October
OctoberGood gear
Paul Richards’s article (10/10) on the various bits of equipment that trainers use was brilliant.
Despite having been a punter for many years, I still didn’t know what all these things were for. Thanks to David Hayes and Richo, I am just that bit more informed.
I am of the strong belief that if we want the younger generation to take over from older punters like myself then they need more of this sort of info to spark their interest in race betting.
Racing has a lot more jargon than any other sport and, despite the younger generation having shorter attention spans thanks to electronic toys, they still thrive on information.
A lack of info when it comes to punting can hurt them financially so the more articles like Richo’s, the better chance of them taking up punting on horses rather than sports.
I think it would be great for the industry if more articles like this were written telling punters how equipment affects horses, how to read form guides, what to look for in replays and so on. Not only would it help the youngsters but some of us mug oldies also!
Too much of racing and the associated punting is hidden behind big steel barriers and this frightens a lot of people.
I once asked a prominent racing administrator if he could explain how weights for big races are arrived at, particularly for overseas entrants, as I was just curious.
The response I got was as if I had asked him to assassinate the Queen.
He wanted to know why I was asking, what I would do with the info, why I couldn’t just search the internet and who told me to ask him.
Needless to say, I have little respect for this guy any more.
This type of secrecy keeps newer punting followers away from horse racing and pushes them towards sports gambling as there is so much info available on that type of gambling and most of it is free.
In racing, on the other hand, there is one “renowned” tipping service at the moment whose NSW and Victorian racing tips and ratings, for a full subscription would cost $869 per month or $9812 per annum. Please, give me a break!
Great work and a fantastic read. I do hope we can see more.
Ballajura (WA)