GOLDCREST

Ian Harrison salutes a profitable summer which would have been even better but for the weather

Ian Harrison says his Christmas Fund is doing nicely

We have suffered probably the most contrary summer ever. Once again it has been proclaimed that climate change is a lot of bunk.The earth is cooler now than it was in 1999. As for British weather, Bob Hope got it right when he said that most countries have a climate but Britain has the ‘weather’ and you get every bit of it every day.

In racing you need stability. It is either firm or soft and when firm suddenly changes to soft it becomes a bookies benefit. It is telling that the worst year ever for bookies profits was 1976 when it was dry all summer. We either need steady good going or steady soft going otherwise the form you are looking at is useless. From the high numbers of non runners the racecourses are still showing distorted going reports. You can assess the truth from the number of non runners.Goldcrest is well in profit and the Xmas Fund is looking healthy but we were brought to a halt in August because of the rain.

The FOBT saga still continues and I doubt whether the maximum stake will be dropped by very much and it is all a bit futile anyway because if the maximum stake were to be dropped to £2 the addicts can then turn to the internet where they will find hundreds of sites happy to relieve them of their money.

The big problem is the Treasury will lose many millions if the stakes are reduced. The minister in charge of this fiasco has fallen under the charms of the betting industry and keeps bleating on about job losses when all the bookies close down. People’s lives are being destroyed by these foul machines but the government doesn’t give a toss. The only way to beat a roulette wheel is to walk away when you are ahead but the people who are suffering don’t realise that it is a sickness, another addiction. They would never think of walking away.. .until all the money is gone of course. This isn’t gambling, this is the road to ruin.

If you are not a subscriber to Betfair you should join. It’s very easy to do so with help available online.They will hassle you to put some money into the account and a fiver should keep them quiet. The reason why you should join is because of the statistics that are available there and nowhere else. Once on board you can access the card that you are interested in.Look at your selection and you will see a tiny graph sign to the left of the horse’s name.Click on that and the graph will show you whether your horse is being supported and the percentage of the pot that is on it.Very useful to know and a boost for your confidence, or not, as the case may be. This graph is invaluable to Lay backers.

Once a year I offer a free month and October is always a good month for us when the fillies come into their own.If you are betting for fun with fivers Goldcrest wouldn’t be for you at all. If you are a serious backer with patience then this free month is aimed at you and if you go to the website, www.samphire.it, I explain exactly how we work and back this up with a 27 page booklet in A4 which is invaluable as a guide.