[Can I use an 11 inch netbook for playing online poker ?]

Re: Can I use an 11 inch netbook for playing online poker ?

Yeah, there's some right cheap ones. I'm on one now (£145). About 85% of my playing is done via this method. As Dan says, 1-2 tables is fine. 3 is manageable, but starting to get a bit cluttered (depending how small you can make them, which varies by room). Mine is only 10.1" too. IMPORTANT BIT: YOU NEED 2GB OF RAM. (I only had 1gb and upgraded and it's a much more pleasurable experience now. It was hard work, but Youtube Man showed me how.)

thanks guys. I meant 10.1 inch like you say. I will upgrade to 2GB , thanks.

[Can I use an 11 inch netbook for playing online poker ?]

I want to purchase a used netbook for gambling when out of the house , 2 main uses : Betfair whilst in the bookies and online poker. I'm not up to speed with computers , are netbooks powerful enough for online poker? I have seen one for about £130 , they were approx £200 a couple of years ago.

[Horse withdrawn due to gamble?]

Re: Horse withdrawn due to gamble? Just briefly read about this, don't know what to make of it, it's very early to be making judgements without knowing the reasoning behind this. I don't think they prevented a horse from running purely because of a gamble, surely that would be not on. I do think measures should be taken to safeguard punters from scenarios like this because less than 0.000001% of the punting population are privy to the information of private gambles. Like I said in the past I want all horses to run their very best each time, hard to impose I know. Horses which run 3 times and finish well beat then win on their 4th run is fraud, isn't it?

[Are some trainers blatantly in the pockets of trainers?]

Re: Are some trainers blatantly in the pockets of trainers?

4.10 Southwell Clondaw Hero trained by D McCain , RP forcasted as clear 6/4 fav , tipped by some papers. Mid morning priced around 3/1 , Fred Done pushes him to 4/1 . SP 7/2 3rd fav , pulled up. Question, how did the bookies know the horse had no chance ? Are trainers passing on inside info on a regular basis for reward? Jockeys and trainers get crucified when pass on info to gamblers isn't this similar ? Just asking a broad question . Not suggesting anything sinister happened today , everyone knows he writes blogs for Betfair. Just wondering who gets access to certain info.

I'm not a regular punter and I don't visit the bookies on a daily basis so I'm not too up to speed with the enhanced odds some bookies offer on a daily basis. Yesterday Betfred pushed out Annie Confidential in the 450 at Ludlow from 5/2 to 7/2. She had 3 runs this year coming 3-3-2, the latest about 3 weeks ago beaten under 2 length. The Racing Post had her as the forecasted 9/4 favourite. Her eventual SP was 5/1 and she was pulled up ,very similar to the example I gave last month. I know it was an amateur race, but how did the bookies know she wasn't going to win? It could be coincidence that the times I take note of the market pushes they all run abysmally, maybe the days I don't go into the bookies they perform better or win. Are there any regular punters on here that follow the results of market drifters?

[Apprentice watch]

Re: Apprentice watch

The boy Robert Tart really is something else. Just shown Joe Fanning up in a handicapp at Lingfield. No mean feat and the lad seems to have all the tools required to make sure he's heading to the top of the game in the not too distant future. Dont be surprised if this kid is only claiming 3lb by the end of the year. He'll have trainers falling over themselves to give him rides in the big Saturday summer handicapps imo.

Great to see R Tart (3lb) win the Irish Ces. Very promising jockey. I trainers reign back their apprentices and give them more of an education. Year after year a few standout 7lb apprentices come on the scene and other trainers exploit them which results in the apprentices losing their claim far too early leaving them less experienced. Too often we see them struggle for rides after their debut / 2nd season. Look at MJ Murphy, star apprentice from last year. Others on the list include former champ Saleem Golam, J Mackay,R Ffrench. Ian Balding is doing the right thing by not allowing O Murphy ride in races worth than £6k, I'm sure he'll be another future superstar from the Balding camp.

[The Jockey Thread]

Re: The Jockey Thread What a great week for Young Joseph, breaking MJ Kinane's record for number of winners in a season in Ireland and then winning the Gr1 Dewhurst a few days later. I have said for a while he'd become a decent jockey and this week has highlighted his talents, another couple of years and I think he'll become a top jockey assuming he continues on the flat . He just needs to brush up on his tactics in normal / maiden /handicap races, at the moment he loses far too many on ones which he should be winning, just down to lack of experience and youthfulness, which no doubt will be overcome.

[Horses in training.]

