Most racing statistics are a total waste of time for punters - take it from someone who's made their living out of the game

Of all the things I’m grateful for, the fact my parents brought me up to be respectful and polite is top of the list. Never would I have dreamed of calling their friends by their first name; they were either Mr and Mrs Hall or, if they were particularly close friends, Auntie Beryl and Uncle Tim. In fact, it wasn’t until I was closing in on my teens did I realise that neither Beryl nor Tim were related to me in any way. I found it all very confusing if I’m honest.

My courtesy has, hopefully, extended to people I disagree with when it comes to racing and betting. I would rather nod and say nothing than get into a full-scale debate of why I’m probably right.

However, there is one area where I do struggle to hold my tongue, and it’s when I must listen to anyone droning on, relentlessly, about irrelevant facts, systems and statistics. What I find staggering is that some people waste so much time working on them when they could be doing something more useful, like collecting deciduous leaves or spotting drain covers.