One of my best memories was going to Great Yarmouth races with my Dad. I was a wet-behind-the-ears teenager and naive about horse racing, especially betting. I remember seeing a smartly dressed gentleman, with a weather-beaten pair of binoculars hanging around his neck, racing badges adorning the strap. He must have been a regular to every racecourse because it looked to me that he had hundreds of badges. I couldn’t help but think he had lots of stories to tell.

These days, fewer horse racing fans take binoculars to the course. I guess they can be a burden carrying them all day, even cumbersome hanging around your neck.

The old bloke had a giant pair of ‘spy glasses’ more akin to viewing tanks on a battle field than horses running around a bend.

However, he had a knowing smile.

I often visit Great Yarmouth horse racing fixtures and I see one or two racegoers with their trusty binoculars.

When I see them, I think they know something others don’t and an understanding why those binoculars are important. I can guarantee they take their gambling seriously and it pays dividends. It pays to be informed.

A decent pair of ‘field glasses’ don’t have to cost a lot of money although they can’t range from £50 – £2500. I know which end of the price range I buy. However, I would love to see the quality of a very expensive pair.

Crystal clear vision originating from blue-sky thinking.

The decline of on course binoculars has much to do with the introduction of the big screens which are commonplace across the country at sporting events. In fairness, they are brilliant for watching live racing and a luxury we all enjoy. If you have placed a bet it’s handy to watch your horse on the big screen. But here’s the thing, when your bet has been placed and the race is off (unless you bet on the exchanges where you can bet in running) your fate is seals (good or bad).

You may be saying: ‘So what’s the point of having your own binoculars?’

And this is the answer those select few can tell you and reason why they have their binoculars at the ready.

Binoculars are worth their weight in gold for watching horses going down to the start. That period from leaving the paddock to the start line. The big screen may briefly peruse a horse for a few seconds here and there but with binoculars you can scan like a man with a plan. Like a man who is looking for problems. It’s imperative you watch horses going down to the start.

I’ve always found it important to watch horses as they walk around the parade ring but watching horse and jockey galloping to the start is much more insightful. It’s just easier to see what a horse looks like, how it moves and its attitude. This is particularly important with two-year-old race horses and specifically with debutantes. It is crucial you have your selection in your sights to make your final assessment. Perhaps it is misbehaving. It may look exemplary. Also, it is worth keeping an eye on the favourite as it may well be the main danger if you are betting on another ‘beast’.

I have seen many a horse behaving negatively when making their way tot he start and very few people realise or see this happening.

Being a successful gambler is about being ahead of the game and when 99% of the population has no idea the favourite bolted to the start then you are halfway to winning. Whether backing your horse in opposition or laying the favourite to lose you need to know the facts. The point being you either know something or you don’t.

As they say: ‘You don’t know what you don’t know!’

And for the horse racing elite the humble pair of binoculars is an advantage you cannot afford to miss out. In fact, it’s the difference between being professional and not.

Observe and learn.

The next time you are at the race course and you see some old bloke with a pair of binoculars which look like they came from a U-boat from WWII don’t say: ‘Look at that old fool stuck in the past! Hasn’t he seen the BIG SCREEN?’

The chances are he is ahead of the game and actually understands the importance of knowing something you don’t.

That gambler has insight and wisdom.

He has a pair of binoculars.

I remember reading a book written by Clement Freud and published by the Racing Post.

Freud On Course, published in 2009. It was edited by Sean Magee and the forward by Brough Scott. Freud was the Fenland local Minister of Parliament and a popular face around town. In fact, he would often pop into the local bookmakers and was known for giving a tip or two. I never had a chance to talk with the man myself as I was a child. However, my father, talked fondly of him, and a cousin, , said he was convinced he wrangled it for him and his wife to get to the top of the Council House list. It could well have been a coincidence.

The random punter on course, my brother.

I can’t say I’ve ever been a person who listens to tips. I once had the good fortune of travelling to Great Yarmouth with my brother, the random punter, and of all the people we sat next to it was Phil Cunningham. The man behind Rebel Racing and the fortune behind Richard Spencer and Sefton Lodge Stables, Newmarket. I thought his face looked familiar but it must have taken me twenty minutes of the journey to recognise him. He was sitting with another gentleman and they were both very amenable and we had a very enjoyable chat. He spoke about a two-year-old filly making her debut at the course called Club Tropicana. Named after the Wham song of the 80s. He often names his horses after 80s songs. Anyway, he said about the horse having a very long stride. By all accounts this was quite unusual. I wasn’t sure if this meant it was a wonder horse and it was the next winner on the cards or whether it just had a giant stride. I didn’t like to ask although I should have done. On arriving at the train station we bid our farewells. I said to my brother: ‘I’m going to have a bet on Club Tropicana.’ We went into town and later saw Mr. Cunningham saddling up the horse ready for its debut. I had £10 each-way at 16/1. I called my cousins and asked if they wanted a few quid on. Under duress they said yes. This wasn’t going well. And when the horse finished fifth place (not beaten too far) I wasn’t particularly happy about the day. Perhaps I got the wrong end of the stick and this long stride analysis was his way of saying it’s never going to happen. Another reason I don’t take tips lightly.

Club Tropicana did manage to win once in her racing career and it was at Yarmouth.

It’s all about the right time and right place.

I’m a fan of Rebel Racing so I won’t hold it against him and love the Club Tropicana video to this day.

