Has anybody purchased this for $97?
It picks one horse per meeting, obviously the one with the best chance.
Many years ago when I tracked the top favourite in a meeting, I started to get a little suspicious, when many a time they would not come in for a place.
Has anybody else noticed this?
It got me thinking that fixing was going on!

I have not tried or even heard of the TAB BLASTER, but in answering the other question - no I don't think that fixing is going on with the shortest favourite of the day. I just think the odds bet don't enable you to win in the long run and many are false favourites.

E.G.

Would you accept $1.40 for a class 3 horse at benalla or would you rather have it on Lonhro and the like.
I just don't think that country horses deserve some of the odds on offer.
I will take even money minimum at a city meeting and 3/1 country minimum - no matter what the form is like. If I can't get the right price, I stay away.

So far as fixing is concerned, do you not think where there is a mega top favourite of the day running, and the odds on everything else is 5 - 1 up, that it would be an ideal time for jockeys to place the odd bet on others in the field?
Especially the one who is on the favourite!
It is just something I noticed after backing the Big favourites, only to see them fail to get a place, and not even really try on a few occasions.

Not if they ever want to ride a horse in Australia again! Even if the stewards didn't discover it I can't imagine the owners/trainer being too happy about a jockey intentionally restraining the horse just to make a few bucks on the side.

More likely explanation is that the horse should never have been at odds-on in the first place and it is only mug punters throwing their money away! My opinion is it is generally unwise to back any odds-on runner - either look for value in the other runners or just watch the race and keep your money in your pocket for better opportunities.

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"Computers can do that????" - Homer Simpson

It can be more than a few bucks if the jockey is setting up a nice trifecta.
Eg. Fred (second fav 5-1 you win, Joe (fourth fav 8-1) you come second, and Tom (third fav 6-1) you come third).
I witnessed a certain jockey at Belmont on quite a few occasions burn a top favourite out by either coming out of the gates like a 'bat out of hell' and leading all the way, only to get swamped in the last 100.
The other thing he would do, is be the very last one out and burn the horse out completely trying to catch up, and again fail to get a place.
It wasn't just my paranoid opinion because I also saw fellow punters abuse him back at the enclosure.
What would the above trifecta pay?

The problem with trying to fix a race as you describe is that you basically have to have every jockey in the race involved to make sure you get the right finishing order. Once you split the trifecta among 10 jockeys the payout isn't that good. All it takes is for one jockey to actually have a few morals and the whole system fails and the rest of the jockeys are probably out of racing for life. More likely it was just a bad ride, or bad luck, or the horse wouldn't do what he was told.

Just my opinion but anyone who backs odds-on runners and is surprised when they don't win is just getting a healthy dose of reality. Very few horses have more than a 50% chance of winning so why waste your money?

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"Computers can do that????" - Homer Simpson

My sentiments exactly Becareful. Everytime a top jockey gets beaten on a short priced favourite the old conspiracy theory comes out - the jockey must be receiving a sling. That may well have had some substance to it in the bad old days but I think it holds no weight on city tracks nowadays. Just like all other sports nowadays the chances of getting away with anything are remote.
As punters we always like to blame everyone else for our loses - the horse, trainer, jockey. We always seem to quickly forget the times we win by a nose or we won because the main danger got knocked over.
Be gracious in victory and just as gracious in defeat.

30% Favs have been getting up ever since records have been kept .

One could argue 30% are rigged ,
30% Favs get up ,30% true form mules get up (other than fav.) ,10% "hows your father" "how did that get up" ?.

At the end of the wash up those stats repeat year in & year out, for the last 50 years.

In between all this, there is a profit to be gleamed.

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Cheers.

You only need 4 jockeys to be involved to set up certain races, especially if the remaining horses are Muffin The Mule, Dizzy The Donkey, Willy Wonky Legs, Olly Out Of Breath, and Oh Not Not Again!
I know if I was doing the same thing day in and day out, as well as socialising with all the other jockey's a nice little bonus, every now and then, will come in handy.
Also, if fixing doesn't go on, why do the stewards sometimes call the jockeys at the gates, when they know a big plunge has just occured?

If you think races are fixed Freowaytogo then why the hell are you in this forum?

If you think races are fixed STAY AWAY FROM THE GAME!!!!

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Good luck and good punting.

And remember a profit a day keeps the Girlfriend/Wife away.

[ This Message was edited by: TESTAROSSA on 2002-09-22 23:28 ]