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The late Jeffrey Bernard, who died on September 4, 1997, aged 65, was an English journalist who is probably best remembered for his weekly column ‘Low Life’ in ‘The Spectator’, which he was commissioned to write by editor Alexander Chancellor in 1978. An inveterate, and largely unrepetant, alcoholic, gambler and womaniser for most of his adult life, Bernard was nonetheless a sharp, witty writer.

His exploits became the stuff of legend, not least because of the play ‘Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell’ by Keith Waterhouse, which opened at the Apollo Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue in October, 1989, with Peter O’Toole in the title role. The title of the play refers to the notice that would appear in ‘The Spectator’ – on a blank page, or next to a cartoon – on the numerous occasions when Bernard was too drunk, or too ill, to write his column.

What, I hear you ask, does this have to do with horse racing? Well, on October 3, 1970, Bernard began writing what would become a hugely popular column in the ‘Sporting Life’, in which he shared his thoughts on his favourite topics, including women, drinking, gambling and eccentric Lambourn trainer Doug Marks, with whom he later owned a racehorse. Bernard later said of his column, ‘The punters identified with it because I took the piss out of racing people. They’re terribly self-important.’

His tenure as a ‘Life’ columnist lasted just a year, mainly due to his proclivity for drinking to excess – at least a bottle and a half of vodka every day – but, later in his career, in 1983, he was recruited by Alistair Down, on behalf of the ‘Sporting Life Weekender’, to do a similar job for the fledgling paper. In inimitable style, Bernard once wrote of the bookmaking fraternity, ‘The survival of bookmakers is a matter of deep concern to me and I spend sleepless nights worrying about them. I give them whatever I can, but I’m afraid it isn’t enough. You see, I love bookmakers. I love the way they shout and I love the way they smile when they see me coming.’

The late Lester Piggott, who died in Switzerland on May 29, 2022, aged 86, rode a total of 4,493 winners in Britain, including a record 30 Classic winners. However, the man affectionately known as ‘The Long Fellow’ does not hold the record for winners of the St. Leger. That distinction belongs to William ‘Bill’ Scott, who rode nine winners of the Doncaster Classic in the first half of the nineteenth century, although Piggott was arguably unlucky not to equal the record. In 1954, Piggott won the Derby on Never Say Die, trained by Joseph Lawson, but was subsequently suspended for six months for his riding of the same horse in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot. In his absence, Never Say Die won the St. Leger by a record 12 lengths under Charlie Smirke.

Notwithstanding the one that got away, Piggott rode eight winners of the St. Leger, namely St. Paddy (1960), Aurelius (1961), Ribocco (1967), Ribero (1968), Nijinsky (1970), Athens Wood (1971), Boucher (1972) and Commanche Run (1984). Of course, Nijinsky was the last horse to complete the British Triple Crown.

Perhaps the most memorable of the eight winners, though, was the last, Commanche Run, trained by Luca Cumani, in 1984. Piggott had replaced Cumani’s stable jockey, Darrel McHargue, who was suspended, on Commanche Run when winning the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood earlier in the season and, controversially, did so again, at the behest of owner Ivan Allen, in the St. Leger. Sent off 7/4 favourite in a field of eleven, Commanche Run took up the running plenty soon enough, with over half a mile to run, but stayed on bravely to win by a neck, therby giving Piggott the Classic winner he needed to beat the previous record, 27, set by Frank Buckle in 1827.

Horse racing is a highly competitive event defined by opulence, socialising, and the thrill of risk.

 

Within its backdrop is a beautiful meld of elegance and ferocious gameplay, a combination that keeps horse lovers and high rollers hooked on the thrill of which equine will cross the finish line.

 

Such a harmonious contrast also exists in the card game realm, particularly Pusoy. Also known as Filipino poker, the card game is known for its fierce yet fun gameplay accompanied by high stakes.

 

You might even say that the horse track is a giant poker table, where jockeys, trainers, and spectators place their odds on the best aces in every high-stakes match.

 

Added to that, Pusoy rules mirror many facets of horse racing regulations. Let’s explore these parallels and find out what ties the track and table together.

 

How does the horse track mirror Pusoy?

Below is a detailed breakdown of the qualities horse racing shares with Filipino poker:

Bluffing vs. Misdirection (Form vs. Performance)

Bluffing is a hallmark tactic in poker. Master Pusoy players learnt to feign their strength or weakness to bait opponents into folding or calling.

In horse racing, bluffing is known as misdirection. The same principle applies, wherein trainers sometimes switch jockeys or enter a horse in lower-tier races to mislead rival stables.

With this tactic, opponents may deem a horse weak based on past results, but behind the scenes, it is peaking for a legendary performance.

Both competitive fields employ the subtle yet effective art of bluffing. Playing a weak set or horse early on entraps opponents into thinking you are losing—and if you play your cards right, you’ll read past their moves and shatter their demeanour with your strongest aces.