My brother,  is the man to follow when it comes to big priced winners. In fact, he has had some memorable days at Great Yarmouth. A horse he backed at 14/1 won in a photo finish to win over a grand. Another time we sat in the The Feathers Pub at Market Gates, off Regent Road, and he won £700 when his horse finished fourth. If it had won he’d collected £5,000. Good times had by all. He always seems to be lucky when on his holidays winning more money than when at work. I said: ‘If you can make more money than working I’d just keep going on holiday.’

My youngest brother, often follows our advice when betting on course and he’s not had the best of luck. However, one classic day sticks in the mind and I have no doubt the bookmaker who took the bet to this day is filled with horror (well, contempt if nothing else). It was the last race on the day and seconds before the off. He waltzed up to one of the bookies about five rows from the front and asked to have a bet of £10 on a 33/1 shot. The bookie stopped for a moment and thought about it and accepted just as the race started. He should have realised this was a classic encounter of tempting fate. The race finished in a photo and the 33/1 shot won. The look on the bookies face as my brother went to collect his winnings. I can imagine that took the bookie from having a decent day to perhaps breaking even. Every one of those notes left his hand very slowly and he smiled through gritted teeth. We walked away like Cheshire cats. Those days are what we all look forward to.

We often go to the course with my cousins and they have their share of winners. It’s lovely to get to the course and go to the casino later the same evening.

I guess gambling is in the blood.

That’s certainly one way of having a tipple at the races :).

I’ve met many people through blogging.

My horse racing interest has spread across a number of websites related to horse trainers to in depth analysis about two-year-old horse racing.

That’s how I met Lowestoft pro gambler Jerry Banks.

Jerry started writing about his horse racing interests on the Blogger platform. I guess compared to the likes of WordPress it’s seen as a poor relationship. But it was a place many true horse racing bloggers started. They followed their passion rather than thinking about pound signs via affiliate links or running ads. In fact, there used to be a lot of horse racing fans on this platform from across the world. Little by little they disappeared. Most bloggers don’t last more than a couple of years. However, Jerry started back in 2010, almost 14-years ago. He has always specialised in high-class racing, from Listed to Pattern class.

I’m not exactly sure when I first contacted Jerry or he messaged me. It was most likely about exchanging links which bloggers did back in the day. I added him to my blogroll which updated whenever he made a new post. So I’d see what he had to say and tipped. Without question he knows his subject. He is a known face in Lowestoft and a good judge. I guess it was only a matter of time before we met in person. I’ve always been a bit slow out of the blocks so we probably had 10-years chatting via email before deciding to meet up at our local racecourse at Great Yarmouth. It’s about a 20-miles for the Suffolk man. He made me smile because he said he’d get the bus rather than the expense of the taxi. The only problem being the bus had about 50 stops. I’m pretty sure Jerry could have walked faster.

I’d make my way from the windswept Fens by train which saw me change at Ely and Norwich, and about three hours later I’d arrive.

As usual, we would meet at the Troll Cart, Market Gates, have a quick pint at the local Wetherspoons and get a taxi to the course.

Looking back it was the 19^th April 2022. I was excited to see a two-year-old fillies’ maiden on the card (3:05) over 5f on good to firm going. It always seems the case I never have a fancy at the course and this was one of those days. Jerry wasn’t in betting mode so we just chat about the racing and plans for the season ahead as he always goes the Craven meeting at Newmarket along with York, Sandown and often a trip to the Prix de ‘Arc de Triomphe.

Anyway, it was a good day at the course. Although I get so used to working from home that I struggle to concentrate on track. I am more of a statistical backer so I have to keep an eye on the betting markets which isn’t so easy when I am halfway through a conversation. You have to compromise, hey.

The two-year-old maiden saw a late non runner [Adjani] with a 25p in the pound deduction (so a quarter of the odds vanishing before our eyes) and worse still bringing the race down to seven runners which put pay to an each-way bet (as I prefer to bet three places rather than two). It was all happening far too quickly and the next moment the race was off. I didn’t bet. Jerry watched. The race continued. David Loughnane’s filly, Carmela, ran out a comfortable winner at odds of 8/1 [backed from 11/1]. With the deduction, backers enjoyed a 6/1 winner. Carmela, a lovely daughter of Tasleet, looked a picture. Ridden by Richard Kingscote for owners The Many Saints she won by two-and-a-quarter lengths from Karl Burke’s Jungle Time. It looked a classy performance and she wasn’t disgraced when competing in the Queen Mary Stakes (Group 2) at Royal Ascot [finishing 8^th but beaten less than six lengths]. Sadly, she was fatally injured when racing as a three-year-old at Leicester.

A very sad day for connections and all who followed her career.

Jerry and I always finish off a day’s racing with a meal at the local Savoy Tandoori down Regent Road. Like our betting he’s a little more adventurous with a mutton madras while I opt for a chicken tikka masala.

The pints slow and the shorts begin with a rum or two. Conversation turns to the good old days when bookmakers were bookmakers and Lowestoft was a place where punters liked a bet. Stories of individuals turning up with shopping bags of money and a day’s betting ahead where a brave independent bookie wasn’t afraid to take a bet. I could listen to Jerry’s stories for ever detailed in a soft Suffolk accent, mixed with mine from the Fens.

At around 9pm it’s time to make way for home. A shake of the hands and a smile. We know it won’t be long before another race day comes along. I generally stay the night at one of the local hotels as it’s too much travelling back which takes at least a couple of hours each way. Instead, I say I’m going to the Grosvenor Casino on Marine Parade but by the time I get to my hotel room I just rest after a long day.

If you ever get the chance to go to the races with a professional gambler you’ll have a good time but don’t bank on coming home with lots of money because the chances are a bet won’t be placed. It really makes no difference.

It was a good time had by all.