Today we have been to Utoxeter Race Course to watch the horses. Weather was rather dull and showery but the horses didn't seem to mind and put on a good show for the packed grandstands. Sue did well with each way bets on 2 winners a second and a third. I had one winner and a second along with a hog roast bap, chips and a pint of Pedigree Ale. A good day out and our winnings paid for the whole days entertainment apart for the entrance fee of £18 each.
Last time we went racing the bookies used to write up the odds with chalk on a board and give you a ticket with a coded number on it, you were never sure how much to expect back. Now with these electronic bookies the receipt they give you has the horses name with the odds and the returns information if you win. Better for the punters especially the novice ones like us.
It's all a bit sanitised though, bookies of old were all a bit furtive and dodgy looking in the way their darting eyes kept a close eye on the Tic Tac man and competitors boards, and changed the odds with a deft swipe with a dusty thumb while snatching the coins from your hand, now it would appear that anyone can become a bookmaker, second in from the right is a young teenaged girl.
Came home to a nice warm boat with the aroma of dinner cooking in the range...superb.
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