The Racing Week

By Ian Henderson

The weather is nothing compared to what we had in 1947 but thank God for All Weather racing. Today in the paper there was an article about Global cooling. We have all been conned on the warming front because big business could make millions from it. I never believed in the Global Warming farce in the first place. Look down from an aircraft and see how many people you can count. People are just ants crawling on the surface of the earth who have the arrogance to think that they can change the weather. British weather is eccentric and will always be so. So just enjoy it. I lived in South Africa for a while and will never forget the periods between April and November with no rain and every day the sky the same boring blue with no clouds. If you don’t like the British weather, tough. You had better make the most of it because you will never get today back again. I used to train and ride my own horses for Cross Country Events and had to go out to exercise them whatever the weather. You soon get used to it.

So the All Weather racing, which was much derided when it first appeared, has now taken over the racing scene while dozens of Jump meetings have been abandoned. This century must herald the shortest attention span ever in our younger generation. How will they cope now that there is a half hour gap between races? You can read the Sun newspaper in about three minutes which leaves you gazing adoringly at Page 3. But there are now gambling machines in all Betting Offices so that’s OK then.

The powers that be are looking at ways to attract punters but they haven’t a hope in hell while the whole circus is being drained dry by the bookmakers. If the xenophobic British could be persuaded to look abroad they would see that racing in South Africa and France attracts vast crowds

The saviour of winter racing in Britain All weather tracks

because entrance to racecourses there is either free or cheap. In South Africa it is odd for somebody to bet on a single horse. There are bookmakers but they are on the periphery and when I first arrived and placed my bet on Green Ginger in the 3.30 they knew that I was from Britain immediately. South African racing is funded by the Tote, the entry to racecourses is free and the whole country is involved in Jackpots, Placepots, Trifectas and other multiples. The important races every Saturday are reported on TV along with details of the payouts for the Jackpot and Placepot. I think the racing for Change bunch only have to visit South Africa to find the answers. All we get on British TV are the Footsie Index and Dow Jones. They aren’t gambling. Are they? I think there would be lot more interest from the man on the Clapham Omnibus if that report also included the latest Jackpot and Placepot payouts. Instead Saturday evening TV has been wrecked by the Lottery. That is where more racing money has disappeared coupled with gaming machines, the losses are massive. No longer does Granny Smith put a fiver on Lotto Lover 3.30 at Lingfield because she had a dream. Why isn’t Lottery money in its entirety given to the NHS? I have never bought a single ticket but would do so if the causes were real charities.

So the Bookmakers have never had it so good. They now have gaming machines and in my local Coral shop there is a bigger crowd round the Roulette machine than that watching the racing. Idiots all. For the last three hundred years the greatest mathematical minds have sought the winning technique for Roulette. There isn’t one. Long term you are bound to lose. I am the only person I know who can make a profit at it but it is totally boring and you have to wait for certain sequences whereupon you discover that you aren’t allowed to chat or joke with your fellow players because they are so busy counting numbers. At least you can have a chat and a laugh at the racecourse. I only win at Roulette because I know when to stop but I still get caught occasionally. The players in the betting office don’t stop till all their money is gone.

The bookmakers are raking in £millions per annum and they do subscribe to the Levy but all that money left behind in their satchels could fund a very powerful Tote. But this is Britain where money rules and big business has the government in its pocket. Any government of whatever colour is ruled buy Big Business which is led by the alcohol industry but the bookies are not far behind.

Racing fixtures have been increased by 25% in the last two years. Who needs it?….The bookies do. How bloody stupid. With a limited Levy there is no recourse but to reduce overall prize money by 25%. The people running racing are mathematically illiterate. They obviously can’t add up.

The best idea for change came from an owner on TV on Saturday who pointed out that we need to encourage the young away from Fruit Machines and to do this he proposed a Dettori/ Turner visit to all the Universities and Colleges in the land to encourage their Racing Clubs. A very good idea but I doubt it will ever be taken up. They might have to pay somebody. God forbid.

I despair. British racing will never change for the better, (bettor). Sorry couldn’t resist that. Not with the bookies draining it dry. But Britain always has treated money above human life. During the last century the longest jail sentence was given to the Great Train Robbers. 30 years! You could murder or rape five people or more for that. Money rules Britain OK.

Gaming machines belong in Amusement Arcades. The idiot who let bookies put them into the Betting Offices needs his/her head examined. I suspect it was a her.

That’s all.

Ian Henderson