'Nobody gives a damn about us' - what is the future for on-course bookmakers?
Tom Ward talks to a sector of the industry which feels forgotten in the pandemic
The lives of Paul and Lynn Garritty have changed beyond all recognition since the doors of Britain's racecourses were locked in March.
From Hexham and Cartmel, to Sedgefield and Catterick, the husband-and-wife team are a fixture on the northern jumps circuit, representing one of the few on-course bookmaking firms that make the majority of their living away from the summer months in favour of the leaden skies and finger-numbing cold of the jumps season.
They should have been readying themselves for a profitable weekend on Haydock's Betfair Chase raceday last week, but instead they were running books at hound trailing events across the Lake District to keep their operation afloat.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Published on 23 November 2020inFeatures
Last updated 16:38, 23 November 2020
Copy- Government says it is working 'at pace' to have white paper measures in force by the summer
- 'The only thing you can do is lie fallow and regroup' - Meades to return with scaled-back operation following blank period
- The Gambling Commission has launched its new corporate strategy - but what are the key points?
- 'It was tragic it happened to Paddy but it was a good thing for the jockeys who followed - good came out of bad'
- Acquisitions, exits and retail resilience - what we learned from Flutter and 888's results
- Government says it is working 'at pace' to have white paper measures in force by the summer
- 'The only thing you can do is lie fallow and regroup' - Meades to return with scaled-back operation following blank period
- The Gambling Commission has launched its new corporate strategy - but what are the key points?
- 'It was tragic it happened to Paddy but it was a good thing for the jockeys who followed - good came out of bad'
- Acquisitions, exits and retail resilience - what we learned from Flutter and 888's results