The ATR Interviews (9) ~ Stewartd14

[BillyHills]

For the ninth interview in our series we have a word with a young guy who should be living proof that you dont have to be around for years, or have loads of experience to make your mark and be a well respected member of the PL. Stewart joined the PL in May 2006 and 7 plus thousand posts later he his well know by all at the ATR and other sections of the forum. For reasons that will become clear in the interview, the first thread he started was a sign of things to come, it was putting some tips up and all with reasoning, showing he had learnt how we did things on the PL and came over as a guy who knew his stuff, quite remarkable considering. In Jan 2008 he was made a moderator on the ATR and is usually involved in all discussions regarding the way forward for the forum, every year he runs the Ascot Tipping Competition and he was instrumental in a new venture for PL members when he organised and set up the PL Racehorse syndicate. This took lots of time, effort and patience and those that joined have been rawarded with a share in Dhular Dhar who won over £9,000 in prize money this season. I'm sure Stewart will answer any questions regarding this subject. Thanks to Stewart for taking part, hope you enjoy it! _____________________________________ Previous Issues in case you missed them;

• Bowles10
• Ralphie7
• Fintron
• RussP
• Billy The Punter
• Chris34
• Mowgli77
• Spooner

____________________________________ BH

[BillyHills]

Re: The ATR Interviews (9) ~ Stewartd14 The Punters Lounge 1. You joined the PL in May 2006, how did you come across the site in the first place? To be honest, I don’t have a clue. There have been a couple of times I have tried to think back to my first post etc, but I really cant remember. I have vague memories of coming across the place, with the likes of Carl and Bowles posting their selections. I remember The%Man and his systems, and also I remember there used to be the big Saturday Heritage handicap challenge, but as for how I got here – beats me ! Glad I did though. 2. Is Stewart your real name and what does the d14 mean? My name is Stewart Davidson, so that’s basically where the stewartd comes from. The “14” doesn’t have much meaning, just a random number I have after my username. To this day I still use it. 3. Do you think the PL differs or offers anything more than the many other betting forums out there? Does PL differ – in my opinion, of course it does and its probably the main reason why I have been here for over 3 years now. The quality and dedication of posters on here is second to none, and we always seem to have new people coming into ATR and giving it that boost. For example, right now we have Fintron, Trotter, tedthewolf etc who put so much into that site its unreal. I think the welcoming atmosphere helps a lot though, we get the odd problem when asking people for reasoning, but it’s the reasoning that differentiates this place. It means any Tom, Dick or Harry can come in and actually learn something about the way people on here pick their horses. 4. You organised the PL Horse Syndicate this year, whats your thoughts on this and any plans for the future in this sphere? I got great pleasure from this kicking off, and it was great to see so many members getting enthusiastic about the idea. Overall, I really feel that it has added another dimension to Punters Lounge at minimal cost. I am pretty certain that very few forums offer their members the chance to own part of one of the beasts they are usually betting on ! It took a painstakingly long time to get off the ground and gather enough opinions etc to get it going, but we got there in the end. As with anything, in the very first year, you always find a lot that can be improved on, and the treatment we have received from Middleham has been very disappointing, and we will definitely look to improve the flow of communication if we decide to do it for another year. However, the opportunity to go and watch Dhaular Dhar as an owner was an experience I will never forget, and I am sure the others that got the same privilege feel the same way. It really was an immense experience. As for the future, well all I can say is watch this space. I definitely want this to become a long running thing on The Punters Lounge. 5. You have a few systems threads in your time on the PL, do you enjoy working with systems and are you working on anything at the moment? To be honest, no, I am not enamoured by systems. I like to experiment with them, and test things out, but I don’t particularly like following set criteria. Every race is different, and I think there is too much qualitative things that need to be considered when deciding what horse to back. For example, I know of systems that say back all Mark Johnstone runners during x month – if you do that, you can end up backing horses that hate soft ground when its heavy etc. I think there are a time and place for systems, and I enjoyed working on one at the start of the flat season. However, again, I felt the constant need for tweaking. 