Nobody I know has ever been interviewed by an opinion pollster. Nor do I ever encounter anybody who has won one of those holidays in the Bahamas we are encouraged to enter competitions for every time we open a crisp packet or pull the tab off a soft-drink can. I used to be equally sceptical of claims that bookmakers lost between £15 million and £20 million on 28 September 1996, the day Frankie Dettori rode all seven winners on the Ascot cards. I know plenty of people who bet on horses, but none who lay out seven-horse accumulators on a single jockey’s rides. This week I am a little less sceptical. Queuing last Saturday morning outside a rundown Surbiton newsagent’s for my Derby Day Racing Post, I met a fellow punter who had indeed participated in the Frankie bonanza, collecting £48,000 for a £7.50 stake. Some of the winnings, he revealed, went on a black greyhound (bought in pitch darkness after a long night at the pub) which went on to win 26 of its 70 races….
It was a funny old week.
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