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17 Oct 12
13:52
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Date Joined:
26 Nov 08
This from SkintofGreatYarmouth,
It was 1978, my first day as a racecourse bookmaker's workman, at my beloved Yarmouth.
I was working in the old East Ring in the centre of the course, (now defunct).
I was working for a bookmaker named Albert Wood from Strelley in Nottingham.
My first steps to becoming a racecourse bookmaker, hopefully.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, he began to explain what i had to do.
After a little while, he said,
"Go and get, the ices"
He did not seem too enamoured, when 10 minutes later, i came back with 3 cornets and a wafer!
Well, how the f*ck did i know, that 'the ices', were 'the prices'!
It was 1978, my first day as a racecourse bookmaker's workman, at my beloved Yarmouth.
I was working in the old East Ring in the centre of the course, (now defunct).
I was working for a bookmaker named Albert Wood from Strelley in Nottingham.
My first steps to becoming a racecourse bookmaker, hopefully.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, he began to explain what i had to do.
After a little while, he said,
"Go and get, the ices"
He did not seem too enamoured, when 10 minutes later, i came back with 3 cornets and a wafer!
Well, how the f*ck did i know, that 'the ices', were 'the prices'!
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Replies: 243
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WENT INTO A WELL KNOWN FIRM ON THE RAILS AT HAYDOCK,ASKED FOR TWO MONKEYS A HORSE TO WHICH THE REPLY WAS "U CAN HAVE ONE"
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my mate had a 3 day betting nightmare at Cheltenham all with the same bookie. As he bet on the last racce, the bookie thanked him and shook his hand to louds cheers and laughter from all us lot watching
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At a midweek meeting at Brighton there was a very sparse crowd, the racing was of a very poor standard. I knew one of the layers and kept a good eye on all the boards before having a bet. Because I knew this bloke I thought I'd give him my bet, 16 ponies which was showing on his board.
"Sorry son, full up on that one" scrubbed the 16's and marked it up 12/1. I was watching everything and I know he didn't take a shilling on it |
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i remember at nottingham in the late 80s a tic tac betting the fractions at odds on in a photo finish.
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I had a share with a so-called layer once when a punter who I'd never seen before asked for a sixty to forty the favourite and walked away without paying on. I immediately said to my 'partner' that he'd laid all the bet and I wanted no part of it. He questioned my judgement and avowed that he'd known the punter for many years. He's still looking for him fifteen years later hoping that he might get paid !!!
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was at hove dogs 1 night when a well known punter was doing his ballaks ,he asked for 5k a dog the bookie said you can have half the punter said ,,,if i had a gun i would shoot you .............the bookie said son the form your in you would miss
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democrat • October 17, 2012 4:17 PM BST
I had a share with a so-called layer once when a punter who I'd never seen before asked for a sixty to forty the favourite and walked away without paying on. I immediately said to my 'partner' that he'd laid all the bet and I wanted no part of it. He questioned my judgement and avowed that he'd known the punter for many years. He's still looking for him fifteen years later hoping that he might get paid !!! What a mug! Anyone we know? |
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Pal of mine had one in the book at Cartmel one day,
Sent him off to bring back an early show, On returning my pal asks him price of FAV, he replied HALF, on looking around my pal saw the FAV was 1/2 |
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a long time ago i seen a punter asking a book would he lay him one to one,bookmaker said yes certainly........he had 5/4 on his board
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ffs patsy tell me thats not true
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True Jimnast needless to say 4 meetings later and £10K lighter he decided to go back to the day job
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he swam the channel lasting 4 meetings patsy by the sounds of it,i surpose he had already planned what to spend the fortune on he was going to make.
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At ROYAL ASCOT some years ago SMART ARSE comes up begging 3/1 an 11/4 chance
Pals tell him he can have the 3/1 if it loses and 11/4 if it wins Punter relied i will have that to FORTY QUID |
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^
I sincerely hope that is true patsyone! |
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Belle Vue dogs many moons ago this old preist never missed a meeting Father John was the name
he had backed the first 5 winners with The Twins( Walmsleys) race 6 from the stands he called out £400 the fav 9/4 they sent their up tic /tac up the stands with this message .Father John ..Your not On |
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belle vue use to be buzzing zipper dismal place nowadays.
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Jimnast you are spot on some real dog men / characters, proper bookies but I aint been for 10 years because the game got very dodgy. If you weren't in the know you were in the bin.
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BELLE VUE,NOT A PATCH ON THE NORTH WEST FLAPS,CHESTER,BOLTON,ST HELENS ECT ECT.
