West Country memories

Simon Nott's tribute to on-course bookmaker Brian Edwards in this month's Racing Ahead brought back a couple of memories. Brian, who traded as George Edwards Plymouth, died on 17th July after a long struggle with cancer. I struck a few bets with Brian at Newton Abbot and Devon & Exeter back in the early nineties, a time when I was green enough to think I might come out on top...

In particular I recall going to Newton Abbot one fine spring evening to back a horse called Biloxi Blues in the handicap chase. The grey had decent form in the book and, at a time when Mark Coton's Value Betting was all the rage, I thought I'd stumbled on a value bet and a bit more as the daily papers reported the price as 6/1. Finishing work early, I drove to the course but was more than a little dismayed to see the bookies open with Biloxi at 6/4. The price soon began to contract so, making the best of a bad job, I walked up to Brian and asked for a fiver at 11/8. Quick as a flash, he reported 7/5 to his clerk and I walked away, not quite sure whether I'd been done or not.

The race itself proved rather eventful... Dean Gallagher decided to try and make all on outsider Wimbleball and he quickly built up a lead of twenty lengths or so. Despite hitting a couple of fences fairly hard, Wimbleball was clearly enjoying himself and his lead was still intact halfway down the back straight second time around before Richard Dunwoody decided it was time to play catch-up on Biloxi. Wimbleball wasn't for stopping and had the race in the bag coming to the last but he took one last liberty with that last fence and came crashing to the ground; Dunwoody carried out a nifty piece of steering, jumped the obstacle safely and 5/4  favourite Biloxi Blues collected the spoils. Brian's face told its own story immediately after the race; a couple of punters looking to collect before the winning jockey had dismounted were given short shrift.

Some 15 years later I was at Exeter with two brothers-in-law for the 2004 New Year's Day meeting. We hadn't been that successful but my companions had compensated by indulging in several of their favourite beverages. Waiting for the free bus home, my colleagues asked for an opinion on the concluding bumper. Philip Hobbs' Supreme Serenade was odds-on but I ventured they might want to consider opposing with Paul Nicholls' Alexanderthegreat; this conversation took place outside a couple of ptiches, one of which belonged to Brian. Brian appeared to be in conversation with his fellow layer but as soon as he heard me mention Alexanderthegreat, he immediately marked the horse out from 5/1 to 11/2. I started to smile but these subtle nuances escaped my inebriated colleagues who then demanded an explanation. I tried but it was proving hard work and at the end of it all one brother-in-law walks straight up to the layer offering 5/1 and strikes his bet...

In the event, Nicky Henderson's Copsale Lad (3/1) won impressively from Alexanderthegreat. Copsale Lad did me a couple of favours after that and some three years later popped up at Newbury at odds of 14/1. Unfortunately on that occasion I'd bid more than I should have for a day at the races with The Times' Alan Lee and he'd tipped me the second, Minella Tipperary...

R.I.P. Brian Edwards.