Xptdriver,

I cannot agree more with most of what you say. To be blunt, racing probably attracts the biggest element of gamblers who think they are experts and know it all but haven't got a clue.

The cliched "mug punter" wasn't invented for no reason. The concept of not backing the top selection but backing the second selection or fifth selection cannot even be understood by a large number of punters who still bet with a "pick the winner" in one selection mentality.

"This horse will win." Pick the winner of the race then back it. It doesn't matter what odds you get or whether you even get anywhere near the best odds available. If you get tote odds of $3.50 and miss bookmaker odds of $5.00 who cares because "a winner is a winner". Hence again the term "mug punter".

We had a punter join us last year who demanded a refund within a couple of weeks of joining because he said we cannot claim a $30 winner as it was not our top selection, despite being given clear instructions on how to bet that selection for value.

I remember some years back talking to a member who did not renew. We had a $30 winner on top - very difficult to do. I asked him if he backed it. His reply was along the lines of "No, I missed that one. At those odds I didn't expect it to win."

Why do we have some members who have been with us for many years - and yet plenty who do not renew? It can't be the information over the long haul.

To be honest we can do without punters like the above joining our service.

As the saying goes, you can take a horse to water but you cannot make it drink.

Cheers,
Neil.