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If you are talking about dog track bookmakers, Tom and John Jenkins aka 'The John Power Organisation' were on a different planet to pretty much all of them from yesteryear. The Viking in full flow at Hackney Wick, Wembley and so on was a joy to behold.
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At Wembley dogs in the late 90's on St Ledger night. Final of the hurdles featured Deliver Today a 1/5fav, with a clear 2nd fav. Betting without layer opened 4/5, the whole stadium seamingly gathered round waiting for evs in a text book stand off. Layer goes Evs just before the off & is met by a surge that quite literally knocks him and his stand over, money falling out his satchel, total carnage. Deliver today fell at the 1st, 2nd fav obliges but no one is on! Not sure if that was a knock over or not!
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My dad had a 10er on a 100/1 thing at Dundalk one time and got done on the line; my father said to bookie, àh well, had at least a good run for my money` Bookie Said if it hadda won, he would have a better run
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Slippy Blue ..... guaranteed your knock back was from Steve Gibbs
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Pre Betfair the constant funniest was "I was just taking it off".
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lumpon is that the real old guy ...in his 80s i'd say...
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Still going strong
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yeah i saw him at goodwood and brighton during the summer...
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Yes lumponlarge, you are correct!
One night at Wembley, I'm guessing it was 1983, The Viking took two bets of 10,000/600 on the 5 dog on his opening show. He left it up and took plenty from the sheep afterwards. They were not dummy bets as I knew who put them on. It ran a good race but tired on the run in and got chinned close home. He was laughing afterwards and boomed out to the terrace that he knew it would lose! With a bit of trouble behind it would have not got collared. It was different game then.. |
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Slippy, that was indeed a good era for getting on. You must remember that they were getting their cards marked big time though. Nowadays if someone wants to lay they can just do it on here - back then though you would have to get a bookmaker to do it for you and no doubt they would take a few quid out of it for himself. How did I know that was Gibbsy with the knock back eh ? My old man used to have a share with him many many years ago & i would clerk as a teenager ... i just remember his knock back classics.
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I went to school with his son Greg!
Yes of course their cards were marked, I was putting on for some people, no names as thay are all no longer with us. I did my money as well one night and one of the top layers said to me don't worry, you'll get yours back in the last but don't come to me. It won needless to say. When I was a regular at a provincial track, 50 quid from a kennel hand was worth its weight in gold, not the random monkeys from guessers. |
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A few years ago,had a good (one) punt at Redcar,paying out I asked the bookie if he was going on to Carlisle.........he said "No %^*&^ petrol money now". He made it.......my next punt was at Carlisle on a Milton Bradley 25/1 shot which won at Windsor......with the same bookie.
Went mad at the Clerk.........looked like a young Skinto.........about 52 at a guess........bumped into both again at Musselburgh when Dandy had one.......backed at 22/1...........not sure what happened when the satchel was emptied again.  |
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Remember Reg Leete, his board was like a box of liquorice allsorts.
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When I went and saw Skinto in March there was a bloke and his son on the rails wearing suits made out of deckchairs.Cant remember the name but something Jim and Son,a full point on every horse shorter than anyone and doing no business.
Looked like an end of the pier pair of crap comedians from the 1930s. Enlighten us SoGY,they were funny. |
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Betting with Big Jim Dunn,
www.jimdunn.co.uk/BigJim/photo.html |
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Thats not what was on the board SoGY,it was what was on there as much as the dress that made me chuckle?
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Slippy wonder if you were at hackney when powers put up 100/1 a dog in a photo
and when they gave the result the 100/1 shot was given as the winner 1980 I think they said that it was a dodgy photo as both there men on the line had said the other dog one said a neck the other said a head he said if it had been a s/h he would not have believed that as they were never wrong |
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FELTFAIR,
Reg Leete, was a wonderful old character! In the 1980s through to the mid 1990s (15 years) i used to clerk for AJH, (People have been awarded The George Cross (GC), for less) and at Goodwood, we would bet directly behind Reg. Most every race, he would come to our joint and have £1 on two horses! I can still see his old estate car, chock-a-block full with paintings and drawings! Mick Howard, (not known for his joviality), tells one of the funniest stories ever, about Reg! |
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Mmm, could be when Mossy Moore won a heat of the Guiness at Hackney at 150/1, won by a nostril from Curryhills Gara who was 4/9.
2 beat 1, there were quite a few 1 and 2 forecasts that day and the reverse forecast brigade got the lot. Not saying that was the photo as it doesn't ring any bells as I watched that race in the shop. The jolly went lame by the way, if fit Curryhills Gara would have picked him up and carried Mossy on his back and still won. I think he broke a hock if memory serves. There were a lot of photo finish specialists in those days. |