WILLIAM WOODHAMS
@WIGWOOD
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CEO at the world's oldest bookmaker FITZDARES. Bookie of the year 2020. The Times best place to work 2024. Using @theracingapp at the Fitzdares Club as we speak
London
Joined March 2009
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Pinned Tweet
Well done to the UK team of
@Fitzdares
for smashing into the
@thetimes
Best Places to Work 2024. It was well deserved by all, and 'apparently,' 100% of the team look forward to coming into work.
#holidaycamp
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@SangitaMyska
@British_Airways
BA accidentally put my 2yo on the wrong flight and ground staff refused to put him on my wife's flight. She had to book 2 new flights on a different airline and wait at the airport 6 hours (with a 2 yo!) - no compensation at all. Emailed CEO - nothing!!! They are a state atm.
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@edcumming
A masterpiece. Total masterpiece. The gym bit, the harvester, the everything about it. Thank you.
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Am I being a fool or could they have slipped the Derby into the FA cup halftime and gained 2m extra viewers for the classic of classics. Anyone? Anyone?
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My first
@AintreeRaces
as a bookie, a mate had £5k on the Tiger Woods/Tiger Roll double. He also told his mate (a TV star) to lump 10 bags on Tiger Roll - has never had another bet. I walked out, went to the Lime St. Wetherspoons and had a cry. But this story is way better……
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You asked, we listened! Please find all UK racing on the wall of the
@Fitzdares
Club in Mayfair. Well done team - not easy!
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Are you sick of the Cheltenham Festival hype that begins today for the next 22 1/2 weeks? Well prepare to 🤮, we bring you and take the piss out of the WORLDS FIRST CHELTENHAM ADVERT. It’s also spiced up with a great NH season offer “RAGS TO RICHES”.
@Fitzdares
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A note:
@Fitzdares
sponsor Mr D Maxwell and he takes no fee.All he asks is that we support stable staffs Christmas parties. Which I can’t recall doing for 2 years. So I think I better get the cheque book out this Xmas and make amends. Some gents are true gents.
😀 This is the most refreshing interview you'll see all day!
🔊 Get the sound on to hear from owner-rider, David Maxwell, who's in with a shot of winning
#GrandNational
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In the 268 pages of the White paper, I'm pleased they squeezed in 1 page on the benefits of gambling - 1) £2b in tax 2) added £6b to economy 3) 100K jobs 4) No betting, no proper racing 5) IT'S BLOODY FUN FOR THE VAST MAJORITY OF ADULTS..
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Some people on Twitter suggest
@Fitzdares
are a bunch of toffee-nosed halfwits who only want high-staking punters. I’m pretty confident this image at our
@CheltenhamRaces
party at The Fitzdares Castle dispels the myth!
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When your sponsor loves the charming chat but wishes you were 1 inch taller.
@Fitzdares
Some good ones here from the ever-quotable David Maxwell 🤣
@scotracing_gb
@KelsoRacecourse
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There is a rule: don't knock other bookies. But I spend 60% of my time dealing with compliance, government lobbying, charities and racing authorities to protect my business and flow money into our DNA sport: racing. And then a 20-year-old marketing trainee in Malta does this:
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Absolute magic - why isn’t this an advert on TV from the racing authorities. Sadly most peoples interaction with racing is bookie adverts. Hopefully media rights can give racing a nice £50m pot for marketing itself - yep, that’s how much you need. No marketing, no people, no…
✋ stop and watch to put a smile on your face!
Is there any other sport that you can get this close to the athletes?
#GoRacing
in Yorkshire for the friendliest tracks and jockeys! 👏
#NextGeneration
#YorkshireRacing
#Friendly
📸
@Alisafc2017
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The Fitzdares Club re-opens today and in-line with government policy we have upped our Scotch Egg game considerably.
@Fitzdares
@MrHarryCole
@HenryDeedes
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SNEAK PEAK ALERT! I will get punched by my PR and probably the Goodwood PR but here is a little taste of what we have built at Glorious/Qatar this week. At last an Owners and Trainers suitable for, well...Owners and Trainers. See you there.
@Fitzdares
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Absolute touch of the year (and nearly bought me to tears) is the badge for my little boy for
@WetherbyRaces
on Boxing Day.
