Betting in Dublin?

[andicap]

Going to the track in Dublin, Ireland in a month. Any, any,kind of ideas of how to bet given the limited PPs you get there.

[mudnturf]

Andy
I've only been racing in Ireland once (The Curragh), and used the Irish version of TIMEFORM.....the actual name escapes me. Their comments provided some vital "clues" to the all the runners, especially in terms of how they would handle the "going".
It's amazing but the foreign trainers evidently consider the condition of the turf course much more important than those in this country. So, if the going is listed as "soft" or "firm", pay close attention to those comments, and focus on the one(s) they think will best handle that condition.
"L.T."

[Tom]

andicap,
Check out www.turfpedia.com
This is Jim Quinn's website and Mark Crammer writes columns about European grass raccing. You might find some info there that could lead to some Euro-dollars.
And as my Irish uncle once told me, the only way to watch the races is with a pint in one hand and your other hand on your wallet.

Tom :p :p

[Dick Schmidt]

Andy,

Irish racing is quite a jumble compared to American racing. I've seen one mile sprints run in a straight line, 2 1/2 mile races where you couldn't see the first mile from the grandstand and the unannounced addition of a few low hurdles to make the race more interesting. Many tracks only run two or three days a year. We stayed in a B+B once and the landlady told me you could see the track from the upstairs window. I couldn't see it for the life of me. Right over there, she said, where all those sheep are! They keep the grass short for the racing.

Whatever you do (good luck getting any information other than tip sheets), don't miss the bookies. Just hang out in the bookmakers enclosure for a race or two. Like taking a ride in a time machine. They all compete, chalking odds onto blackboards, having other odds relayed by "tick-tack" men and of course writing each bet down in large books. I once saw a race with a strong favorite where one bookie was offering even money on the favorite and another right next door was offering 6-5 on the rest of the field, bar the favorite. A perfect middle, right there for the taking. I took it and no one turned a hair. Just two bookies expressing their opinions. They offer odds we never see here, like 13-16. Wonderful people, the Irish, and they love their horses.

Have a wonderful time.

Dick

[rrbauer]

Maybe you can get some input from Frank Lyons. He probably can tell you about the best pubs, too!

flyons@tvgnetwork.com

[mudnturf]

Dick
Don't know when you were there last, nor do I know if the Irish on-course bookies have followed the lead of the English on-course bookies. But the good old days of "tic tacs" and hand signals, and little cards given to the bettor with nothing on them but a ticket number and the name of the bookmaker (you had to write down the name of the horse, the odds, and the amount you bet.....especially if you were betting on more than one horse, which I often do in those 30 horse fields).
I'm sad to report that it is now a thing of the past in England. It's all COMPUTERS and CELL PHONES. Your ticket is printed, almost as you speak, and it contains all the vital information you once had to note yourself.
It has negatively impacted the amount of disparities one was often able to find among the bookmakers.
I still love it, but the challenge of finding the best price, as well as the best horse, is not as much fun as it used to be.