#BettingPeople

Interview: GEMMA HOGG Gemma Hogg started work at Micky Hammond’s yard back in 1998, ten years later she was assistant trainer, fast forward and she’s a winning jockey, winner of the prestigious Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff employee of the year award 2016 and author of ‘Stable Lass – Riding Out Mucking In’. In this interview with Simon Nott, she talks about her life in racing, her love of the life, animal psychology, riding a winner, racing welfare and horses with hayfever! Meeting Gemma Hogg.

MEET THE TRAINER: Racehorse Trainer Philip Hobbs talks about his career, riding and training and his concerns regarding various aspects of the sport. Meeting Philip Hobbs.

Interview: RICHARD HAYLER Richard is the Managing Director of IBAS and believes racing is in his DNA. He’s a keen punter with two brothers both in the industry so his current role is one he feels very comfortable in. Here he talks with Simon Nott about the challenges and rewards of a job that provides an independent arbitration service for disputes between bookmakers and punters. Meeting Richard Hayler.

Interview MARK RHODEN: Mark’s father was a semi-professional punter, so that ensured he became very familiar with racecourses at an early age. As a teenager Mark started to work for on-course bookmakers. When the opportunity arose to relocate to work for an off-course bookmaker full time he jumped at it. He soon absorbed all there was to learn from this form savvy punting layer. After 17 year the bookmaking landscape changed, Mark found himself pro-punting by necessity rather than design. He’s now an established professional punter, racing analyst and tipster. Meeting Mark Rhoden. (interview by Simon Nott)

Interview MIKE O’NEIL: Mike had spent his working life in computing developing software. He sold his last company he was in his mid-40’s and turned his attention to betting. Despite having little previous interest he was spurred on by negative people telling him that writing a program to win gambling couldn’t be done. 13 years later he’d perfected Race Stats App, software that spots patterns pointing to potential winners using Betfair SP. In this interview with Simon Nott, he explains his idea, inspiration and the thinking behind RaceStatsApp.com. Meeting Mike O’Neil.

Interview CHARLES BLANNING: Charles Blanning grew up in a family who surrounded themselves with greyhounds for which he truly caught the bug. His education took him to Cambridge to study English Literature and subsequently he has written a number of books on his favourite subjects – greyhounds and racing. In this interview with Simon Nott, he tells us about his life in the sport, the changes he has seen and all about his latest book. Meeting Charles Blanning.

Interview YONI SIDI: Born in London, Yoni moved to Israel to pursue becoming a professional footballer. Instead he found himself joining the Israeli Army which was tough, next up, working at a beach bar where he perfected the art of selling. After joining an on-line casino company’s marketing dept he flew through the ranks. By age 24 he was setting up the London office and overseeing a merger with bookmaking giants William Hill. Soon after he was forming his own business and hitting the heights again. This interview with Simon Nott also deals with the thorny subjects of VIP customers, restrictions and the ‘morality’ of online gaming. Meeting Yoni Sidi.

Interview ANDREW GEMMELL: A racing household name as the owner of Paisley Park. Andrew was born blind but that hindrance hasn’t stopped him in life. ‘Warned off for galloping, horse riding as a youngster, two marathons, standing in the terraces at West Ham, in the thick of the miners’ strike picket line, travelling the world to attend sport, and a love of horseracing. It’s a fascinating story. Meeting Andrew Gemmell. (interview by Simon Nott)

Interview: LUKE HARVEY The eldest of a family of seven, Luke Harvey and his siblings qualified for free school lunches at the local comprehensive school where he left at 16. After serving his time as a stable lad and riding point to points Luke became a successful jockey winning several big races. When he hung up his boots he joined the ranks of the press, he was rewarded after 20 years graft by being voted ‘HWPA Broadcaster of the Year’ by his peers. He’s now working on terrestrial TV for ITV Racing as well as At The Races and still rides out every day, truly in love with ‘The Game’. Meeting Luke Harvey. (interview by Simon Nott)

Interview RUPERT HAWKE: Rupert is an analytical punter who uses maths and algorithms to create a system to beat the bookmakers. He became successful specialising in horse racing on the all-weather at Southwell before moving on to greyhounds where he honed and continues to perfect his system. Whilst maintaining business interests Rupert has developed his betting over the last few years and now punts professionally. Meeting Rupert Hawke. (interview by Simon Nott)