#itsthelittlethings
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Saying racing is "Toast" won't endear me to the racing community, but it's hard facts time. The massive bookies don't need racing anymore, they've got slots and America to enrich them. We either move back to a
@UKToteGroup
model, or we find a proper path to allow bigger punters…
'"My estimate is that 80 per cent of Fitzdares customers will trigger checks," says the company's chief executive William Woodhams.'
@WIGWOOD
says 80% of customers will be checked.
@andrewjonrhodes
says 3% of accounts. Who knows more about gambling?
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SHAMELESS CHELTENHAM PR STUNT ALERT! With all you Twitter whingers complaining about the price of a festival pint. On Tuesday we launch the world's most expensive pint at £20! The
@Fitzdares
Club Black Velvet is the perfect blend of English champagne and Irish stout. #£20pint
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2 absolute pro’s. Absolutely fascinating stuff. I’m sure the golfers will be enjoying the schadenfreude of it all but that rest of us watching will see that
@benpauling1
is a credit to his local area and honest to the core. Hats off to
@LydiaHislop
@RacingTV
🗣 "Hopefully she will be lovely for the rest of her career."
🗣 "The phone call lasted about a minute."
A day of differing emotions for
@benpauling1
ends with Diva Luna's impressive win at Aintree
Well worth a watch 👇
@LydiaHislop
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Not many trainers serve you a Cote de Boeuf with 2nd growth claret. Thank you
@benpauling1
and
@OldGoldRacing
for a lovely day at Naunton. Good luck Champagne twist at
@AintreeRaces
and good luck
@SeyfriedEd
with the new project!
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SNEAK PEAK: Fitzdares members get a nice home from home at Cheltenham - especially as it’s going to rain all week 🌧️
@Fitzdares
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I discovered that the roll is only used once, and it costs about £20K. Also, it couldn't be done by tractor, as it would be bad for the ground. Plus the sheet freezes hard, so it has to be broken up by hand and removed. Not all hero's wear capes.
🤝78 people
🕛12.5 hours laying & lifting 43 rolls of frost sheets
Thank you to the incredible grounds teams of Lingfield,
@WindsorRaces
,
@BrightonRace
,
@FontwellPark
,
@BathRacecourse
,
@FfosLasRC
,
@WorcesterRaces
& Silvershine treaders for getting racing on yesterday 🙌
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Just back from an epic weekend when Stanley presented the
@Fitzdares
Thirsk Hunt Cup on Saturday and climbed Old Man Coniston on Sunday. Not bad for a 1 year old!!
@ThirskRaces
@lakedistrictnpa
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11 a.m.!!! This is just hilarious. Assume the voice of Craig: The account was opened on Monday, Documents were requested on Tuesday, and it was restricted on Wednesday.
Secret sets aren't just for
@glastonbury
...
Craig David will be DJ'ing in the Centaur at 11am 👀
#CheltenhamFestival
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Travelling to North America. Go via Dublin, save £4k, free WiFi, polite staff, depart from Terminal 2 (lovely) and limitless stew!! Same business as BA (and points) - very different experience. The Willie Mullins of airlines.
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We commissioned an original Bill Butcher to celebrate our partnership with
@FulhamFC
. Here's our syndicate horse Fitzperfectly banging in another winner. We've loved every second of this season and are over the moon that you'll be staying up and ahead of Chelsea!
@Fitzdares
…
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My 2-week old son has just received his Cheltenham badge for next week. He's very excited to be in (the virtual) box 5060.
@Fitzdares
members badges en route. The badge is non-transferable and gets you access to your sitting room, fridge and loo.
#virtualcheltenham
#Cheltenham
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If your feeling down and sad, always remember that lasagne is really good for you.
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Proof at last that trainers and bloodstock fees are totally out of control.
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Thank you to
@CorneliusRacing
for marshalling the best
@CheltenhamRaces
preview I’ve ever been to. Some fun surprise guests and 60 beef wellingtons served at the same time!
@Fitzdares
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OK. So In a bout of generosity (it's been a good year). We are offering £100K (pot) to anyone that predicts the top 10 Premier league table at the end of the season - in order. If your top ten is in the wrong order we still give you £10K (pot).