6. Do you think the Glory Hunters section and the two System sections work as they should? I think the Glory Hunters section works well for those that like it. I rarely visit the systems and strategies section, so cant comment much on that. The ATR systems section was an interesting idea, and I do view some of the threads in there. I would question whether the systems get enough exposure now they have been moved into a sub forum though. 7. You always seem to support and help admin the competitions on the PL, do you think these are an important part of a forum? I think they are hugely important, and the fact we get a large number of posters that come on every day to post selections is fantastic. I remember the Best bet of the day from when it used to be the NAP’s, and it has flourished since, no small part due to the tremendous admin work. I know how awkward it can be to run these competitions, from past experience with the lay of the day, so it’s always nice to help out when it comes to the Ascot competition etc. 8. Is there anything that annoys you on the PL or improvements that you would make? Nothing annoys me really. We have a great core of excellent contributing members around the place, and apart from the odd big headed person we get on here, I think most of it runs smoothly enough. 9. Do you think the role of a moderator is appreciated by the members? I think on the whole it is. I got a lot of thanks for setting up the PL racehorse, and the admin is always appreciated in the best bet of the day thread. However, it should be said, I personally think in a lot of cases, that moderator status should be ignored. The quality of postings is much more important, and I believe that is what makes this forum so great. Everyone is viewed on the same level so to speak. 10. Although you live in Scotland is there any chance we might see you at one of the famous PL meet ups in the near future? YES ! Some will know, some wont, but I have purposefully been putting off coming to the PL meets, as I have just turned 18 (agewise !) not long ago. However, now there are no obstacles to stop me coming, I will be giving my all to be at Ascot for the next meet. I think I have received a death threat from Milen if I don’t go! Its one of these tricky ones though, in that I’m not the most outgoing person when first meeting strangers, but there seem a lot in the same boat, so I am going to make the effort to go. 11. Are you pleased with the way the ATR section has moved forward since you joined the team? Yes, I think there are so many things that have made it better than when I first joined. First of all, we have a number of great speciality threads, all of which are full of great selections and knowledge. Secondly, I thought the Cheltenham forum last year was a huge success, and showed how much ATR is moving forward. Finally, I may be biased, but I feel the PL racehorse has added yet another dimension to the ATR section of PL. 12. How many hours a week do you think you spend on the PL? Difficult to say, but I am often logged on and have the page open whatever. I tend to check the latest posts even if I am in a rush though, which has definitely resulted in me being late in the past! To answer the question, a lot. 13. Do you think there are enough 'discussion' threads on the ATR or is it all about tips and individual threads? I think discussion threads are very difficult in that people often think, “ach, I will reply later” and it never materialises. I do think the ones we have had have been brilliant though, and a great insight. There also seems to be more and more coming about, which is great to read and contribute to. Even the Breeders Cup thread ended up with some discussion about Zenyatta and STS, which can only be a good thing. 14. You have a Cheltenham thread at the moment, is this the meeting you focus on more than any other?Cheltenham ! The thrill of these novice hurdlers experiencing the big field, the thrill of sorting out the Irish challengers, the thrill of the weeks and months building up to Cheltenham and the thrill of the exciting finishers, the big races and the big stories. I love it ! With regard to the thread, there is so much information available before the racing, that I am sure there is money to be made on the ante-post market. If nothing else, it will give me some excitement leading up the big festival itself ! Horse Racing & Betting 1. What got you interested in Horse Racing? My father is a big horse racing man, so was his father, so I didn’t really have a chance in life! I remember placing my first yankee when I was young, and Smokin Beau was probably my first ever winner. The rest, as they say, is history. 2. How long have you been a serious punter? Honestly – not very long at all. 3. What type of racing do you enjoy the most and why, flat, NH, Big races, sprints, classics, AW? Jumps, without a doubt. The likes of Kauto Star, Denman and even the day to day hurdlers and chasers are what get me really excited about racing. I also have a big interest in US racing, especially financially, and I find it more exciting than UK flat racing. I don’t have much enthusiasm for the UK Classics. They just come too early in the season in my opinion. 