for the big one.  It was a very hush hush affair at the time and the few of us in the know were sworn to secrecy.  Sir Sockem was kept away from the public and not so public eye and his training was literally in the dark.  We all know of horses being set for a race but it was no Melbourne Cup we were aiming for, just a simple restricted  class sprint over 900 metres at Broadmeadow and the field wasn’t all that strong.

Came the big day and we were all set.  Our plunge bank was only a few hundred dollars and we were disappointed to find that the Bookie’s secret service was in operation and 8/1 was the best price put up.  I plonked my fifty dollars on and retired to the stand to watch the race.  Sir Sockem was up there with them O.K. but in the straight all eyes were on the gangly 66/1 outsider coming down the outside.  Skellator, soon to be dubbed the champion of the North.  I could be wrong, but if memory serves me correctly, Skellatar went on to win around 16 races straight after this.  The sight of that horse coming down the long Broadmeadow straight is with me today as I backed him and won many times.  My plunge may have come unstuck but the money was soon recovered.  Sir Sockem eventually went on to win a race but at the odds of 5/2 and I wasn’t on him then.  It goes to show that folly of saving if for the one horse.

Lord Chris you have already heard about.  Royal Liege was a much better horse.  After failing to win at his first preparation it was suggested that he be sent to the bush where it was expected that he could pick up a few races and could provide some enjoyment for some of the country members of the syndicate.  Performing at mainly non TAB meetings, I wasn’t involved in the betting side of things and perhaps it was just as well.

Royal Liege was set for a 1600 metre maiden at Dubbo in July 1972.  In case he missed a run (he was listed as an emergency) he was also entered in the first race on the program, an improvers handicap over 1100 metres.  If he missed the maiden at least the horse could have a hit out over the unsuitable distance of the earlier race and the float trip from Nyngan where he was trained would not be a waste of time.

As it happened, there was a delay with the float and by the time connections reached the Dubbo track it was too late to scratch the horse out of the earlier race even though Royal Liege had got the run in the later race.  It was decided to let the horse go around and then with an easy run he would still be able to win the more suitable 1600 metre event later in the afternoon.

Starting at 33/1, an appropriate price considering, Royal Liege was ready to win no mater what race he started in and he won it too without a cent of anybody’s money on it.  The moral hasn’t changed has it.  Fortunately, Royal Liege went on to win several races over the next few starts and I’m sure was a source of enjoyment, if not, money to the country connections.  I eventually gave the ownership game away when I realised through my pocket that it was unlikely to be a future source of income.

In the history of the Melbourne Cup there have been many attempted coups.  There have been all sorts of sensations including the scratching of Tullock when he looked a certainty to win.  The scratching of Big Philou when the horse was found to be too sick to race.  Nobody knows to this day what was the cause.  The quietest sensations was in 1990, at least my mate Al reckons it was.

There is a fortune to be made by taking the early doubles for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.  Al made a small fortune when he coupled Cole Diesel and Tawrrific in the 1989 Cups.  To do really well in the doubles it helps to have some information and my mate reckons he twigged onto the Coup of 1990.

From the moment first markets were released Sydeston and The Phantom headed the markets for the Caulfield / Melbourne Cup doubles.  Bob Hoysted had a real go at the handicapper over his treatment of Sydeston when weights were issued and instituted a media ban on his stable.  If he hoped to somehow influence the handicapper with this ploy it could never work.  The fact remains that if Sydeston won the Caulfield then the penalty given would virtually eliminate Sydeston as a chance in the Melbourne Cup.

The Phantom, on the other hand, had been set for the 1990 Melbourne Cup from as far back as 1989 when he finished fourth.  Al was convinced that The Phantom was never going to race in the Caulfield Cup but was only there to ensure a top price was available on the Sydeston / The Phantom double.  Al took a huge slice of the action himself and when Sydeston won the first leg started to rub his hands together.  The Phantom had been scratched from the Caulfield event only days before the event.

In 1990 I rated The phantom the Horse to beat with the eventual winner Kingston Rule being rated back in third spot.  It was a good result for me nevertheless as I backed The Phantom heavily on an eachway basis.  As for Al’s coup.  It had come unstuck when Kingston Rule stole a winning break at the 200 metre mark.  One length away from a small fortune and Bookmakers heaved a sigh of relief.  The moral is still there folks.

Recently a mate of mine told me he had a few good tips and was thinking of having a couple of all up bets.  Two hours later he had backed 6 winners in a row.  “Did you have an all up?” I asked.

No he didn’t.  He won $700 for a small outlay but just a $10 bet all up would have returned him over $20,000.  Had he never even thought about an all up bet it wouldn’t have mattered.  But he did.  I truly believe that sometimes these ideas coming into our head are from our most intuitive sources and should be followed.  I don’t mean we should allow ourselves to go wild, but on occasions…

In April 1991 I had just started to look at Superfectas.  It’s a bet that’s only available in NSW and to win you need the first six horses in order, a formidable task.  In my mind I knew that I could win this particular day and so set myself down to the study of the form of the dozen or so starters.  To make matters interesting the Pool had jackpotted and a dividend of over $300,000 would be available.

I went over and over the form and finally settled on 420 combinations.  Only the horse in the number 3 spot bothered me but to add it in would have cost an extra fortune.  By racetime I had found a spot in the TAB and told my mate who operated the branch to get ready for a payout.  As they crossed the line I knew that I had won the race.  I had the quinella and the trifecta but had to wait on a photo for the rest of the result.  I had scored with the first four horses, no. 3 was next and then a 100/1 outsider.  The result wasn’t posted but I knew in my mind that I had won a consolation dividend with just the first four-any-any.

The end result.. an $18,000 payout!  It sometimes pays to follow your intuition.  I’ve tried for the Super a few times since then but although I have got at least 5 of the six right several times I have yet to score another dividend.  To be honest, you need a pretty hefty bank to pursue this type of bet.  The Pick4 ranks as easy by comparison.  It is also obvious that the Superfecta has become the target of certain big punters who are waiting to knock off the accumulated pool whenever a smallish field goes around as happens regularly at Canterbury.

A lady punter, a good friend of mine, calmly records all the Sydney betting statistics each weekend.

Over the years we have developed a number of good betting systems which require patience and produce small but consistent profits.  My friend steadfastly refuses to use any of those systems, preferring to use her own in search of the Big Pay.  Renowned for her patience, it is not unknown for several weeks to go by without a single bet placed.  Marie had but one bank and can’t afford to use her money for any system other than her own or else when the time comes to make her play the money needed may not be there.  There’s a moral of a different kind here.

Another friend of mine is fully conversant with my methods and when he puts his mind to it will come up with selections which challenge my assessments.  In his working life he is an upper management type with organisational responsibilities that would test the best of us.  It may surprise you to learn that more often than not he arrives at the track with his bankroll and absolutely no idea about the horses that are to race that day.  At best he may devote two to three minutes to his formguide before placing his mostly losing bets.  After a few weeks he will disappear to save up yet another betting bank to be smashed yet again on the rocks of uncertainty.

Over the years I have become well known to local punters and they often strike up a conversation.  I am constantly stunned to hear though the words “Have to go, got to get a bet on this race.”
“What are you on?” I ask.
“I don’t know yet.” is the most frequent reply.

I threatened to write a book one entitled “100 ways to get beat on a racecourse.” to which my friend Don replied “I know at least two hundred ways.
 

I like to follow the horses the only trouble is that the horses I like to follow like to follow the other horses !