RaceCafe..#1...Tipsters Thread.... Share Your Fancies For Fun...Lets See Who The Best Tipsters Here Are.
Dockers

Big bet

Recommended Posts

Large bet on a horse at the Rangiora trots yesterday. $2,000 for the place (tote) as soon as the totes opened. For a horse with no form (over 20 starts for one third), drawn the 2nd row. It never looked likely at any stage and finished with yet another duck's egg. It does make you wonder why someone would put down that much coin for a horse like that, when quite clearly there were other more favoured runners, more likely or "safer" nags to invest on during that same meeting. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I would have thought a horse with a consistently good record with good course and distance stats, in a leading stable with a strike rate jockey or driver would be a "better bet" ("safer bet"), than some donkey with absolutely no form from 20 plus starts that is drawn poorly with nothing at all to suggest an improved showing is on the cards (like a good trail/work out, change of gear, drop down in grade, better track conditions, the list goes on,) even if the horse was "unders" in the market. 

My point being, what would make someone be happy to depart with $2k on a less than average horse? When there are safer, better bets available to them. Opening post touched on deep pockets or stolen money. Money laundering is an option that couldn't be dismissed, when one sees some crazy bets like the one at Rangiora on Sunday.

4 hours ago, Peter Harrop said:

The seemingly 'safe' nags are often the worst bets because they are usually at unders in the market. I reckon.

Agree Peter - especially with the Final Field option, especially upon opening.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If that's the punter's usual bet level and considered the horse value, however they assessed that, I don't really see the problem. Do we know how much that punter invested on the race and what the outcome was?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

36 minutes ago, Leggy said:

If that's the punter's usual bet level and considered the horse value, however they assessed that, I don't really see the problem. Do we know how much that punter invested on the race and what the outcome was?

There is no problem at all, if there is no criminal intent as such.

I'm just saying it is odd.

To me it suggests money laundering as a possible explanation. A $2k bet, the place on the tote, soon after the tote opened for betting. When the final field odds opened this horse was paying $61 and $10's. Now, there is no way in the world this horse would end up paying more than $10 the place on the tote, given the size of the final tote place pool and a lazy $2k on this nag. It just doesn't make any sense to put the bet on the tote. At race start time the horse was at $9.50 final field top 3, and $2.10 the place (tote). For the record, the horse collected another duck's egg for it's effort and never looked to be a winning chance at any stage of the race. 

I would totally get it if the bet was placed for rebate purposes eg. Lazarus NZ Cup day last year and the massive place bet put on in the morning. Fair play to the punter. But something just doesn't sit right with this one on Sunday.  

Big bets are common place now in NZ. But occasionally you see large bets placed on horses/dogs and it does make one think. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Rusty said:

I would have thought a horse with a consistently good record with good course and distance stats, in a leading stable with a strike rate jockey or driver would be a "better bet" ("safer bet"), than some donkey with absolutely no form from 20 plus starts that is drawn poorly with nothing at all to suggest an improved showing is on the cards (like a good trail/work out, change of gear, drop down in grade, better track conditions, the list goes on,) even if the horse was "unders" in the market. 

My point being, what would make someone be happy to depart with $2k on a less than average horse? When there are safer, better bets available to them. Opening post touched on deep pockets or stolen money. Money laundering is an option that couldn't be dismissed, when one sees some crazy bets like the one at Rangiora on Sunday.

Agree Peter - especially with the Final Field option, especially upon opening.

Maybe it’s just an eager owner that decided to have a crack?  Think you guys suggesting  money laundering are probably way of the mark .

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The race was worth around $7k from memory. Most owners, trainers, connections of race horses, that are prepared to place a $2k bet are smart enough to work out if the better option is the tote or the final field. 

I think anyone dismissing the possiblity of money laundering, is very naive indeed. Not saying this is what happened or went down on Sunday. Not at all. Just saying, the bet was very odd and I bet money laundering is going on through the TAB in some capacity. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Leggy said:

I wouldn't have thought much money laundering is conducted on outsiders. There is a difference between laundering and losing the stuff. I suspect most money laundering is done on the closest thing to certainties that can be found.

Agree. Totally agree. I would have thought that too. Makes sense. But maybe this doesn't happen 100% of the time, especially first timers or people new to the racing game in terms of punting. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Rusty said:

Agree. Totally agree. I would have thought that too. Makes sense. But maybe this doesn't happen 100% of the time, especially first timers or people new to the racing game in terms of punting. 

2 grand whacked on horse straight up like that I would have thought might be worth half a look by betting regulators , maybe even just  to note it as regards other patterns as time progresses to see if something correlates somewhere else. Surely some form of eye is kept on odd wagers, I have not looked at the form and harness not my game but I have to get on the Rusty boat that it was different

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I recall a guy, many, many years ago when your TAB people wrote out your tickets, milking the till in his Wellington business and had a horse entered in the north. Drove north on the Friday backing it at various small TABs along the way, scratched the horse early Saturday but had a day at the races anyway- the intention all along - and got his bets refunded on the drive home, mostly in cheque form. No chance of doing that today.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.