@brucemillington
you go first!!
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Absolute banker of the day, Snow Lantern. Good luck to the Keswicks, Ed and
@rhannonracing
at
@NewmarketRace
today! Ground seems perfect, so does the breeding. Here she is as a beautiful baby in Jan 2019.
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We’re very excited to announce that The Fitzdares Club has found a permanent home at and will be open (🤞) in 27 days! Imagine a Mayfair townhouse showing sport 12hrs every day. For a sneak peak: goto Instagram or register your interest at
@Fitzdares
👏
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SPANK THE BOOKIE ALERT: £25 Sixfold E/W at Chelmsford paid out £42k. Well done to the lucky member. You get a free lunch in The Fitzdares Club and a passive-aggressive letter from me.
@Fitzdares
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It’s 1 month to go and I’m already knackered by the thought of
@CheltenhamRaces
BUT I’m filled with joy by the annual
@Fitzdares
commission for our festival advert. It’s a corker. 2 places (all week) in our on-course Fitzdares club if you can guess the slogan!
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We own a pub! So excited to see The
@Fitzdares
Arms launch at
@WindsorRaces
- we still have our Club but who doesn't want to pull a pint as well - everyone welcome!
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I’m over the moon to say
@Fitzdares
have sponsored this weekend’s Winter Millions at
@LingfieldPark
- as ever, my astute sponsorship genius didn’t forsee the abandonment of Friday’s Racing.
#doh
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I think Bookies absolute inability to think creatively around race names is both lazy, greedy and to the detriment of racing. Totally agree with Sam and the piece.
I couldn’t agree more here. We want bookies to do good business on horse racing but sod the online casinos!
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My Wife has achieved a little personal goal and I'm proud as punch. She is now on a
@pacha
poster in Ibiza. For a DJ, that's having a group 1 win - fair comparison
@asecretagent
?
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SNEAK PEEK ALERT: If anyone is at the Chelsea/Man U. Game today, we are giving away free Kebabs (with our signature truffle and black garlic 🧄 sauce) directly opposite the Stamford Gate from 2.30pm.
@Fitzdares
#theworldsfinestkebabvan
#doneproperly
#novegoption
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Quick weekend in Tuscany. Tiny little town near Florence: Only one restaurant open for lunch on Saturday and completely empty. And the chef still managed to deliver a steak that would be nearly impossible to find in the UK.
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I feel like I’m repeating myself but thank you to
@leemottershead
for letting me vent in
@RacingPost
- who’ve truly been the punters champion in the last year.
@Fitzdares
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Why we are supporting the moved Winter Million at
@WindsorRaces
? Watch me say “Cheltenham” and “world-class” 55 times in 45 seconds.
@Fitzdares
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So happy to have found a little home for our members of The Fitzdares Club in the Orchard. 10.30am-7pm each day of the Festival. Some guest DJ's to be announced and most importantly, it will look and feel just like the club - not a sweaty tent! Thanks
@CheltenhamRaces
@Fitzdares
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It's official!! We've sponsored (with
@Fitzdares
&
@TheRacingApp
) this for the next few years. We're excited to cement our support of big-money jumps meetings and there will be more news to follow regarding
@WindsorRaces
We are delighted to welcome
@Fitzdares
as headline sponsor for our eight-race Winter Million card on Sunday 21 January. Now featuring the Grade 2 Download
@TheRacingApp
Lightning Novices' Chase alongside the Fitzdares Fleur de Lys Chase!
Find out more ➡️
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After years of babbling on about Fever-tree I’ve decided Schweppes is now officially cooler. It’s a massive call.
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Final bit from me on affordability checks as even I’m sick of me. But I think this captures the raw facts of the issues ahead. In tomorrows…
@RacingPost
@nickluck
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It's Back! The
@Fitzdares
Castle has been booked for the Monday & Tuesday of
@CheltenhamRaces
Festival. So many members were astonished by the price of an average hotel in Cheltenham we thought we would undercut them all with the Castle from
@succession
.
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Our advert in the
@RacingPost
and all the broadsheets this morning. Good luck this afternoon!
@Fitzdares
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NEWS ALERT: I'm so excited that
@TheRacingApp
is now live in the app store a day early.
