The punt got me early.
Living close to the Port Lincoln racecourse as a youngster, I was fascinated by the racing game and the theatre of it all.
EXPERT FEED: Get Tom Rush’s mail for Saturday’s Goodwood meeting
I remember as a kid collecting the names of the individual horses from the bookie boards when the bookmakers would flick them out on the ground after the jump of each race.
I built up quite the collection and would set up my own fields and odds in phantom races at home.
Growing up in the housing trust area (Albo like), there were no free rides in the early days. It took many years to fine-tune the wagering craft.
I was very reckless as a young punter – you would blow your wage on the Thursday night greyhounds and eat fritz and sauce sangas for the rest of the week.
I may have deferred a mortgage payment or two in my twenties. It took a while for the penny to drop.
Handy with figures, I focused on putting it to good use.
With maturity and discipline, it became possible to give the bookies a run for their money. Over the years, I have trained my mind not to let the results of individual races affect me. The frustration of a run-of-outs can cause irrational decisions if you lose focus.
If you put in the time and find the right bets, the results should take care of themselves.
I now refuse to take ‘unders’. Give them nothing! Celebrate dividends, not winners.
The smaller horse pools of SA and NT are the perfect fit for me, allowing a balanced lifestyle where I concentrate on an average of two weekly meetings. Any more than that and I cut corners which doesn’t work.
I’ve enjoyed other aspects of the great game and the rewards it brings over the years, including working ‘on the bag’ and some media work previewing races which has helped me gain valuable experience and meet many great characters.
Editors note: Rush has been building momentum on the Expert Feed in the last few weeks with collects of $9, $2.50, $4.80 place (1×4 play), $5, $5.50, $4.60, $2, $4.80 (BB) and $2.60 from his last 27 plays. All 3 of his suggested lays thus far have started hard in the market and failed to figure in the top 3 ($2.80, $2.50, $3) – *Prices SP
What are the main things you consider when picking a winner?
The Speed Map is one of the biggest factors: Where will your runner be after 200-300 metres and what will its price be from that point?
Then the tempo of the race: Try to read whether the race will be run fast or slow and if that suits your runner (see previous results in either scenario). Racenet supplies a lot of data and there are many great tools available to assist in this.
There is no better feeling than reading a race like a book and collecting. If I am not confident that I know how the race will pan out, I will generally give it a miss or reduce the stake.
How do you stake a race / what style of bets do you opt for?
I would suggest pricing up the race if you have the time. Compare your prices to the prices available and find the value.
Staking is then dependent on what % the value is over the price available.
Win and place would be the high majority of bets placed. I do the odd quaddie or exotic bet on the big races/meetings for an interest if against a few at the head of the markets.
If you started with a $1000 bank, how would you build your bank?
Treat it like a business. Protect your bank. The lean times will come, and you must be able to ride them out. Find a staking plan to suit and STICK TO IT.
Punt when you have the advantage. Review each bet and your staking plan after a certain period to see what can be done to improve. Don’t be afraid to seek advice and ask questions.
Most memorable wins on the punt?
One that sticks out is instead of the few regular small each-way bets on a Saturday before cricket. I decided to have a $40 quaddie as a young buck.
Result was a $6,000 collect. Banked a $5,000 cheque and spent the rest at the disco. I had a few mates that night!
Another memorable one was getting a small slice of a Pick 4 jackpot on Ubet in the 2015 Alice Springs Cup when Spartan Eagle won by a space at $19. The dividend paid around $380,000 from memory.