Here’s a suggestion -check out Team Wolfden on the internet. Wolfden is a group of super sharp and passionate Aussie gamblers who create You Tube content (podcasts, live stream videos, interviews with renowned bettors, tips using A.I.) with the broad aim of educating punters and forming an online community of enthusiastic horse players.
Knowledgeable host, Rich Irvine; Kingsley Bartholomew (a serious high roller with a genial style of conveying his knowledge built up over three decades as a punter/bookie) and handicapping guru, Dan O Sullevan of the Ratings Bureau, plus a few dedicated betting mates conceived the idea. They participate in these informative weekly shows which are full of entertaining banter.
Wolfden acknowledges the reality that fewer fans actually attend races these days, and so the act of wagering, for many, has now become a more solitary pursuit. And, as coverage of the game has dwindled in mainstream media and become increasingly niched, prospective fans who might have gained knowledge from hanging out at the track with wizened veterans of the betting ring or reading the daily newspaper, now need alternative educational sources to help improve their skills in a highly competitive wagering landscape.
Wolfden helps fill that gap in the Aussie market and is growing encouragingly. They have a Punters Club where players can contribute small amounts into the pot and derive a dividend on good days.
On Saturday, Bartholomew turned a couple of G’s into a quarter million Oz dollars for the Wolfden loyalists with astute strikes on a 110/1 treble at speed favoring Moonee Valley in Melbourne. Interviewed afterwards, he said he was genuinely happy to help others with his tips and wagering advice, though in this instance he did not press the bet himself.
Bartholomew’s largest ever wager was on Black Caviar at odds of 1/5 on. He correctly ventured 300K to win 60K on the push- button heroine who could nimbly stay clear of any trouble, and she duly romped home in a Flemington sprint. His biggest ever single win was in the 2009 Melbourne Cup on Corey Brown ridden, 9/1 shot Shocking, which netted him a collect of over 600K, though he ended the day a loser given the scale of other accumulated losses. Such is life in the gambling fast lane!
The candid observations on the Wolfden show resonate with people who are “sick for the game” but thirst for hard-to get knowledge. Even punters who have been around for a long time need mentoring, and Wolfden provides the well-intended support of an online “community service”.
Readers may question if this has any relevance here at the tip of Africa. The fact is, racing is a truly global industry and whilst the old-timers may lament what has been lost, say in terms of the buzz in the on-course betting rings, the massive advances in live coverage of racing around the world and the ease of betting online on those events has transformed the game.
For example, Interbet offers a full betting menu for Aussie races, with co-mingled Tote bets as well as fixed odds. And you can watch the races as they happen, too.
If you are interested in following Aussie racing from South Africa, be prepared for an early morning wake up call, given the time zone differential.
Apart from the recommended Wolfden site, you might also take a gander at punters.com.au another excellent resource for online content from our sporting neighbors across the Indian Ocean.