Gambling is often frowned upon by the ‘great and the good’ and yet the Government of the United Kingdom have positively encouraged their citizens to become involved in the practice over the past few years. The ‘National Lottery’, the ‘Super Casino’s’ and the tax concessions on betting are all examples of this. Banks, credit card companies, who restrict the use of their facilities to internet betting sites, and quite often ones wife are the dissenting voices in a gamblers ear. They however are not really against gambling they are against losing.
Life after all is a gamble. It’s dangerous out there. Sports gambling and Horseracing in particular however has a certain tainted image to it and I don’t know why. After all the owners and breeders and often the trainers involved in horseracing are from the ‘upper classes’ or at the very least ‘middle classes’. It is after all called the ’Sport of Kings’ a title never given to any other sport, even Rugby League. Gambling with stocks and shares, usually with someone else’s money, is viewed as glamorous and a worthy career option. Something I often point out to my wife with only limited positive response. So if the government are happy to bulge their coffers with money from ‘lotto’ players and taxes on the profits of the big bookmaking companies then I think that the practice of chancing the odd shilling on a slightly dodgy nag in the 3.15 at Pontefract, when the wind is whipping in sideways and the June sunshine has fixed itself over a one mile radius of Fulham and refuses to budge a centimetre further North, is nothing to be ashamed of.
I have over a number of years been involved in sport of all types with horseracing a recurring passion. I have been fortunate enough to work with trainers, breeders, owners, tipsters, administrators and the movers and shakers in the industry including those who run the countries racecourses. I have some knowledge of events in Ireland, France, South African and the USA so it has been fun. Knowledge of the industry helps in the gambling stakes and I am soon to begin a low key advisory service in this field. However I would like this blog to be a channel for discussions of racing, sport and life across a wide spectrum and a conduit for gathering stories, that with the permission of the contributors, I could use in future writings and publications.
I look forward to regular intercommunication and will pass on views and the odd tip that may be of interest .I would love to hear from sports and racing fans from anywhere in the world.

Good luck

Clarkson