Thunder Star Horse

Each to his own. Know the old saying? In a way, it sums up betting. Some punters like to bet for a win, others for a place, still others love the quinellas or trifectas, or doubles. It's all a mat...

Victoria can proudly boast many of the best country racetracks in Australia. Quite a number of them offer spacious, testing courses which offer every runner a chance. The best courses, in my opi...

I’ve spent years trying to beat the TAB and bookies and I’ve lost my bank more times than I can remember. There have been a few big wins; as many as a man with only three fingers could count on ...

The late Don Scott once wrote that the best form of exotic betting is the trifecta. I think he was right. Don said picking a trifecta winning bet was a test of skill rather than a game of chance. ...

Greyhound racing is probably the best system under which a punter in Australia can risk - or rather, invest - his hard earned dough. To my way of thinking there is nothing so good as a standout "...

Can any Practical Punting Monthly readers remember back to the 'dark' days before 1985, when there wasn't such a magazine as this? Doesn't bear thinking about, does it? In those bygone days, punt...

I went back to July 1990 for this month's "back to beyond" source material. The Optimist was still writing the same patter then as he is now. Fifteen years ago, give or take a few months, he was...

This is the final month of our trip back through the history of the past 20 or so years in this series. I left you last month with the promise that we'd pick up where we left off. So where exactl...

I have been lucky over the years to make many good friends in racing. Some of them are involved professionally. One of my closest friends is a top Sydney racing journalist, whilst others bet often...

June 1986. And my goodness, what a long time ago it seems now. I suppose that a fair percentage of my readers were still in school! I pulled this copy of PPM out of my archival vault and I flicked...

This is my first article in a new series. You, the readers, will hopefully write to Equestrian, and indicate some of your favourite "Optimist" articles from the past 20 years. You will determine...

This is the final article in our three-part series in which PPM. experts Statsman, Jon Hudson and The Optimist discuss their approaches to selecting and staking. Statsman: I'd like us to talk no...