PEOPLE AND THEIR WAYSI'm making this a regular series, so here's the first. Every so often we'll drop one into our meetings.This one concerns a fellow I shared a bus ride with. I usually leave my car away from the city when I'm heading for Randwick, and train it into the city, then catch the quick and direct bus. Easier on the nerves!This man, maybe in his fifties, knew me from casual nods at the track. He asked me the usual punters' openers: what I liked, what I thought of whatever was the late
PEOPLE AND THEIR WAYS
I'm making this a regular series, so here's the first. Every so often we'll drop one into our meetings.
This one concerns a fellow I shared a bus ride with. I usually leave my car away from the city when I'm heading for Randwick, and train it into the city, then catch the quick and direct bus. Easier on the nerves!
This man, maybe in his fifties, knew me from casual nods at the track. He asked me the usual punters' openers: what I liked, what I thought of whatever was the latest racing scandal, etc etc. Then he got serious.
All his bets were on, he said. A basic bank with the TAB of $1500 covered him for eight total wipeouts including two possible nine-race cards. In fact he'd have around $50 spare for his pies.
Did I mention wipeouts? He'd had them. Who hasn't? But he was way in front, he assured me.
He has a very nice pair of Zeiss 10/40 roof prism binoculars. Two grand's worth, bought out of profits.
The secret, if it was a secret, was running doubles.
He takes running doubles between ALL races.
He only bets "live" so he can watch the racing with his pie, coke and all the Saturday newspapers, from the top of the public stand.
That's usually seven lots in an afternoon, and then toss in the daily double and the quaddie for good measure.
His bet level is standard and it never deviates.
$5 RUNNING DOUBLES at 2 selections per leg: 4 doubles, $20.
Seven lots per meeting (occasionaly eight): 7 lots of $20.
Total cost: $140.
Add the daily double: $20 (four lots of $5):
Total Cost now $160
And then a Quaddie at $1:
2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = $16.
Total Cost now $176.
This may seem a bit uneven, but he points out that the $24 available to make an even $200 means another weekend's full activities.
$176 x 8 = $1408, + 40 for the two longer programs = $1448.
No nine-race cards means he can squeeze his quaddie and daily double out of the following week's remainder.
How's he pick 'em? He doesn't say, except that he has his little quirks. Hates wide barriers (hear hear!) and doesn't back visitors.
Well, it's his way, and it's better than many I've seen. Of course you can make the units $1 instead of $5, and thus outlay about $48 for a day's interesting try-out. Or $24 for half units.
For a day at the races it's got a bit going for it.