'Get shop managers to operate helpdesks on course to aid racegoers' JOB IN FOCUS PAT COONEY RACING PRO, bet365.

How long have you been in your present role?

I joined Bet365 in 2001. What did you do before? I was at Ladbrokes head office, initially as an odds compiler, before moving into the trading department. This was during the legendary Cyril Stein era, and both he and John Thomson, the ante-post manager, remain the two most influential people I've ever met in the business. Their methods and attention to detail have stayed with me.

How did you get interested in betting? Going greyhound racing at White City with my dad during the late 70s as a young lad. To this day, it's still my favourite sport. I then started going to Windsor on a Monday night. In those days the last race was always a non-handicap. I soon figured out that the favourite always seemed to win it, so would let all the other races go by, before lumping on!

What is your favourite day's racing and why? Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe day at Longchamp. Great racing and a fantastic atmosphere. What was your best bet?

Shergar at 8-1 for the Derby after he'd just won the Classic Trial at Sandown. He remains the biggest certainty for a race I've ever known.

And your worst? Three days after Shergar won the Derby, I was convinced a French filly called Tropicaro would win the Oaks. I put all my winnings on her at 8-1 and watched in horror as she failed to act around the track and was tailed off. I learnt a lot about life that week! Any hard-luck stories? In 1989, I had an ante-post Yankee on Nashwan to win both the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby, Musical Bliss to win the 1,000 Guineas and Snow Bride to win the Oaks. The record books show that all four won, but Snow Bride was only second to Aliysa on the day, and was only awarded the race a few months later. The difference was over six figures. What races do you find hardest to price up? Three-year-old handicaps at the start of the turf season - their juvenile form is no guide at all. Also, any race where a horse has been handicapped on minimal form. Surely you should only get a handicap mark if you finish within a certain distance of the winner, say eight lengths? Do you ever look at the exchanges when pricing up a race?

At Bet365 all races are priced up by 9.30am when liquidity is low, so it's of little use at that stage. Ante-post drifters are more significant and likely non-runners are usually accurate, if unethical.

What are your views on arbers? Not for me. They are like ticket touts. They have no interest in the event but nick a few quid by jumping the queue.

If you could change one thing about racing what would it be? Betting is just too complicated for the novice racegoer at the track. I would hire good shop managers to operate several helpdesks on the course, so that newcomers can have bets explained to them. The jargon needs rebranding, for example we all talk about Tattersalls Rule 4 when there is a non-runner, but does anyone know what Rules 1, 2 or 3 are? Also, at these helpdesks, all on-course bookmakers would leave details of their each-way terms for that day's racing.

What developments do you envisage in the immediate future of the betting world? Why do we have early-closing handicap races when weights are published many weeks before the race? Ante-post betting is minimal on these races, simply because the draw bias and going isn't known. It was ridiculous to have a 13-8 favourite in Bankable for last year's Royal Hunt Cup because of this system. Turnover on the day of the race was considerably down on previous years. Why not wait until the five-day stage? Punters are far more interested in handicaps where we bet 10-1 the field, which there would be more of, and more turnover and levy is generated.

CAPTION(S):

Pat Cooney: thinks betting is too complicated for novice racegoers