From Towcester to Perth
What have Towcester and Perth got in common?
Answer - they are both towns that are home to National Hunt racecourses - one here just 20 minutes drive from Bicester and the other up in bonny Scotland.
For the non-converts to the glorious game, National Hunt is the name given to jump racing here in the UK, just in case anyone starts accusing me of killing foxes.
Ha ha - bet you thought I was talking about the other Perth, in Australia, well I will get on to that in a bit.
First - Towcester - UK. A nice little town, straight up the A43. And what makes Towcester's racecourse different to all the others in the UK - simple. For most meetings (except very big ones on Boxing Day and Easter Monday) - it is free to get in! Get that - a free day out? Compare that to the cost of getting in to other racecourses - £25 last time I went to Cheltenham. And not to mention other sporting things you might like to do - £25 is the going rate for a round of golf these days, and you won't get into many football grounds for much less.
But Towcester - completely free! As long as you take your own food and drink. Which I do. And don't lose all your money gambling. Which I don't. They make up the money on the food and drink - be warned - a burger will set you back £6.
But armed with my man bag full of snacks and drinks, myself and Ollie headed off to the course for an afternoon's racing last Saturday.
Less than half an hour to get there, straight through the front gate, parked on the rather sodden looking turf right next to the main grandstand and we were in!
I had already put my bets on for the day before I left home, so I had no need to be ripped off by the course bookies. It's a common misconception (based on years gone by) that you get a better deal on course - you don't. That was in the days before off course betting tax was abolished. Nowadays all the best value is to be had on the internet. Free bets, best odds guaranteed, each way 5 places on big races like the Grand National and a host of other concessions, which not only are not available on course they are also not available in the betting shop.
Anyone who walks into a William Hill, Coral, or Ladbrokes betting shop and asks for a price on a horse to back and takes it is getting a bad deal. Why? Because those firms don't give you the same deal in their shops as they do online. That is the "Best Odds Guarantee". What that basically means is, if you take the price of your horse when you put your bet on (e.g. 8/1) and when the race starts it has gone out to 12/1 and wins - online they will pay you at 12/1. Yet in the betting shop you don't get that same guarantee so you will only get paid at 8/1.
Why? Why one deal for online punters and another for shop punters. As far as I am aware online shoppers don't get their groceries at any better value online than in Tesco's store, so what's the score with punters?
Well I think the answer is that these big betting chains treat their betting shop customers with contempt, looking down on them as a captive audience that knows no better. Why give them a better deal if they can't seek one out themselves? Besides the places are glorified amusement arcades these days anyway, all the money is to be made from the roulette machines or FOBT's.
If you want to make the manager of Corals, Hills or Ladbrokes uncomfortable next time you put a bet on, ask them if you can have your bet Best Odds Guaranteed - and when they say no, say you placed a bet with them on the internet the other day and got that so why can't you have the guarantee in the shop? Worth doing to watch them squirm. Seriously people, remember what I said when Grand National day comes round and place your bet online!
But I digress. It was a freezing cold day at Towcester and despite the excitement of being able to stand right up close next to a chase fence near the stands as they jumped (you don't really realise how big these things are until you stand by one) little Ollie was cold and getting whingey so we left half way through the meeting. I was a bit annoyed, but still, the day had cost us nothing - the opposite in fact as I had made my money for the day, so off we went. Well we tried to go. The car was well and truly stuck in the mudbath, a fair bit of wheel spinning and some rather impressive stunt spins later we made it away without hitting anything though with a fair bit of the course caked to the car. Moral of story - pick a warmer day if you are taking little kiddies.
On to Sunday, and Perth. Which was the venue of Jo Jo's birthday, down in the southern hemisphere heat. We meantime shivered away up here in Bicester but put on a karaoke party for her in her absence at the White Hart. She had requested a number of songs for her nearest and dearest buddies to sing, and we did not let her down. All were video'd and put on the internet for her. With various other antics going on. Got to say it was one of the funniest nights yet! I wonder week in week out how we can top the previous week but it just gets better and better. A good night was had by all.
I'm a little jealous I must admit of all these stati coming back from Perth about barbies and meat and all the rest of it. Being stuck here through the long dark December days isn't everyone's idea of fun when one knows there's fun going on elsewhere in the world, but I'm OK - as my next holiday is not far away and it's all bought and paid for. The winter sun will be on my back soon enough.
If you have enjoyed reading this blog, please take a look at my books on Amazon (Paperback & Kindle), where you can read lots more of the same! Click here.
