Betting
The racing victory I’ve enjoyed the most
Allegedly the most effective rain dance in the world is that performed by Native American Hopi Indians. The biennial 16-day…
My fears for the National Hunt Chase
World politics is dire but so long as Mick Herron is writing spy novels, David Mitchell is raising laughs and…
My horse betting farce
Somebody up there doesn’t like me much at the moment. The bank insists that two cash machines which failed to…
The turf
When things went wrong in his days running the Daily Mirror, the scoundrel Robert Maxwell used to shout: ‘Which effing…
A dicey business
When I was 14 my father took me to a bookmaker’s and encouraged me to place a bet. He wanted…
The turf
There is nothing like visiting a stud early in the foaling season. As amiable mums-to-be saunter up to the paddock…
The turf
Since coup conspirators nearly won £10 million from the bookies, the sport has divided into two camps. Some grinned and…
The turf
Doing good doesn’t always work out as expected. A regular entering his local pub takes pity on an old lady…
The turf
Why hasn’t Bristol De Mai become as beloved by the racing public as his fellow greys Desert Orchid and One…
Low life
My French friend André speaks perfect English and is the kindest of men. After reading last week about my futile…
While some bookies behave admirably, the BetBright debacle is a disgrace
Encountering a generous-hearted bookmaker is normally as rare an occurrence as finding a picture of the Duchess of Sussex without…
‘Concussion doesn’t count’: memories of a racing dynasty
The Scudamores are one of the bedrock families of jump racing. After being shot down and spending two years as…
How one man took on the French betting system — and kept winning against the odds
About a third of the way through this book I worked out that I had an unbeatable system for winning…
The rich literature of the game of poker
According to the subtitle, this is a collection of ‘short stories of long nights at the poker table’. Were that…
The turf
Racing is an expensive sport to stage. Courses and grandstands have to be maintained, health and safety regulations have to…
Low life
I shared a taxi from Cheltenham station to the house party in an outlying village with a stripper. Finding a…
In the know
Master golfer Gary Player had the perfect retort when a 19th-hole pundit on his fourth G&T declared, ‘It’s all down…
Low life
For the Cheltenham Festival I received the customary tipster circular from my pal Soapy Joe. Soapy’s most convincing credential as…
Man vs machine
What does it mean these days to beat the bookie? Many of us like to imagine that winning a bet…
Terminal news for bookies
Hands up: who knows what a FOBT is? It stands for fixed odds betting terminal. No? Well, you should, because…
The thrill of the bore draw
A successful gambler once told me: ‘Never bet on football, never bet on multipliers, and never ever bet on football…
