There are many who profess to have the answer, but it is the individuals themselves (YOU) who hold the key. Very few gamblers can genuinely call themselves a professional punter because by the very nature of this business, they can be drawn into sloppy betting habits or irregular staking. Chasing lost money is the biggest downfall of most punters and there is not a gambler amongst us (myself included) who has not fallen foul of that cardinal sin at one time or another.

Aaah, what might have been..... Myself and a couple of friends, pushed the boat out in 2005 paying a queens ransom for a striking 4yr old gelding called Charming Fellow. Henrietta Knight (pictured left) was hopeful he was going to be her next superstar as he was bought from Tom Costello in Ireland (the same source as Best Mate). We lived the dream for a while and he was housed in the stable directly between Best Mate & Edredon Bleu! Unfortunately, he had a Rolls Royce engine inside Fiat Punto legs and we just could not keep him sound. He was a lovely horse and I am pleased to say he is now being well cared for by Point to Point trainer Andrew Sampson in Leicestershire.

Who ate all the pies! Mick Quinn (pictured right) is a real character of the sporting world and an absolute diamond of a guy. He has trained several horses for me over the years including the two racing club horses Bookiebasher Dude & Bookiebasher Babe. He has trained six 2nds for me but as yet, we havent hit the back of the net. Mick says its because my colours are the blue & white of the other sin in my life.........Everton!

My Dad (pictured left) introduced me to racing and he is the one man I shall always look up to, both inside & outside of the equine world. He has himself owned horses since the early 70s and he gave me my first taste of ownership when he gave me a small share in a horse called Shay (trained by Mel Brittain) when I was just 23yrs old. We had an almighty touch on Shay first time out at Doncaster as a 3yr old back in 1988, and it is a day I shall never forget. I returned home with my pockets literally bursting at the seems and given that I got married the following year, I think it is fair to say Shay paid the deposit on our first house! Having himself dealt with numerous trainers over the years, my Dad is the person who taught me never to trust anything but my own eyes when it comes to putting my money down, and as always, he was 100% correct. Even with Shay, we had travelled up to Mel Brittains stables in Yorkshire the week before in order that we could see for ourselves how he was performing on the gallops. My Dad was (and still is) a fine judge of a horse and the moment he started asking MY opinion on the outcome of a race, was the precise moment I knew I could make it as a professional gambler.

I could bore you with pages upon pages about my life and involvement with horse racing. However, I am not someone who feels comfortable with the perception that I am somehow trying to boast and it is very difficult to talk about my experiences without appearing to do precisely that! I created the frequently asked questions (FAQ) section of the web site in order that I could answer specific questions which have been sent to me over the years, so please check them out. In the meantime, this is a small snippet of my racing life in words & pictures.

For the past 10+ years I have been nicknamed the bookie basher by my friends or just basher for short, so it was a no brainer for me when it came to deciding the name of the web site I launched in 2005. The bookiebasher.com continues to offer a specialist LAY advisory service and I am very proud that it is nationally recognised as being one of the UKs most profitable Lay advisory services. I launched the bookiebasher racing club in 2006 and we enjoyed a terrific day of hospitality at Southwell racecourse in January 2007 when we celebrated the clubs first social gathering of its members (pictured below).

If you are reading this Web Site, then just like me, you are a gambler. We do not enjoy the greatest displays of affection (or publicity) in the big wide world of finance, and mortgage lenders run for cover when you write professional gambler down in the column marked profession! To be fair, who can blame them? Putting the word professional in front of gambler is a classy way of glorifying an out of work pub dweller who does little more than spend his day sitting in the local Ladbrokes, flittering away his dole money! I try not to talk too much in terms of being better at my job than others, because I do not believe it is my place to do so. That it is a matter for you to decide. I do however, take pride in the near fanatical approach I have to horse racing. With this pride comes a desire to become the very best at I what I do, and I therefore feel a tipping service should be considerably more than just names of horses on an email. When you sign up to membership of David George Racing, you sign up to a piece of ME! Please read the FAQs, which will hopefully answer all you need to know about my gambling, my commitment & my service.

Tony Newcombe (pictured above) has not enjoyed the greatest of success in recent years but in his prime, he was one of the best small trainers in the country. He trained a lovely mare for myself & my good pal Tony Newby (called Effervescent) and she too, landed a lovely punt for us at Southwell back in 2001.

I am not one of these high profile gamblers because I do have other business interests and I am just a working family man whos principle job is perhaps a little more unusual than most. I have however, been consulted as a form analyst by several trainers over the years, and they have become accustomed to the fact that I am not the least bit interested in receiving a tip from them! I also sometimes offer my services at corporate days, in which I address the clients guests about my life as a gambler as well as provide my opinion on the days card.