When the pandemic hit we all had a chance to stop, think and re-assess. For myself and my brother it brought us to the next chapter of our bookmaking and punting journey. It’s been a wild ride and a learning curve like no other. One that’s already given us waves of anxiety, hope and excitement.

This week Great British racing announced a 1.6 Million pound marketing drive under the banner ‘Everyone’s Turf’. The scheme is said to be squarely aimed at the youth market with the revelation that there’s an increased openness for people between the age of 25-34 years old to come racing.

The betting ring was once described as a jungle. Times have changed and very often now it’s more a mill pond than anything else.

Welsh racing is having a season like no other and the reason being is the rich breeding ground of the Welsh point to points.

My old man became a bookmaker after a bad night at the dog track that used to encircle the Cardiff Arms Park rugby pitch. He’d lost every penny he had (bet responsibly guys) and on the way home called into a pub to borrow a few quid off a friend to get him through the next week.

You win some, you lose some. Today I lost some.I was always told that when it doesn’t hurt it’s time to give up. Today it hurt – not because of how much I lost but it’s the manner in which I lost it.

My old man became a bookmaker after a bad night at the dog track that used to encircle the Cardiff Arms Park rugby pitch. He’d lost every penny he had (bet responsibly guys) and on the way home called into a pub to borrow a few quid off a friend to get him through the

Horse racing is a complex sport, it shouldn’t be but it is. At its centre it’s just animals running around in a field. That in itself isn’t very interesting but it’s the foundation. The interest builds when you can bet on it.

Rugby is always going to come first in Wales and especially when it’s a game against the old enemy, so I was glad to see that Chepstow were trying to embrace it, rather than compete with it by offering £10 tickets and a fan zone to watch the match after the racing.

The sun was shining, the six nations starts tomorrow, life seems to be getting back on track and so are we (a Welsh racetrack that is.)

With welcome news that crowds can now attend sports events in Wales my mind has turned to Ffos Las on the 1st of February and how much I’m looking forward to it.

Being a bookmaker you don’t expect to be on the top of many peoples Christmas lists or indeed receive any sympathy when things go wrong but things going wrong could be on the horizon…

Ask any of my colleagues about the golden age of on-course bookmaking and you’ll get a host of different answers. The common denominator will be that it was just before they got involved in the game. “It’s not like it was,” “the games gone son,” “business was so good they used to refuse any bet under £10.”

It’s been a long time, 693 days to be exact, since a point to point was held in Wales. It was cold, it was wet, it was windy, it was as muddy as a Glastonbury festival and I bloody loved it!!