TOTALLY FREE
Best Racecards in biz
Streaming & Replays
Exclusive Value bet tool & top tips
@nickluck
Podcast
@CorneliusRacing
previews
@paulfergusonJTF
Best jumpers
20K USERS ALREADY!
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I knew it! Officially wettest February in English history. Nearly double average. BUT, the last really wet Feb (2020, yep, that year) was followed by the best spring weather in my memory. Stay positive team.
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We were pretty sure we were the best place to put a racing bet on. Now it’s a fact. Well done
@Fitzdares
and thank you
@SBCGAMINGNEWS
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Turns out I’m a better owner than bookies. Well done Twister! Thank you
@Fitzdares
@benpauling1
A 1-2 for
@benpauling1
! 🥇🥈
Champagne Twist wins the European Breeders' Fund Betfair 'National Hunt' Novices' Handicap Hurdle Final! 🍾
#ITVRacing
|
@Sandownpark
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So I’m very proud to announce our
@Fitzdares
Cheltenham hamper is launched today (it’s a quiet news day!) but the question on everyone’s lips is...what score will
@BenStarSports
give our club-made Gloucester old spot Wellington and is there enough booze for 2?
@CheltenhamRaces
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Honestly, if you don't listen to this every day you really aren't that into racing. Literally the Today programme of sport.
New
🏇
@benpauling1
- Retirement of Luca Morgan
🏇
@gelliott_racing
- Gerri Colombe & Conflated
🏇 Daniel Cooper -
@ExeterRaces
/
@wincantonraces
🏇
@RalphBeckett
-
@Tattersalls1766
Sceptre entries
🏇
@Rods_Tweet
- NRW
🏇
@WIGWOOD
- Affordability petition
🏇
@edcrisford
- West…
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Wow. One of our AMAZING members put a maximum e/w bet on every horse in the race. All money to
@NHSuk
- what a gesture.
@nickluck
@itvracing
@Fitzdares
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The life of a bookie! I stayed in the office to watch the last race from
@Ascot
last night and as Agrapart crossed the line we lost £90k on a trixie. My wife picked me up and I told her, her reply “stop grumbling you tit, it’s your job!”. No better advice really.
@Fitzdares
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If you love your racing data we are very happy to have
@TPDZone
supply live racing data in the Racing Room at the
@Fitzdares
Club!! Racing from
@FontwellPark
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And here he is.. Stanley Beats. 12.20 20.02.21. 8lbs 6 at the scales. Southpaw. 29min labour. GSOH. Doesn't cry. Sadly he supports
@ChelseaFC
. A future in the saddle unlikely, at this size trajectory, he'll be a wet bob/egg chaser.
#StanleyBeats
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Looking forward to the
@Fitzdares
Cartmel Cup this weekend. The Lakes + Sticky toffee pudding + summer jumps is surely the dream bank holiday!!!
@Cartmelrace
ps thanks to Bill Butcher for creating another masterpiece to celebrate our inaugural year.
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I’m trying to think of a table for dinner at a UK sporting location than can beat our oysters and steak at the
@MapleLeafs
last night! Possible Walthamstow and Wimbledon RIP. Up your game UK!!
@FitzdaresCA
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Imagine being hit on the back of the head by one of these. On Saturday we paid out £250K on a £50 Heinz. That could buy you 1,162,50000 individual beans. Enjoy.
@Fitzdares
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First wine 🍷 club lunch at The Fitzdares Club and probably better watching
@Goodwood_Races
from the warmth of the club than actually being there!
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If you're going to drop your Fitzdares Club keyring on a country walk in the Cotswolds you better make sure it gets picked by...yep, another member. Currently being returned to its rightful owner. WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF THAT HAPPENING?? Well, In the Cotswold about 3/1.
@Fitzdares
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LAUNCH ALERT 🚀. This morning we go live with the finest racecard in racing. It’s been a marathon of a journey but we asked our members, trainers and importantly owners what they wanted in a racecard and we built it from scratch. Well done team!!!
@Fitzdares
ps not my balance!