Re: Horses in training. Thank for replies and suggestions guys. It's frustrating not knowing if a horse you have spotted is going to reappear or not. One thing I do, do is email stables like someone suggested, some reply some don't, I presume they get endless amounts of emails from punters of the recreational kind and also pros seeking an edge. I would suggest you use this tactic sparingly as they cease replying once they flag you down as a punter and not a horse racing fan concerned about a horses welfare.

[Horses in training.]

Re: Horses in training. Thanks guys for suggestions. Was just generalizing with no particular horses in mind. Just to illustrate what I mean let me give you a couple of examples. Kalily 4YO R Guest. 2 runs for Luca Cumani last year and absolutely stone cold last, a good indicator for this type of trainer, then passed onto R Guest who ran it 4 times all unplaced between April and June. Not seen since. How do I find out if it's still in training, sold, killed, injured etc... Not in any way saying it's going to win, just like to know if I can keep track about these types of horses. As for NH, just to illustrate my point, I'm sure you all remember Gaspara doing the Imperial Cup/ Cheltenham double back in 2007. It was handbraked / regressed for the next few seasons till it was ready for a gamble off a lowly mark on 2010 which it won but was not awarded the race. It raced for another season with its final race in December 2011. It's probably finished now as a racehorse given its age and the length of time off the track but again how do I find out about the horse? The Racing Post gives the current connections but no indication of whether it's still in training? These two examples are off the top of my head. Given its the end of the season nearly I'm sure many of us have spotted plenty of potential horses for the Winter/ next season. With 2YOs many don't make it as 3YOs, how do we find out?

[Horses in training.]

Can any of the regular contributors tell me if I can find out whether or not a horse is still in training and whether a horse has transferred to another stable. There's a few horses which I've been waiting for from previous seasons with absolutely rubbish form,I don't know whether or not they've been sent to the glue factory because of genuine lack of ability or whether they've been sold to lower profile trainers. If a horse is finished and no longer in training are the public told in any way?

[Ayr Gold Cup advice please.]

Re: Ayr Gold Cup advice please. Fantastic info guys. One last question. Will there be anywhere I can get some Stovies before the meeting gets going? I know it's a peasant style dish eaten at home but do they serve it in takeaways/cafes/restaurants/chippies? or will I have to make do with some haggis and chips with deep fried pizzas? There's something comforting about Scottish food.

[Ayr Gold Cup advice please.]

I'm travelling to the Ayr Gold Cup on saturday from the NW,about a 220 mile trip. Can anyone recommend some hotels/BBs in that region. Also a nice restaurant. Might head to Glasgow to play some poker afterwards, any tips anyone? Also, it's been many years since I've been to Ayr, what's the car park situation like?

[Are some trainers blatantly in the pockets of trainers?]

Re: Are some trainers blatantly in the pockets of trainers? Jimmy says it's a long way to travel if it had no chance and you say you knew for a fact it wouldn't win. I highly considered it as a bet but decided it wouldn't win based on odds. How did the bookies decide so early on it wouldn't win? I know they must have taken less money ,but then the question becomes, how did punters know he wouldn't win? Was there punters laying ut all day?

[Are some trainers blatantly in the pockets of trainers?]

Re: Are some trainers blatantly in the pockets of trainers? 3 runs back it won a point to point over 3 miles by 8 lengths. I have very little knowledge about translating point to point form to maiden hurdles form. Maybe a lot of punters are more familiar than I am. Like I say not suggesting any sinister happened, I have more questions than answers on this race.

[Are some trainers blatantly in the pockets of trainers?]

Re: Are some trainers blatantly in the pockets of trainers?

Money determines the market, not Info. And I had Clondaw Hero backed.

OK then, why was there no money for it? It was forecasted at 6/4 and the others at 4/1+. The Horse won a point to point over today's distance and had form figures of 112. What put off everyone from backing it? To be honest I very nearly took some of the 4/1 EW after looking at the form,however I thought something was a bit fishy. I'm not suggesting anything bent happened, just a bit puzzled about the deviation from the forcast price and the fact it pulled up.

[Are some trainers blatantly in the pockets of trainers?]

4.10 Southwell Clondaw Hero trained by D McCain , RP forcasted as clear 6/4 fav , tipped by some papers. Mid morning priced around 3/1 , Fred Done pushes him to 4/1 . SP 7/2 3rd fav , pulled up. Question, how did the bookies know the horse had no chance ? Are trainers passing on inside info on a regular basis for reward? Jockeys and trainers get crucified when pass on info to gamblers isn't this similar ? Just asking a broad question . Not suggesting anything sinister happened today , everyone knows he writes blogs for Betfair. Just wondering who gets access to certain info.