4. If you could change one thing in Racing or Betting overnight, what would that be? Make fractional times readily available on the flat. Should be very high on the priority list of the top dogs in racing IMO. 5. Can you remember your first bet, how old were you and where did you put it on? Well, I certainly didn’t put my first ever bet on ! It was probably about 4-5 years ago, and it definitely included the horse Smokin Beau, who was my first ever winner. Loved the horse ever since, along with The Tatling who was in his prime when I first came into racing. Fayr jag, Fire up the Band, the Charlton sprinter (always raced against Fire up the Band, name escapes me. Raced in blue and white checks) – oh the memories. 6. Can you reveal your biggest win to date, you dont have to be specific about the amount but what was it on? In racing, 2 stick in my mind: First one was a 40 p Canadian about 1 year ago. In fact, very close to 1 year exactly I think. The flat season was drawing to a close, and I had 3 or 4 decent winners running onto Buccellati for William Buick in a handicap to end the card at around 4 or 5/1. He gave it a cracker, and I scooped around £800 The second one was a bit of luck, and it was in an evening Uttoxeter bumper. I hadn’t studied any of the form, but had the race on. One horse caught my eye staying on from the back of the field with about 4-5 furlongs to run. I remember the name only because it ran just the other day. No Principles. I couldn’t believe it when the odds were around 100 in running, and just kept backing it. I think I won about £500. I didn’t even know the horse was 66/1 on the off ! 7. What was the 'bet' that got away, the nearly bet that still haunts you? There have been a lot, but the one that sticks in my mind is Harchibald in the famous Champion Hurdle. As you may gather, I enjoy my multiples, and I had 3 winners running onto Harchi. I was counting the winnings as he came over the last (over £1200 if I remember correctly). Carberry was my enemy for a few weeks after that, but time has proven, Carberry wasn’t really at fault. 8. What was the last horse race meeting you attended? Perth’s final meeting of the season. 9. Do you bet on other sports aswell as Racing, if so which do you think brings you the most profit? I flirt with football, and enjoy betting on the big golf and tennis tourneys. US racing is definitely my big profit maker though, followed by UK racing. 10. Do you bet online or still visit the high street? Which do you prefer? Online. Just for the convenience really. 11. What form sites, books, aids do you use when making your selections? Sporting life and Racing post. Also a speed ratings site, but I don’t wish to plug the name due to them annoying me slightly. 12. In your opinion whats the most important factor when reading form, Going, Trip, Track, Trainer, Jockey, Price, Recent Form? I rate recent form as the most important thing. If a horse is out of form, I am happy to discount it. I then try to fit those with recent form with whether they will go on the ground etc. Jockey is increasingly more important. I have now refused to back any Richard Johnson horses over fences for example. 13. Do you think Horse Racing is 'clean' at the moment and does this effect the way you bet? I'm not overly keen on speculating on whether it is clean or not, but I don’t let it affect my betting. I think it is easy to get too tied up in whether horses are trying, that you can end up putting yourself off good bets. 14. Which racing channel do you watch and what do you think of the subscription charges to watch RacingUK? I watch both, and have paid for Racing Uk. I thought I could do without it, but I just cant. Listening to commentaries isn’t the same ! 15. Do you have any horses for us to watch out for this NH Season? Barber Shop. Strengthened over the winter, and will be a force throughout the season in my opinion. Quick Questions 1. What is your homepage at the moment? Google 2. Name a site on your favourites that may surprise us? Errrrrm, I do have the Lucie Silvas home page ! Don’t ask why. (Laughing smiley ) 3. Favourite Music, song, band? Meatloaf 4. Favourite TV show, not sport related? Gavin & Stacey 5. What was the last book you read? Currently reading Betting Thoroughbreds by Steve Davidowitz and For Kicks by Dick Francis. 6. What do you do for a living? Full time student, work from home web designer. 7. What Car do you drive or would like to own one day A 1.3 litre, 54 plate Kia Rio. 8. Do you have any hobbies away from sport? Not that much actually. I just play most sports, and a bit of poker. I am interested in computers though, but not in a big way. 9. Ryan Moore or Frankie Dettori? Hmm, Moore 10. Ruby Walsh or AP McCoy? Mccoy 11. Royal Ascot or Cheltenham? Cheltenham 12. How closely do you follow Aberdeen? Very closely, season ticket holder for most of my life. 13. What gadgets do you own, Ipod, Mobile, Xbox, etc.. Touchscreen mobile, PC. 14. Ambitions for the future? To be successful at whatever career path I follow, and to make a consistent income from gambling. BH