 

Variance and Risk

Pusoy and horse racing hinge on variance and risk. Expert poker players might go all in with pocket aces and still be beaten by their rivals’ luck; elite and favoured horses can still stumble, start slow, or get sick.

With this, spectators have learnt to be intentional with their bankroll management; if their favourite horses aren’t capable of racing at the moment, they have to consider their next best options to make strategic wagers.

In poker, players need to take calculated risks, even if they have the strongest cards. Sometimes, being self-aware of when to go all in or when to hold back will save you from chasing devastating losses.

At the same time, games with risk and variance mean you need to expect short-term losses when pursuing long-term gains.

 

Reading the Field or Table

Savvy wagerers don’t take the horse track or poker table at face value.

For instance, race enthusiasts don’t just analyse if a horse is fast and strong—they scrutinise the field, evaluate the running styles of each horse, understand which performs better on turf vs. dirt, and learn who sets the pace in every race.

Similarly, in Pusoy, players take control of the table by reading their opponents, specifically which player is close to finishing their cards or who is waiting for the right time to drop their straight or royal flushes.

Reading the table also means sizing up which players are aggressive and which ones are cagey. That way, they’ll learn when to go all-in or hold back and modify their strategies to suit the current state of the game.

 

Skill vs. Luck

The skill vs. luck debate is as prevalent in horse racing as it is in poker. Whichever side you’re on, both are seminal to winning.

In horse racing, the strongest and most experienced horses are likely to outperform novice or newly entered ones; seasoned wagerers also have an edge over casual high rollers as they’re aware of the potential factors influencing every race.

In Pusoy, players are likely to win by making more statistically sound decisions. That said, they will only become wiser players if they learn from their past mistakes and find opportunities to refine their strategies.

But while skill brings players so far, luck is still a crucial factor. Remember, even the best card combinations can still lose, and the strongest horse can still falter.

The bottom line is you can’t always control the cards or the track, but you can control and modify your decisions.

 

Stud Horses and Stud Poker

“Stud” is another linguistic parallel between the track and the table. However, it is used differently in each field:

• Stud Poker—A variant where some cards are dealt face-up and some are face-down. What makes this game more exciting is that it requires memory, observation, and strategic wagering.
• Stud Horse—A prized stallion used for breeding and typically a champion in previous races.

While “stud” has a different meaning in each field, pedigree is what ties them together. A race is defined by the bloodline of a stud horse; hale and hearty breeds signal future success.

In poker, a player’s “pedigree” is their play style and track record. When combined with powerful cards, they’ll have the aces needed to dominate the table.

 

Final Thoughts: The Track and Table are Big Game Boards

Both horse racing and Pusoy entail playing a game of risk, control, and perception.

The former is filled with horses hiding their peak performance, while the latter has players concealing their true intentions and game-breaking strategies.

Added to that, both require keen observation, emotional discipline, and the courage to get back up despite dissuasions—and even when the odds are dubious.

So next time you wager on a horse, remember that you’re not just betting on an animal; you’re playing your hand at one big, living Pusoy table.

 

Rewinging a couple of years, after 35 years in the saddle, Lanfranco ‘Frankie’ Dettori is moving into the final few months of his racing career. The three-time champion jockey is expected to ride for the last time in Britain on British Champions Day at Ascot in October, 2023, before moving on to the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita Park, California in early November and saying his final farewell at the Melbourne Cup Carnival at Flemington, Victoria a few days later. I wonder if he gave aussie pokies a go whilst there?

Numerically, Dettori enjoyed his most successful season in 1994, when he was in the first year of his retainer with Godolphin, the thoroughbred breeding and racing operation founded by Sheikh Mohammed, Ruler of Dubai, and won his first jockeys’ title, with 233 winners. Highlights of his inaugural season in the now famous royal blue silks included winning the Lockinge Stakes on Emperor Jones, the Oaks on Balanchine and the Yorkshire Oaks on Only Royale, with the latter trained his former mentor, Luca Cumani. However, his total prize money for the season amounted to just £2.8 million.

By contrast, Dettori enjoyed his most successful season, financially, in 2019, six years after parting company with Godolphin and serving a six-month ban, imposed by the French governing body, France Galop, after testing positive for a banned substance, later revealed to cocaine, at Longchamp in September, 2012. In 2019, Dettori only rode 66 winners, but from just 255 rides, at a strike rate of 26% – the highest of his career – and enjoyed what the Americans might call a ‘lollapalooza’, with £7.4 million in prize money on British soil alone. He won the Oaks on Annapurna, trained by JohnGosden, and continued a hugely profitable association with the ten three-time champion trainer until the end of the season. Other Group 1 highlights included the Coral-Eclipse, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Yorkshire Oaks on Enable, the Gold Cup and Goodwood Cup on Stradivarius and the St. Leger on Logician.