[Racing Post online odds help]

I think someone else has experienced similar problems as well in the past. I can't get the odds to display on my computer , laptop and tablet when looking at the cards. Obviously I am clicking on the odds comparison or latest odds heading but the prices don't come up. Any help anyone? I am aware I can go to sites like Oddschecker which work perfectly fine.

[The Jockey Thread]

Re: The Jockey Thread Another thing of interest is that I think NH trainer John Ferguson, is the NH division of Godolphin. I am not completely sure but I do there was a John Ferguson who was Sheikh Mohammed's bloodstock agent for approx 2 decades. Virtually all Bloomfields (the name which his horses run under) horses are ex Darley stock ( Godolphin / Maktoum associates ). A lot of them are rated high enough on the flat that if they were trained by other stables, they'd be stable stars. Earlier this month a Bloomfields horse races 3 times in NH races then got transfered back to Mark Johnston in the familiar green and red cap. Can anyone confirm this?

[The Jockey Thread]

Re: The Jockey Thread Both horses are owned by Hamdan al Maktoum. The cream of his horses go to Godolphin where they race under that banner, from time to time when Godolphin horses decline and don't meet the standard they go back to their original owners / trainers. An example is Albarahin, H.al.M. to Godolphin back to H.al.M. It is the same for Sheikh Ahmed (yellow colours) and Sheikh Mohammed's son ( green with red cap) and other Maktoum associates.

[The Jockey Thread]

Re: The Jockey Thread thanks for C4 link , jimmy

[Racing Chat Thread]

Re: Daily Racing Chat Thread I think the fact I'm going bald , theres no hair to keep my brain warm , I find it hard to memorize the different caps too. Maybe for you its easier to tell them apart , maybe you have more hair , maybe you're a little younger too. Agree it was enjoyable to watch , maybe in future they should have it as the main event of the day rather than play second fiddle to the Telescope race at Haydock.

[The Jockey Thread]

Re: The Jockey Thread

I agree, what a ride. One of the best I have ever seen actually. The horse looked 1000 to finish 3rd at one stage, never mind win the race.

For any familiar jockey like Moore , Holland or Spencer it would be a great ride , however Stevens doesn't know the course ( much ) , doesn't know the horse or the oposition , or the trainer , plus he's 50. Thats what made it a top ride.

[Racing Chat Thread]

Re: Daily Racing Chat Thread

I think I may have been too harsh about the Shergar Cup in the past, I hope they have addressed many of my dislikes such as the indistinguishable colours of the teams , having a max field of 10 when there are 12 competitors, and also horse racing is not a team event, we the punters are betting on individual horses so I hope team tactics don't come into play. As for Dettori, yes he didn't commit a crime, but his true colours have come through in the last year, if I was his new boss I'd question his loyalty after doing the dirty on Sheikh Mohammed. His only loyalty is to himself.

I enjoyed watching the different jockeys , but the format is still dreadful. From a distance it still looks like 4 sets of colours , you cannot distinguish the team mates. Why still have jockeys sit out , 12 jockeys why not 12 horses instead of 10 , there is no logistical reason is there ? I see Godolphin have supported the event having boycotted it for a period for unknown reasons.

[The Jockey Thread]

Re: The Jockey Thread

Shame they had already handed out the price for best ride of the day at Ascot ''BEFORE'' the last race' date=' as the best ride on the card was by Gary Stevens in the last.[/quote'] Best jockey I have ever seen ride in this country. I was mightily impressed when he first came here , having mostly raced in the States where the courses are round and flat. He was able to instantly adapt to the different types of British course which as we all know have their own characteristics, shapes and sizes. His ability to win so many races with no experience of this country is a reason why I consider him the best jockey in recent years. In todays final race , what a fantastic ride , last to first in a sprint !! It might be the last time we see him ride in this country , hopefully not.

[Channel 4 Racing]

I'm currently watching the Shergar Cup replay on 4OD , i've found the first 2 races which was broadcast on More4 , however the later races which were broadcast on C4 is not available. i don't often use 4OD to watch the racing so don't know if it will available later, can anyone help ? I know the results and races are available to find on various websites but what i really want is to watch the bits in between the races.

[The Jockey Thread]

Re: The Jockey Thread it really depends on how you define top jockey, for me it's the best of the best which at this moment in time includes Moore, Buick and Murtagh. I could include another 2 or 3, but any list which has much more is not within my definition of top jockey. Queally is almost there, he needs to prove himself in the big races.( yes I know he rode Frankel but so could of any of the top 10 jockeys too with the same results) Let's not have any posts including MJ Murphy or Connor King as contenders for top jockeys.