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PW: Morning Tommie, and thanks for taking time out to come in today. I've been to visit your site stakeSpace.com and I was very excited you were able to come in and give our readers some background to "you" and also to your web site. Let's kick off the questions with How long have you been interested in horse racing and how did you get involved? TM: I didn’t appreciate horse racing until very late. My parents were always anti-gambling to say the least – I wasn’t even allowed a pack of cards in the house! So racing was very much discouraged. “People wi’ cards in the house’ll never ‘ave any money!” is an interesting quote from my childhood. As is “Horse racing? ‘t’sa mug’s game!” When I was about 18 one of my friends dropped out of university to be a professional gambler. I was intrigued – it sounded like a fun way to make a living, like easy money if I’m honest! (I guess we all think it’s easy at first, huh?) I wish I had a romantic memory of seeing a great race that got me hooked or an extremely lucky first bet on a plucky long-shot that came in - but sadly I’m far too logical for that! I just gradually started paying attention when racing was on TV, started peaking at the race cards, at some point I started buying the racing post and before I knew it I’d taken a job in the industry, read every book on racing/betting I could find and found myself obsessing over stats and watching every race every day. I didn’t ‘love’ horse racing until two things happened; I tried riding a horse and I went for a day at the races. I sincerely believe jockeys are the bravest and most skillful of sports people and I have the an awful lot of respect for them – riding a horse is genuinely petrifying! And what can beat the experience of a day’s racing? Whether it’s a sunny afternoon with friends in a box at York or a muddy day at Market Rasen on your own, you always remember the occasion even if you don’t find a bet. I love how horse racing brings people from all backgrounds together behind ‘our horse’. PW:What is the story behind your most memorable bet? TM: I don’t think I have an interesting story behind a horse racing bet, though I’ve pressed the wrong buttons on befair way too many times! I thought making money in-play would be a piece of cake when I found out about the time difference between ATR and SIS – and guess who had access to SIS all day, every day? Unfortunately for me my clumsiness and knack for backing the wrong horse or laying when I meant to back (or both!) ended my ‘free money’ dream! PW: Do you have any horse racing heroes? TM: Natalia Gemelova! PW: Which race-course do you visit most often, and why? TM: Well it tends to be the closest one - which means I used to go to Wolverhampton a lot! I’m just so happy I live closer to Windsor these days – so that’s where you find me on summer evenings. Sandown is probably my favorite course from a racing perspective – I love the ‘heart in mouth’ moment as your horse jumps the railway fences. PW: How did you get the idea for stakeSpace.com? TM: I was filling out my MySpace profile and I wanted to list ‘gambling’ and ‘horse-racing as interests. I just couldn’t do it because I’ve seen the way people look at me when I try to explain my love of horse-racing. I would guess we’ve all learnt not to speak too much to the uninitiated, especially about the betting side of things! I wanted to give us gamblers our own little place on the web that was more comprehensive than a basic forum. Hopefully free from too many ads, censorship and the banning of genuine users which I find annoying on sites I use regularly. PW: Can you tell us a bit more about the web site? TM: OK, you did ask! The site works in a similar way to other social networking sites. Sign up, create a profile and you can start creating your own community. You can join in the forums and chat rooms, start your own groups, network with likeminded people, store your photos, plan events, upload videos, watch videos, even write a blog or betting diary if you wish. PW: What will my readers gain most from visiting your web site? TM: The chance to be part of and shape a community however they like - in time I would expect there to be a huge knowledge base to tap into. It’s also a great way for anybody involved in the industry, like trainers, to communicate with the public. PW: Have you had good feedback from visitors and contributors so far? TM: It’s very early days but I haven’t had any bad feedback! Seriously, everyone seems impressed with the site so far, though I’d love to hear suggestions for new features. PW: Do you have any further projects on the drawing board? TM: I have some betfair API software I created and several betting spreadsheets/bots – I’m not sure if these will ever be released though. I’m also toying with the idea of a user generated form book. PW: Everybody is an expert in this game, and that’s what makes it so appealing, but is there any advice you can give my readers when it comes to making money on horse racing? TM: Ask everybody which horse they’re backing – THEN LAY THAT ONE! Learn to forgive a bad run, horses aren’t machines. If you feel nervous, excited or feel any emotion towards a bet what-so-ever then walk away from it. Be clinical, learn to switch your emotions off until the race starts. Learn to think in percentages! Then learn as much about probability and statistics as you can – the more you know the more you win. Read everything you can get your hands on – newspapers, books, blogs, even scientific papers! Don’t just watch racing, go racing. PW: So... what does the future hold for Tommie McDonald and stakeSpace? TM: Finally, my chance to dream; Hopefully I’ll own a St. Ledger winner (don’t ask!), stakeSpace will launch its own sports book (that won’t be afraid to take a view, won’t close accounts and won’t have any virtual racing!) and I’ll marry Kate Beckinsale. . . PW: Tommie, thank you so much for your time today, and we wish you all the best for the furue. Please come in and see us again soon to let us know how stakeSpace.com has grown.
Article Source: http://www.horseracingarticles.co.uk
Paul Whelan has been talking to Tommie McDonald of stakeSpace.com
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