Show us the Money Racing Post!

Racing Post Bets Recorded Results

I noticed recently that the Racing Post have stopped recording the major bets struck in their racing results section. Not sure exactly when this began to be omitted, but certainly it’s in the last few weeks, as just before Christmas in my blog about visiting Plumpton I made reference to bets struck about Dark and Dangerous.

As someone who has to pay a mortgage and the other “exes” commonplace with London life, I work Monday to Friday, along with a smattering of Saturdays and Sundays! I often say “none of us would do it [work] for free“, but truth be told I enjoy both contributing and having a bit of a purpose. Due to work commitments I am not able to watch a lot of the racing live, and also have to miss out on the pre race tussles in the betting ring. I should point out that I could watch races on mobile streaming, but as previously blogged about this is scientifically proven to be unlucky.

So like many punters I am relient on the results and racing reviews in the Racing Post, and very much like to survey the larger bets recorded on course. These typically will read as: “£2500-1000, £9000-4000 X2, £2000-1000 X3, Opened 5/2, touched 11/4, returned SP 2/1″. In particular I love to see the ubiquitous phrase “including office money” which denotes the Big Three bookmakers have been getting into some market skullduggery and are shortening up their liabilities. I am a bit too young to have been a punter when Lanfranco Dettori went through the card at Ascot, but the “office money” description would surely have been noted about Fujiyama Crest!

Frankie Dettori

As a punter it’s useful to be able to see whether a horse has been genuinely backed by large money, or if it is just the aforementioned off course firms manipulating the market. Sometimes looking at the bets struck it can read like the “butchers bill” at the end of some Napoleonic battle, especially if the market has been going for two or even three of the runners. A case of cigar smoke replacing musket smoke. The bets recorded are also demonstrative of the strength of the market for the race, a factor that is a powerful indicator in novice races contested by unexposed types as well as in revealing handicap coups.

On a personal note I am able to take some solace in my losing bet, if I can see that there was a weight of shrewd money also backing my opinion. It’s a system that perhaps is a form of self delusional clutching at straws, but as Frank Sinatra quoted:

I’m for anything that gets you through the night, be it prayer, tranquilizers, or a bottle of Jack Daniels

Racing Post Working On It

Before finishing this blog I dropped a tweet to the Post’s editor Bruce Millington (@BruceMillington) who swiftly responded to say that the people who provide the bets information are currently no longer doing so, and that the Racing Post are working on a solution. Reading between the lines perhaps it is a rights issue that’s being negotiated? Either way it looks like the UK’s racing daily is doing it’s best to once again “Show us the money!”

Show me the Money!

Chris Denny

I have been involved in the betting industry since the late 90’s and have in that time worked for a on course bookmaker (at now much missed Catford Dogs), spent time at a leading spread betting company, and worked for Betfair in their two year start-up phase.

In 2007 I co-founded iGaming supplier Hyperion Gaming with long suffering business partner Alex Lafferty.

Being involved in the industry for so long has given me a good understanding of the wonderful world of online gambling, and I put effort into giving honest opinions, that remain my own!

Chris Denny+