HorseRacingQA.com

It seems a long time ago, but in the mid 1990s Nick Mordin was very much a name of horse racing journalism, from research, data analysis, articles in leading publication to the author of popular racing books.

He first came to prominence when writing for Odds On magazine. To be fair, I can’t remember ever reading this publication, but loved his features in the Sporting Life’s Weekender – Systems. Mordin had a passion for horse racing, which saw him turn his back on an advertising career as a copywriter.

Some may remember Harry Findlay ‘having a go’ at Nick Mordin in the year Denman made waves in National Hunt racing and went on to win the Gold Cup. I’m pretty sure Findlay took offence with Mordin over some data about the chances of Denman – known as The Tank – about winning the Gold Cup. It may well have been an article written for the Sporting Life’s Weekender – Systems.  ‘There’s no such thing as bad publicity’ comes to mind.

Mordin shunned the limelight and it may well have been one of the reasons why he gradually slipped off the radar.

However, this didn’t stop him having four books, including the best seller Betting For A Living, which was published by Aesculus Press Limited in 1992. This book was very much in the style of the American publications which have always been light years ahead of the game, especially in the 90s. Even to this day, most horse racing publications are about the stories told by professional gamblers which rarely detail how they made their money. If they do broach the subject it is next to impossible to garner any real information.

Mordin’s books were written to help the average punter improve their lot with facts and insight to make their betting pay.

In fact, Mordin’s books covered all aspects of finding winners detailing all four corners of knowledge:

Betting For A Living, published by Aesculus Press Limited in 1992

The Winning Look, published by Aesculus Press Limited in 1994

Mordin On Time, published by Rowton Press in 1996 (later edition by Aesculus Press Limited)

Winning Without Thinking: A Guide To Horse Racing Betting System, published by Aesculus Press Limited in 2002

All books are still available on Amazon.

Each book detailed vital knowledge founded on research, data analysis and systems, how to objectively assess the look and behaviour of race horses and the importance of time and a rating system that actually works. All topped off by Winning Without Thinking (which I haven’t read.)

Mordin wasn’t simply trying to sell books but help punters achieve their goal of winning money if not becoming a professional gambler. As Mordin said he wanted his literature to be used as an academic course and subject in its own right and something appreciated for his outstanding dedication to the subject which was wholehearted.

He led the way in answering questions. Being a successful gambler is all about that endeavour.

In a world where people want to bet on anything and everything, for example on TonyBet, it perhaps should not be all that much of a surprise that there is usually an illegal alternative to anything legal.

Whilst the likes of illegal underground boxing might not come as much of a shock to people who have watched films like Fight Club, the same sort of attitude might not be the case when discussing illegal horse racing. Though it is a more common thing to come across in the United States of America, it is also something that happens in the UK – despite the fact there are nearly 50,000 legal races each year.

Whilst getting away with illegal horse racing in the US is understandable because of the vast size of the country, the same can’t be said for the United Kingdom. That means it is much less common in Britain, though it does still happen.

As you can imagine, there are all sorts of things that happen at such events, which is what makes them illegal. The idea of looking after the welfare of the horses is secondary, if not disregarded entirely, whilst any bets placed on such events are liable to be lost entirely from the unscrupulous people taking them.

What Are Illegal Horse Races?

There is a difference between a race that takes place outside the jurisdiction of the British Horseracing Authority, or the relevant authority in the country in question and one that is completely illegal.

In many ways, it is equitable to distinguish between flapping tracks and licensed ones in greyhound racing, alongside completely illegal ones. In that instance, licensed tracks have gained a license to operate from the Greyhound Board of Great Britain, whilst flapping tracks have not done so and therefore operate without the oversight of the governing authority.

Meanwhile, Illegal greyhound races are those that take place ‘underground’, known only to a select few and with practices that are often harmful or dangerous to the participating greyhounds. Similarly, the world of illegal horse racing isn’t just one where the British Horseracing Authority hasn’t issued a license but is one where the people involved are taking part without any sense of oversight.

There is no duty of care to the horses or the jockeys, meaning it is essentially an experience in which anything goes. This is what makes it illegal and, as with similar greyhound racing, dangerous to all concerned.

Rancho El Centenario

For an example of the world of illegal horse racing, it is worth looking at a town of 800 people called Milner, located in the US state of Georgia. The racecourse is called Rancho El Centenario, flying the flag of Mexico and using armed guards to search the cars of any people who wish to head in to watch the racing. To be able to do so, they need to pay $100 a head, which gives them entry to the pecan farm on which the racing will take place. The people heading there know what to expect and it isn’t what they’d get at a licensed race track.

Journalists witnessed a trainer plunge a syringe into the neck of a horse, eliciting cheers from the nearby crowd when one of them asked for another for her. Though they denied that it contained performance-enhancing drugs, instead insisting that it was just designed to prevent the horse from having a stroke or a heart attack, evidence suggests otherwise. A journalist from the Washington Post picked up a similar syringe post-use and sent it to Industrial Laboratories, who said that it contained methamphetamine and methylphenidate.

This, of course, is just one example of such a track. There were 89 such locations at the time that the article was published. These unregulated ‘bush tracks’ are places where the trainers can do what they want to the horses. Animal abuse stands alongside doping as something that goes unchecked at such tracks. Even jockeys aren’t safe, as one jockey, who was kicked out of regulated racing for using shock devices, found out when he died at Rancho El Centenario. Whether you’re riding or being ridden, the risk of death is high at such a track