Picking on the Pundits!

I do not know Andrew Harrison from a bar of soap but found his comments in the press last week to be risible at best, if not downright insulting to us punters out here.

To be fair Andrew does single out the Highveld, but I plead with him and others, to consider the pay outs in the Cape (incl. PE) and KZN as well over the last while and especially in the PA’s, which I have highlighted in my blog.

Sure, trainers and owners in GTG do “wrap up some of their best horses” at this time of year, but my question is; was it those same “sick, lame, lazy and generally not too fast” horses (that Andrew quotes), that showed up for our flagship meeting of the year in KZN- The Durban July!?

The twice-a-year punter might be slightly aggrieved at Jackson coming 4^th last  and the money he lost 12 days ago, but us regular punters have to question a meeting were not one favourite wins over 12 races and the PA pays R15k+, never mind the other exotics... (F/view PA's on either side of that weekend were R4500 and R7K, if memory  serves..? I ask you!?)

In closing, is it at all surprising that feet in our totes and betting offices are declining if trainers are in fact sending out these ‘donkeys’ during the winter months and even the most “knowledgeable” (AH quote...) punters cannot pick a PA, never mind the Pick 6, dear Andrew!

Below is a photo of his first column in last weeks paper.

If you didn’t see it that last sentence ends: “...plays a big role and although the odds are still stacked against the punter, the chances of winning the Pick 6 are innumerably higher than the lotto.”

(PS Andrew: I might be "mathematically challenged", but I did get R139.00 on last nights lotto and went down R100 at my local tote yesterday!? It’s not just me, is it..?)

On reflection, if I didn't let Andrews column wind me up so and took his tipping advice instead I might've been better off from a financial point of view.
He tipped Peanuts which I am sure won- should've done that with my last fifty bucks...

 

smallpunter

PA's Update

Apart from this Tuesdays (17 July) Scottsville PA result (R4165.00. Yes another four grand job!!!???), other PA results seem to have reverted to normal (ish) payouts since that calamitous period around the JULY weekend and, in my opinion, since the beginning of this year!

Like mentioned before; PA payouts up to about 400-500 bucks are just about agreeable and gives the small punter a ‘fighting chance’ of hitting a straight line or maybe multiplying-up on a moderate perm. It’s when these things pay out in multiple thousands of Rands that I think that something “is ‘rotten’ in the State of Racing”!

See my next post were the ‘esteemed’ Andrew Harrison comments on our complaints on various forums about the “plethora of upset results”..?

The last few PA payouts are as follows (from yesterday backwards):
WED- D/Ville             R112

TUES- Scot.               See above!?

MON- Kbly.               R502

SUN- Turf.                  R220

SAT- C/Wood             R115

THUR- Vaal                R77

WED- K/Wor.             R495

TUES- Scot                 R134

We are all experienced enough to know that upsets will, and do, happen in racing, but is it too much to ask that there is at least some consistency in the results/payouts..?

In other words; a past-time we can all enjoy and, every now and then, reap some benefit from.

  Thanks

JULY- Still 'Smarting'!

A week after the JULY, 2012 and I'm still smarting!

Below is a clipping from another punter who complained to the Argus newspapers SMS line.

"I rest my case"!

smallpunter

Like most of us, I can still not get over the results of the Durban July meeting last Saturday.

Fellow punters (a lot more knowledgeable & experienced than I) said the whole day, except for one race, was best AVOIDED!!!
Sadly I did not listen to them, and subsequently lost my shirt, string vest, woolly jumper and weather-worn wind breaker! The lot, but not necessarily in that order!

Ironically I did win a nice percentage (10% is 'nice' for me) of the Quartet in the race my peers recommended. (but no thanks to them or to the favourite- like all the other July day favourites on the day...)
The chaps had said that Race 2 was a 'sure thing' with Dubai Dizzy (F) and the first timer #6 from the Zackey stable bound to perform. The number 6 placed nicely but the Dizzy-one is still to reach the finish line, 5 days later!? The top four were 3,4, 6, 5 which got me 9.46% for my R34.00 6 horse-boxed QT- like I said 'nice'; and there was I thinking that the R550.00 win would carry me for the rest of the day being the "smallpunter" I am (Or was!)

I am not a great studier of form, but was I the only one thinking that Dubai Dizzy could NOT win at the unproven distance of 1900m when his only run, and win, was at 1300m!? Why was it so 'short'?

Well, by the time the feature race came around that R550 of mine (minus beer money) was looking rather lean. So with my R100 bet on Jackson (4th last!?) I thought that I would try and collect on a few of those 6 places that those kind folk (irony) at Gold Circle & Phumelela allowed us insignificant punters for the main race.

My bets (see below) included at least 4 of the top 6 or 7 favourites and a couple of 'roughies' like Polar Bound and Eton Square. I was willing to collect maybe R1.60- 2.00 on the faves and maybe afford a few more beers for races 8 thru 12 if just 3 or 4 of these assured (by me and all those f...ing tipsters) places came in...

GUESS WHAT?
Only ONE out of six of my place bets came in the top six! God bless you Glen Hatt, it paid approx R4.00. The rest are still running!

ALL the results for this meeting were unbelievable and most were entirely unacceptable!

As they say in Cockney slang "We were [all] stitched-up, good and proper"! (thanks to those so-called boffins running our local racing!).

Back to mid-week Bingo for this punter...

 

smallpunter

Long time punter- New blogger!

I am a recent newcomer to local racing having resided in the UK for over 15 years, but the guys mentioned as fellow punters are all 15, 20 or even 30 year veterans at this game- locally.
Most are seriously concerned at their recent lack of luck and even the most ardent studiers of form have 'thrown in the towel"! (Just look at the PA pay outs before & after this years July)
By the way- Not a single favourite won a race in a meeting of 12 races!?

Recent PA payouts:
MON @ F/view: R4551
SUN @ Turf.: R14580
SAT @ Grey.: R15312
SAT @ Turf.: R2192
FRI @ F/view: R7664

(for this mostly straight-line punter any PA pay out over 400 or 500 hundred Rand is fairly big, never mind 3, 4, 14 or 15 GRAND!!!- K/worth a month ago was R53K!!!. We all expect upsets, but the current run of huge pay outs sits very 'sourly' and 'suspiciously' with this humble commentator...)

What's going on here fellow punters, and more importantly,
WHAT'S GOING ON HERE GOLD CIRCLE & PHUMELELA???

This is supposed to be one of the easier bets for your loyal supporters out here!?
Compared to the pools/starting tickets in running and your eventual 'massive' pay outs to only a few comparative tickets out there; this is nothing short of daylight robbery!

smallpunter