Longstanding maiden after 105 races, Celebrity with Erika Parkinson on board win the Bet At racingtv.com Fillies Handicap at 33/1 for trainer Lisa Williamson at Haydock. 6/8/2021 Pic Steve Davies/Racingfotos.com

Roving Reports: Let The Music Play

Still something of a quiet summer on the courses for me, writes David Massey, with York throwing up little to report, although Craig David on the Saturday last was a busy day. Or it least it might have been, had the bookmaker in front of me not broken down (his equipment, not him personally) and been unable to take a bet all afternoon. Sadly, all he did was prove a blocker for me as he tried to get his equipment going but alas all to no avail. Let me demonstrate what a difference it makes - for the first four races whilst he tried without success to get going, I took 40 bets a race. Once he decided there was no way he could work and moved his kit from in front of me, I took 140 bets a race for the last three. Position is everything in the ring.

I see from the latest missives coming from the BHA that attendances are up slightly year on year. No doubt these music events have something to do with that but whether they make a difference to betting turnover is a different matter.

Haydock last Friday saw me working the Silver ring for the Nile Rogers and Chic gig. I've seen them twice in the last few years and they are an excellent outfit. You know more Nile Rogers compilations than you think you do, and you always find yourself singing along to Get Lucky at some point in the evening. Anyway, I digress. We're told there's a crowd of around 12,000, which would be about a thousand more than when Madness played here last year, and business that night was colossal, arguably the best I've known in the past 18 months or so. We simply couldn't get everyone on quick enough. So there are high expectations for the evening and we have three pitches (and six workers) in the ring.

However, through nobody's fault at the track, the place absolutely stinks. A local farmer, clearly no fan of Chic, has manured his ground and with the wind blowing in the wrong direction, Haydock doesn't so much rock, as honk. It's awful and very offputting.

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Business is always slow to get going on these music nights, with many not turning up until halfway through the card (but will, of course, count in the official attendance) so we're not too downhearted when the first couple of races are poor. However, even when it does get going, it isn't the beano we expected. It's moderate stuff and everyone is betting early, so the last ten minutes before race time we barely strike a bet.

This is very much a "selfie" crowd. Lots of photos taken for social media to show everyone what a great time you're having, but little of that involves having a bet. One woman has a hat on that reads "RIDE" from where I'm stood; thinking that's a bit of a bold statement, it's not until she turns slightly that I can see it actually says "BRIDE". A relief all round, not least to her soon-to-be husband, I guess!

One bloke asks me for a tenner twist forecast 1 and 4 in the next. I inform him I don't do reverse forecasts. "In that case I'll just have a tenner win on 3". Work that one out, because three days later, I certainly haven't.

Twist forecast. Only at Haydock and Aintree do you get asked for those. Reverse forecast everywhere else. I suppose I should be grateful he's not asking me for a Liverpool Round-The-Clock. (Google it, if you're unsure. You can't call yourself a settler until you've done one of those manually. Fun for all the family.)

I've another punter who has, shall we say, had a Tizer or two. He's talking so fast I can't understand a word. We appear to be communicating in Morse Code. Dot dot fiver eight dot, dash each way. He seems happy enough, mind.

Sadly the final race is a three-runner affair, not what you want for the lucky last, and you know what's coming - everyone will back the outsider of the three. I make an easy £20 for myself backing and laying it pre-race - that's my petrol paid for - and when the jolly wins there's little to pay out. We've won on the night but business has only been fair. The only consolation is a call-in at the cheapest chippy in Britain on the way to the digs; fish and chips twice, and a portion of chips, just over £13. And they say you can't eat value.

Saturday is Ladies Day at Haydock, with an expected crowd of 8,000. The weather forecast is for some showers early but clearing up after 2pm. We can only hope that's right.

Sadly the Eau De Farmeur Gilles is still in the air, worse if anything, giving off a right pong. We get up and betting, slow to start again. However, we hit a problem. For some reason, the master pitch can't see my bets. This is a major problem as they can't get a picture of the whole book. I'm frantically trying to make things work, running up and down the ring (one pitch at one end and mine at the other) but nothing works. I give Tech Support at Newmarket a call but they can barely hear me with the PA, as is usually that case at Haydock, too loud in the background. In the end they have to take over the software from their end, a very useful tool, but they do fix the problem (server issues) within a few minutes. Sadly they're about to jump for the first and I've taken five bets. A waste of a race.



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Race 2. I take my first bet and nothing comes out the printer. It was working fine ten minutes ago and now it isn't. Restart everything. That doesn't work. It's now hammering down with rain as well. Now the keyboard has frozen up. This is a disaster. The printer is still having none of it either. Ring Tech Support again. Now it turns out the USB port the printer is in has packed up. I'm soaked to the bone running up and down the ring and right now I want to throw everything in the bin and go home. I'm trying hard to listen to Ian as he explains how I can fix things but all I can think about is being in a warm fluffy pair of pyjamas with my tea in front of me. That's only six hours away, I tell myself. Hello, the printer's working again. I take two bets on Race 2 before it's off a minute later. That's two-sevenths of the afternoon wasted.

And in truth is doesn't get any better. Business is so poor I take 110 bets all afternoon. There's nothing to report of any interest, other than it was so windy by Race 5 my trousers had dried out completely. Attendances may be up, but on days like today, my spirit isn't. I realise not every week can be Royal Ascot but days like today really make me wonder how much of a future some of the smaller rings have.

I'm home for half eight and in comfy PJ's ten minutes later. Let's see what four days of the Ebor Festival bring...

- DM

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2 replies
  1. pfebrey
    pfebrey says:

    ah the perils of using computers.
    A bookie and a clerk would have alleviated that! the good old days.
    What will you working as next week Dave? I’m at York Friday and would like to say Hi

    Paul

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