Jason xx
Answer - they are both towns that are home to National Hunt racecourses - one here just 20 minutes drive from Bicester and the other up in bonny Scotland.
| Towcester - on a sunny and somewhat warmer day than we had |
For the non-converts to the glorious game, National Hunt is the name given to jump racing here in the UK, just in case anyone starts accusing me of killing foxes.
Ha ha - bet you thought I was talking about the other Perth, in Australia, well I will get on to that in a bit.
First - Towcester - UK. A nice little town, straight up the A43. And what makes Towcester's racecourse different to all the others in the UK - simple. For most meetings (except very big ones on Boxing Day and Easter Monday) - it is free to get in! Get that - a free day out? Compare that to the cost of getting in to other racecourses - £25 last time I went to Cheltenham. And not to mention other sporting things you might like to do - £25 is the going rate for a round of golf these days, and you won't get into many football grounds for much less.
But Towcester - completely free! As long as you take your own food and drink. Which I do. And don't lose all your money gambling. Which I don't. They make up the money on the food and drink - be warned - a burger will set you back £6.
But armed with my man bag full of snacks and drinks, myself and Ollie headed off to the course for an afternoon's racing last Saturday.
Less than half an hour to get there, straight through the front gate, parked on the rather sodden looking turf right next to the main grandstand and we were in!
I had already put my bets on for the day before I left home, so I had no need to be ripped off by the course bookies. It's a common misconception (based on years gone by) that you get a better deal on course - you don't. That was in the days before off course betting tax was abolished. Nowadays all the best value is to be had on the internet. Free bets, best odds guaranteed, each way 5 places on big races like the Grand National and a host of other concessions, which not only are not available on course they are also not available in the betting shop.
Anyone who walks into a William Hill, Coral, or Ladbrokes betting shop and asks for a price on a horse to back and takes it is getting a bad deal. Why? Because those firms don't give you the same deal in their shops as they do online. That is the "Best Odds Guarantee". What that basically means is, if you take the price of your horse when you put your bet on (e.g. 8/1) and when the race starts it has gone out to 12/1 and wins - online they will pay you at 12/1. Yet in the betting shop you don't get that same guarantee so you will only get paid at 8/1.
Why? Why one deal for online punters and another for shop punters. As far as I am aware online shoppers don't get their groceries at any better value online than in Tesco's store, so what's the score with punters?
Well I think the answer is that these big betting chains treat their betting shop customers with contempt, looking down on them as a captive audience that knows no better. Why give them a better deal if they can't seek one out themselves? Besides the places are glorified amusement arcades these days anyway, all the money is to be made from the roulette machines or FOBT's.
If you want to make the manager of Corals, Hills or Ladbrokes uncomfortable next time you put a bet on, ask them if you can have your bet Best Odds Guaranteed - and when they say no, say you placed a bet with them on the internet the other day and got that so why can't you have the guarantee in the shop? Worth doing to watch them squirm. Seriously people, remember what I said when Grand National day comes round and place your bet online!
But I digress. It was a freezing cold day at Towcester and despite the excitement of being able to stand right up close next to a chase fence near the stands as they jumped (you don't really realise how big these things are until you stand by one) little Ollie was cold and getting whingey so we left half way through the meeting. I was a bit annoyed, but still, the day had cost us nothing - the opposite in fact as I had made my money for the day, so off we went. Well we tried to go. The car was well and truly stuck in the mudbath, a fair bit of wheel spinning and some rather impressive stunt spins later we made it away without hitting anything though with a fair bit of the course caked to the car. Moral of story - pick a warmer day if you are taking little kiddies.
On to Sunday, and Perth. Which was the venue of Jo Jo's birthday, down in the southern hemisphere heat. We meantime shivered away up here in Bicester but put on a karaoke party for her in her absence at the White Hart. She had requested a number of songs for her nearest and dearest buddies to sing, and we did not let her down. All were video'd and put on the internet for her. With various other antics going on. Got to say it was one of the funniest nights yet! I wonder week in week out how we can top the previous week but it just gets better and better. A good night was had by all.
I'm a little jealous I must admit of all these stati coming back from Perth about barbies and meat and all the rest of it. Being stuck here through the long dark December days isn't everyone's idea of fun when one knows there's fun going on elsewhere in the world, but I'm OK - as my next holiday is not far away and it's all bought and paid for. The winter sun will be on my back soon enough.
If you have enjoyed reading this blog, please take a look at my books on Amazon (Paperback & Kindle), where you can read lots more of the same! Click here.
Jason xx
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