Gary Wiltshire is a household name in the world of betting. Despite his fame and varied career, including as a spell with the BBC horseracing team, he would always be recognised as ‘one of us’ by greyhound folk everywhere.
Equally as respected on both sides of the bookmaker/punter divide, Gary was also one of the most popular figures on the Sky Sports Greyhound racing productions.
In latter years, his knowledge, charisma and bubbly personality has been massively underused in a sport that is hardly well stocked in those departments.
I am among those who has got to know Gary simply because he has always been so approachable for a chat, with such knowledgeable insight, whenever he appears on a greyhound track.
As might have been anticipated, when asked if he fancied taking part in this question and answer session the response ‘not a problem it would be my pleasure’.
Word has soon got around on social media and some of the questions are group efforts.
Favourite track past or present ?
I really enjoyed Milton Keynes and for atmosphere you can’t beat Shawfield on a big night. The atmosphere is electric.
Are there any bookmakers standing that you have particular respect for ?
I’ve got respect for anybody that stands on a track and puts their opinion up against the punters. Two that come to mind though are Ben Keith at Star who will take on anybody and I like Steve Charlesworth at Nottingham. Steve often bets against the favourite , a game I used to play myself , it’s a very underused form of on course bookmaking but one I enjoy.
Most memorable night standing at a greyhound track ?
Pall Mall final night at Oxford on the Tuesday of the Cheltenham festival was always a really good night. The crowds were always good and full of good punters. I remember one night taking over £65,000 over 8 races.
Do you feel that the bookmakers hold too much control over the sport ?
For me greyhound racing is a night time sport. It’s where the atmosphere always was and was certainly were the tracks made their money. In latter years tracks have become reliant on the daytime racing more and more which is obviously paid for by the bookmakers for the off course market primarily. If you’re paying for a service then you’re the piper and you call the tune. On course bookmakers are told to keep the betting percentages to around 128% in order to make the service profitable for the shops via their forecast/tricast bets etc. In some ways this bookmaker money has kept some tracks afloat but in others it’s been to the detriment of the sport as we knew it in years gone by. At the end of the day money rules.
If you could bring back one track which would it be and why ?
I’d love to bring back all of the tracks that we’ve lost over the years but if i’m restricted to just the one I’d have to say Oxford. I loved it there , especially on a Friday afternoon. The local Rover factory would see their shift end at 2pm and many of the lads would head straight over to the track, pockets full of wages and hoping to turn it into a nice few quid. I loved it but it was actually a willingness to take on such punters that ended up with me getting the sack there.
A representative of the big three firms wanted to shorten a dog up for a monkey bet. I said ‘I’ve just laid it for a couple of grand at 7/2 you’ll have to have more on’.
He obviously wasn’t too happy about this. The last race of the meeting was 6.16pm, by 7pm the track manager John Blake had rung me up to say my services would no longer be required at BAGS meetings
But I was welcome to still stand at the evening sessions!
I suppose that goes back to the previous question about bookmakers holding too much power in the sport , you can make your own mind up on that one.
It’s no secret that over the years you’ve loved a bit of nice grub Gary , which track does the best food ?
Being honest I’ve never felt there was much value in a 3 course meal at any track. If you’ve a runner on the night or if you’ve an interest in a few bets , I’d rather concentrate my mind on the action rather than worrying about food coming over to the table.
That said I’ve always found that the food on offer at the tracks in Ireland has been in a different league. I’ve been hearing good reports about the restaurant at Romford just lately under Karen and I must try and get down there before too long to try it out.
Gary I remember you standing next to Del Burrows , I remember one night Del being knocked over at 2/1 on a Pruhs runner and then putting up 6/4 , you obviously didn’t fancy it as the shout from you was 5/2. In those days it seemed like if you wanted to get on then you could do. Do you think with the exchanges that the days of opinion bookmaking are gone ?
It was a different world in my days of bookmaking. When you went to a track you went to take on the punters. There were no exchanges back then, it was you against the punter and unfortunately it looks as if those days are gone.
Bookmakers are ruled by the exchanges now. You’re right punters could get on in those days , there were punters you wouldn’t be too keen on laying , of course there were you had to though as the track management would be onto you without flinching if you were to be seen not laying their patrons a fair bet.
‘Del Boy Burrows’ was a great man and a great bookmaker who taught me everything I know. His favourite saying was ‘punters can’t beat the chalk’. As mentioned earlier I was the ‘betting without the favourite’ man in those days.
I particularly liked going up against the early paced types who looked like they’d have to lead to win, if you had another one or two in the race who could lead up , you had a chance of having them beat before the bend. I’d always try and get those types in the book whilst I’d make sure I had the finishing types in shorter than they probably should be. It worked for me anyway , they were good days.
Gary with the delay to the racing calendar do you think the sport should be looking to do something for those dogs that will miss out on puppy events ?
Times are very difficult at the minute it’s a real shame that some nice pups look like not getting a chance in some of the puppy competitions due to age restrictions. Maybe having some juvenile events if possible for dogs aged up to 30 months might be a way forward.
I’m told you had a particular favourite pub on your way home from Sittingbourne (Central Park) ?
Ha ha I loved the Squirrels on the Bypass if we’d had a winning night. Was a great place for a bit of grub and I used to enjoy a catch up with the likes of Jordan Vine , a good punter and friend from the track there.
Gary’s latest book
Can the sport survive and prosper without a total revamp , given a free hand what changes would you make and how can we see a bigger portion of the profits coming back into the sport ?
The sport can survive, yes. It will be tough like its tough for any business these days but we’ve got an excellent product and it’s a product that the bookmakers need. I’ve never met Mark Bird at the board but he seems to be giving it his everything to pick the sport up and take us forward. Tracks themselves could do more maybe.
How about having their own betting shops on track wh ere the profit from any bets is all placed back into their own businesses? We’ve got an excellent product, it’s not time to throw in the towel just yet !
Gary what would be your biggest loser in life, excluding ‘Detorri Day’ which everybody knows about, is there anything else that comes to mind ?
My biggest pitfall in life and the one that’s cost me as much money as anything has always been women. I’d say they’ve cost me well over a million quid already and the tally is still rising.
