ut that for the reasons given above, it was extremely difficult to do so. That's when I subscribed to my first racing tipster. They were called "The Cream" and their tips cost around ?10 a week.

In those pre-internet and mobile phone days, I had to find a public phone box in my lunch hour, and ring

Over the thirty years that I've been betting on horses, I have paid for horse racing tips, or information from a variety of sources.

My first purchase was a booklet called Fineform, which was heavily advertised in the racing newspapers. The system that it promoted was simple to use and bets could be found quickly. In those days I had no idea what the true odds of a horse should be, and happily followed the system to small stakes.

I often used to combine selections in multiple bets, using a low stake / potential high return strategy. Mainly I'd lose a little money. Occasionally all selections would win, and I'd collect the equivalent of a weeks wages that day.

In those days betting tax in the uk was 9-10% off course (in a bookmakers), but zero on course (at the racetrack). I guess the idea was to encourage people to go racing. What I didn't realise was that the legendary professional gamblers were happy if they got an ROI (return on investment) of 10%. For example, staking ?50,000 in a year, and getting a return of ?55,000, or a ?5,000 profit. For this reason they bet exclusively at the track.

As I progressed, I began to realise that there was an opportunity to make some money, but that for the reasons given above, it was extremely difficult to do so. That's when I subscribed to my first racing tipster. They were called "The Cream" and their tips cost around ?10 a week.

In those pre-internet and mobile phone days, I had to find a public phone box in my lunch hour, and ring

e found quickly. In those days I had no idea what the true odds of a horse should be, and happily followed the system to small stakes.

I often used to combine selections in multiple bets, using a low stake / potential high return strategy. Mainly I'd lose a little money. Occasionally all selections would win, and I'd collect the equivalent of a weeks wages that day.

In those days betting tax in the uk was 9-10% off course (in a bookmakers), but zero on course (at the racetrack). I guess the idea was to encourage people to go racing. What I didn't realise was that the legendary professional gamblers were happy if they got an ROI (return on investment) of 10%. For example, staking ?50,000 in a year, and getting a return of ?55,000, or a ?5,000 profit. For this reason they bet exclusively at the track.

As I progressed, I began to realise that there was an opportunity to make some money, but that for the reasons given above, it was extremely difficult to do so. That's when I subscribed to my first racing tipster. They were called "The Cream" and their tips cost around ?10 a week.

In those pre-internet and mobile phone days, I had to find a public phone box in my lunch hour, and ring

would win, and I'd collect the equivalent of a weeks wages that day.

In those days betting tax in the uk was 9-10% off course (in a bookmakers), but zero on course (at the racetrack). I guess the idea was to encourage people to go racing. What I didn't realise was that the legendary professional gamblers were happy if they got an ROI (return on investment) of 10%. For example, staking ?50,000 in a year, and getting a return of ?55,000, or a ?5,000 profit. For this reason they bet exclusively at the track.

As I progressed, I began to realise that there was an opportunity to make some money, but that for the reasons given above, it was extremely difficult to do so. That's when I subscribed to my first racing tipster. They were called "The Cream" and their tips cost around ?10 a week.

In those pre-internet and mobile phone days, I had to find a public phone box in my lunch hour, and ring

mblers were happy if they got an ROI (return on investment) of 10%. For example, staking ?50,000 in a year, and getting a return of ?55,000, or a ?5,000 profit. For this reason they bet exclusively at the track.

As I progressed, I began to realise that there was an opportunity to make some money, but that for the reasons given above, it was extremely difficult to do so. That's when I subscribed to my first racing tipster. They were called "The Cream" and their tips cost around ?10 a week.

In those pre-internet and mobile phone days, I had to find a public phone box in my lunch hour, and ring

ut that for the reasons given above, it was extremely difficult to do so. That's when I subscribed to my first racing tipster. They were called "The Cream" and their tips cost around ?10 a week.

In those pre-internet and mobile phone days, I had to find a public phone box in my lunch hour, and ring the special phone number to see if there were any selections. For "security reasons" the horses name was never given, instead I was given a colour. Checking this against the racecards that they supplied, would reveal the selection. I'd then run down to the bookies, and put my ?5 stake on.

Mostly they lost, and as well as paying ten pounds for the "tips", I lost plenty of stake money too. I quickly discontinued my subscription, and went back to choosing my own selections.

I tried a few other tipsters, ranging from "weekend information" for a fiver, to telephone tipsters who advertised on teletext. None were effective.

Disillusioned, I gave up betting on horses for about five years. Then a friend told me of a tipster who advertised fantastic results. We clubbed together the ?97 per month to get these tips, again phoning each day for the selections. Mainly this consisted of listening to the tipster ramble on about a great tip that was coming up. We did take a three hour trip to Wolverhampton race track one day, to back a particular horse that the tipster owned. The horse had run earlier in the week, but the tipster had issued instructions not to back it till just before "the off". Many p