In horse racing, it’s not unusual to see heavy gambles amongst certain circles.
If you’re looking for an advantage, it’s a logical question to ask: which yards gamble their own horses?
Although it’s trickier to answer with certainty. As you might imagine, gambling yards aren’t particularly keen on broadcasting their activity. Maximum profitability has a lot to do with price. If too many people know, the value is gone.
However, exchange markets can directly highlight this sort of betting activity, if you know how to interpret them…
Who Are the Top Gambling Yards in Racing?
The best gambling yards in racing right now are likely to be next year’s news. The fact they’re not common knowledge right now increases their chance of landing the next gamble (at a price).
Historically, there are a few names worth mentioning though. Despite many bettors, bookmakers and traders being aware, they successfully ‘navigate the system’ over and over.
Some of the biggest gambling stables are:
- Sir Mark Prescott
- Barney Curley
- David Pipe
- Jonjo O’Neil
- William Haggas
- Richard Hannon
- Saeed Bin Suroor
Most will recognise all of those names because it’s not unusual to see any of them land a high-margin winner, after witnessing a significant amount of money go down.
It doesn’t mean they land the biggest gambles though. I tend to notice the smaller yards have some of the most interesting market activity. The difference is; they’re not so well publicised by the media.
When I first began my foray into sports trading I browsed various racing forums, many of which no longer exist. On one of them, there was an old chap that was rather knowledgeable. From time to time, he would mention the word ‘from connections’. Supposedly he was very close to the yard of Dean Ivory.
Now, this kind of thing is rife in the betting world. However, as a new trader watching the ladders, it was a great learning curve. On the few selections he mentioned, walls of money would appear close to post. They won most of the time too.
Unfortunately, he stopped posting shortly after I had really got my teeth into these ‘inside clues. I remember the last one was Russian Ice, on the all-weather. At a large price, it loitered at the rear until the final two furlongs before sweeping from last to first. Winning by a large margin.
Most connections have been suspected of gambling their own horses at one point or another. As long as they’re not laying their own horses, I don’t think it’s too much of a problem.
In many cases, I doubt the stables responsible for the funds that drive the biggest gambles anyway…
Inside Infomation: Gambling Owners?
There’s no doubt that owning a horse brings its own benefits. I mean, why go to all that trouble if not?
Similar to those mentioned above, the media like to speculate as to which ‘connections’ or owners gamble. Some of the most popular owners suspected of placing big wagers are shared below.
- Dr Marwan Koukash
- Rich Ricci
- Micheal Owen
- Sheikh Mohammed
- JP McManus
Maybe it’s no coincidence but you’ll notice that several are linked to the gambling yards already mentioned.
Having read Enemy Number One I remember the author, Patrick Veitch, guiding readers through the sequence of placing a very large gamble on Exponential in the early 00’s. It was a very secret affair where inside information was only shared moments before post.
This is why the exchanges are likely to be your best indicator in the modern era.
Big historic gambles, like the Yellow Sam betting coup, are a thing of the past in many respects. The digital age has ensured liabilities end up on the machine.
If you’re interested in finding out which yards are most active in the betting markets now, I’d strongly urge you to see the link below. The flow of money on these runners really stands out at times.
14 thoughts on “Horse Racing Connections that Gamble HARD!”
Another enjoyable post Caan, I’ve just finished the Patrick Veitch book and thoroughly enjoyed it – He’s a clever fella for taking 10m quid off the bookmakers & It opened my eyes to what goes on behind the scenes with owners & bookmakers.
Thanks, worth a read for sure.
Good info Caan, something that has intrigued me since watching the swing trading module where a couple of these names were dropped. Also just ordered a copy of Enemy Number One from Amazon. Great stuff. Sporting Life do a daily ABC of trainers guide with info on which meetings these trainers horses will be competing. I would’ve left a direct link but not sure of the blog rules in that respect.
By all means, if you have the link 🙂
Here you go.
https://www.sportinglife.com/racing/abc-guide/today/trainers
Would you put Ballydoyle into that category I’ve noticed large amounts on certain horses a good example is Japan running at royal ascot especially mins before the race.
Without a doubt ballydoyle , number one punting stable , by a mile , been less visibly active in the last few years but still have huge punts , love it when the bookies get it wrong on their horses and offer enhanced prices , in contrast I’ve never seen or heard anything to suggest sheikh Mohammed and saeed have ever been involved in any betting coups , maybe I missed them
Thanks 🙂 I’m sure some will find it useful.
I have tested horse racing for 4 weeks, placed 250 low stake bets just to try horse racing market.
“Top Dogs” won only 27%. I found very suspicious when I seen horses to win while their odds were between 8.5-12.5. The market obviously manipulated and fixed.This is just my experience based on 250 bets which aren`t much but more than enough to have clear picture about cheating.
Exact details:
Top dog won odds: ~27% = 68
Underdog won between odds 3.95 – 8 : ~48% = 120
Underdog won between odds 8.5-12.5 = ~24% = 60
Underdog won over odds 12.5: ~1% = 2
IMAO horse racing is more rigged than greyhound but not sure, have to test greyhound more.
I have found as a new trader races that are very dangerous to trade are maidens and novices. A lot of times money comes in late and prices tumble. Definitely sense inside information. I would say owners and trainers use these races to add a few pounds to there pockets.
It would make sense wouldn’t it? Low prize money, less firm, not so predictable.
A huge lay bet of about 13k was placed on a favourite a couple of mins before the off in a sprint race last week. I wished I’d made a note of the horse/race/trainer, but I didn’t. Needless to say it was out the back of the tele before even half the race was run. There’s obviously a lot of crooked s**t going on in racing which ain’t really that great for yer average-joe punter, but for me at least, I do find the ‘shady’ side of racing quite alluring. . . .almost like that gorgeous girlfriend you once had that treated you mean and kept you keen. . .before chewing you up and spitting you straight into the gutter!
been using well known Price Equalization Method successfully for some time .. apparently it was mentioned on TV by racing presenter .. so well known strategy .. basics are .. 3 mins before handicaps ..you look for Bet365 matching Betfair for 5- 10 secs @ least .. Betfair will even drop below their price .. this signals large gambles have hit their books .. & they covering .. sure other firms doing the same .. Bet365 was used in strategy cos they give £50 risk free on winners @ 4/1 & above .. & there’s many .. 14/1 was advised cut off point for strike rate .. GL with it all .. ;0)
would you be trading that info or backing the win?