FREE ENTRY TO ROYAL RANDWICK ON BOOKMAKERS RECOGNITION DAY

23 April, 2025

The Australian Turf Club and NSW Bookmakers Cooperative will recognise bookmakers past and present at Royal Randwick this Saturday for the seventh annual Bookmakers Recognition Day.

General Admission entry is free courtesy of the NSW Bookmakers Cooperative for a ten-race card which has attracted 144 entries.

Four bookmakers – Neville Waters, Terry Marskell, Tom Bingle and Jeff Pendlebury – with more than 200 years of combined experience as licensed on-course operators will be formally recognised and have races named on Saturday in tribute.

Chairman of the NSW Bookmakers Cooperative David Dwyer said the four bookmakers along with their many colleagues across NSW added great colour and attraction to racedays.

“Bookmakers have been battling with punters across NSW for more than 150 years, providing that unique colour and excitement that only being on course can match,’’ Mr Dwyer said.

“The Sydney betting ring is still the strongest in Australia and offers punters big and small the most competitive odds of anywhere.

“Some of the bookmakers honoured on Saturday have also travelled vast distances in their careers to offer punters an on course service in country towns and at picnic meetings.

“We are pleased to join with the ATC and thank the Club for recognising the important role that bookmakers provide on racedays all year round.’’

Australian Turf Club Head Of Racing and Wagering Nevesh Ramdhani said bookmakers were an essential part of a day at the track.

“We are delighted to again recognise how important bookmakers are for the on-course experience by formally recognising four men who have added so much to racing,’’ Mr Ramdhani said.

“The ATC continues to offer punters the best value in wagering with the strongest betting ring in the country that gives punters a chance to get on for the biggest amounts at the best odds.

“We thank the NSW Bookmakers Cooperative in adding to the value of the day and sponsoring the free entry for customers.’’

Full fields for Saturday’s Royal Randwick are available here and full TAB markets for all races are here.

NEVILLE WATERS

Neville commenced as a bookmaker in 1973, registered in the Hunter and North West Racing Association.

Initially fielding across thoroughbred meetings throughout the region at tracks such as Armidale, Tamworth and Inverell, Neville also had a passion for the trots and worked harness meetings at the same venues, as well as some greyhound races.

Bookmaking has been largely a hobby with the country cup and carnival meetings being particularly attractive to Neville. Towns with long standing events such as Deep Water (racing for160 years running) and Glen Inness have featured in his yearly calendar. An annual highlight was the Wallabadah New Years Day meetings, a picnic event that ran for 170 years drawing crowds of over 5,000 before having to cease in 2021.

Neville has also been a regular attendee at country carnivals such as Grafton and Coffs Harbour throughout the years.

Although declaring himself to be a “careful bookie”, Neville has also been one to base his judgements on his reading of the form rather than the mathematics. Most races he will have, and bet based on, an opinion…somewhat risky at times!

Bookmaking has also been a team game for Neville, with his wife working alongside him as his clerk throughout much of his fielding career.

The Australian Turf Club recognises Neville’s significant contribution to racing across his 52 years and wishes him well into the future.

TERRY MARSKELL

Terry commenced fielding as a bookmaker in 1968, initially fielding at greyhound meetings in the Western Districts before moving on to thoroughbreds in the mid-1970s.

Working on the land as his primary occupation – shearing sheep and then as a grazier/farmer – Terry has been a member of the NSW Bookmakers Co-Op for over 45 years. Though he has regularly fielded at the western districts tracks of Muswellbrook, Scone, Mudgee etc he has also had a particular liking for the non-TAB meetings where the importance of the bookmaking services on-course was elevated.

Country carnival meetings at venues such as Grafton have also been a highlight throughout his time on the stand.

Terry has been happy to enjoy his time in the industry with his wife Gail, who first acted as a clerk for him before they expanded to breeding and owning their own horses. And although there was no direct family link to Terry taking up the bag…as he says, “I just liked gambling”…he was also quick to get his children involved as clerks when they could, with a proud moment being his daughter Rebecca taking up the bag for a period.

The Australian Turf Club recognises Terry’s significant contribution to racing across his 57 years and wishes him well into the future.

TOM BINGLE

Tom commenced fielding as a bookmaker in 1967, initially harness meetings at Londonderry before moving to thoroughbreds at provincial tracks in 1975. In 1986 he was offered a stand in the outer ring at Randwick and in 1989 was promoted to the rails where he remained for over a decade. He now fields at Kembla Grange.

Initially trained in accountancy, it was a bookmaking uncle who got Tom to the track, convincing authorities to allow him to begin as clerk while aged only 18 (21 being the limit). Finding on course to be “more fun”, Tom soon ditched accountancy to focus on a different set of books.

Although loving racing (he confesses it’s “always been his sport”) Tom has based his bookmaking on the mathematical angle of building a book rather than using his opinions. This hasn’t always been the best method with, for example, his correct tip for the 1991 Melbourne Cup duly saluting (Let’s Elope) yet still being the worst result on the race!

A NSW Bookmakers Co-Op member for decades, in 1999 Tom worked to try and garner support from bookmakers across Australia for the continuation of fractional odds displays rather than the switch to decimal. Despite his efforts this was ultimately unsuccessful, the result being that bookmakers lost a point of difference with the TAB.

The Australian Turf Club recognises Tom’s significant contribution to racing across his 58 years and wishes him well into the future.

JEFF PENDLEBURY

Jeff commenced fielding as a bookmaker in 1968, coincidentally his 24th birthday. Initially working the dog meetings in the Hunter Valler and Central Coast, he soon decided to make bookmaking his full-time career and commenced on thoroughbreds at Newcastle. His first Newcastle Gold Cup meeting in 1969 (won by Maigret) was also the day his first daughter was born.

In 1984 Jeff began fielding at all Sydney tracks. From Leger and Paddock stands he quickly moved to the Rails and has remained there to this day, certainly Sydney’s, and quite possibly Australia’s, longest serving Rails bookie.

Jeff has always operated as a genuine ‘bookmaker’ rather than a punter, aiming to lay all runners equally and pay the minimum out. His philosophy has been to believe that “every horse he lays will lose” though this theory isn’t guaranteed, sometimes having to rely on 100/1 shots like Prince of Penzance stealing the Melbourne Cup from a VERY heavily laid Max Dynamite!

With his interest in racing coming from his parents, keen racegoers who he accompanied to the track from a young age, it was no surprise that Jeff involved his four daughters in the great game. With all clerking for him, and two going on to field as bookmakers in their own right, there was certainly a case of ‘breaking the mould’ given the male dominated industry.

Still enjoying his time at the track, one of Jeff’s favourite sayings is that “I retired from work when I was 24 and have spent the rest of my life going to the races”.

The Australian Turf Club recognises Jeff’s significant contribution to racing across his 57 years and wishes him well into the future.

AUSTRALIAN TURF CLUB MEDIA CONTACT:            Brett de Vine             0419 613 455 

bdevine@theATC.com.au