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A few Ascot highlights! 300 passed through the club (280 of them ate lobster and chips!). 60 through the Ascot box. 250 at other events. 1000’s listened to
@CorneliusRacing
and 1 person was caught reading the FT in the club loo. What a brilliant week. Well done
@Ascot
@Fitzdares
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The
@Fitzdares
Castle is back. Imagine waking up in a castle, having breakfast, hoping in a 10-minute chopper, and arriving just before the first at
@CheltenhamRaces
- how the other half live!
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Read about the Fitzdares club in the Cotswolds at
@benpauling1
new yard in the Telegraph today!
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After 2 months of builders, my new
@Fitzdares
office is finished and I appear to have moved into a docklands new build from 2004. Pictures on walls needed asap.
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My new office at The Fitzdares Club - wall to wall racing all day!!
@Fitzdares
see more on the Club Instagram
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The Fitzdares club in Toronto has had
@BenStarSports
hired as pudding consultant. Incredible.
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Absolutely incredible
@leemottershead
Betting shops first became legal on 1 May 1961.
A few days later News Extra dropped in on some brand-new bookies, and discovered what punters and people on the street thought
#onthisday
60 years ago.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL- we now have a debate in parliament on the 26th February regarding the impact of affordability in Racing. A huge well done to
@ThomasKerrRP
and
@nickluck
for supporting the racing bodies in getting the message out and hitting 100k signatures in a month.
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Thank you to the wonderful team at
@FinancialTimes
for writing up such an excellent price on
@Fitzdares
ant out nee club...
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The quiet between lunch at dinner. The new pop-up
@Fitzdares
club in all its glory with world class racing from
@ChelmsfordCRC
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WOW! As someone in my office said,
@nickluck
could present the antique roadshow and it would be incredible. A brilliant interview and a brilliant episode.
Here you go: first 8 mins is John Gosden on Dettori.
Ep 520 - Dettori on Inspiral/Emily; Gosden explains all by Nick Luck Daily on
#SoundCloud
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In 5 mins (5.30 ish) I’m getting skewered live on Radio 4 about the government’s gambling white paper. Enjoy!
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This might be why the petition has slowed. Punters hate big bookies as much as politicians seem to. I'm starting to believe
@geoffbanksbet
when he says the big 3 firms actually want these affordability checks and create a casino/lottery model of punting in the UK.
Looking at the replies to this the big firms have clearly lost the room with their terrible behaviour over the last couple of years
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Wonderful to welcome our new ambassador and champion amateur jockey Mr David Maxwell back to racing. Sadly he got hoofed on his second race and is off-games for 8 weeks. We wish him a speedy recovery and are branding a neck brace at speed.
@Fitzdares
#thisgameainteasy
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A classic Fitzdares message but we have 3 places on a chopper from London (AKA Denham) to Cheltenham and back on Tuesday. £700pp but we will throw in some drinks at the Fitzdares Club on course...
@Fitzdares
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Very proud that our advert in the
@RacingPost
is both the funniest and best offer. I hope everyone has a lovely
@Ascot
@Fitzdares
#kissmyascot
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Thie irony of paying for this article is not lost on anyone...
Attendances at British racecourses last month were almost a third below their pre-Covid levels in the latest sign the cost of living crisis is taking a heavy toll on the sport
Read more with Members' Club Ultimate 👇
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OFFICIALLY THE MOST
@Fitzdares
TWEET OF ALL TIME.
We are currently experiencing deposit/withdrawal issues with Coutts bank cards.
Please bear with us while we work on this!
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Happy birthday to my wonderful wife. First present hasn’t landed as Well as I would have liked. Let’s see how the day pans out.
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Just been reading the evidence in Robert de Nero’s trial against his disgruntled assistant. The real gem is that his personal trainer (for Bob,aged 80) earns £264k a year. Repeat £264k a year. That’s £2k a squat.
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Well done to our (friendly) rivals
@StarSports_Bet
who are injecting new life into the bookie shop. I'm sure it is easy for the faceless executives in big bookies to cut their losses and move the nation online - but there is still a lot that loves a 'trip down to the bookies'.👋
👏 | CONGRATULATIONS ANGIE
We are delighted to announce that Star's Clapham betting shop manager Angie Denham (
@xangiex76
) has won a
@RacingPost
Betting Shop Champions award.
Congratulations to Angie, the other winners & all those whose work was recognised by tonight's awards.
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