Who is Nick Pullen?

Racing Angles is brought to you by Nick Pullen. But in case you're wondering exactly who he is? Where he came from? How he got to where he is today? And how his advice can transform your knowledge of horse racing and boost your betting success... Here's a bit of background.

Nick's early days...

Nick's deep-seated interest in horse racing and betting stretches all the way back to his childhood in the 1970s. Discarded copies of the Sporting Life salvaged from his Uncle George's fire basket began what has become a lifelong self-education process.

Library records from the early 1980s confirm that books on all-matters racing and betting formed a large part of the lad's staple diet. And he never missed the Saturday racing on World of Sport - Uncle George having introduced him to the weekly pleasure of losing on the ITV Seven accumulator.

"Rubstic was my first winner. Grand National day 1979. The race always fell close to my birthday and being allowed to have a punt was always part of the celebrations package. It was only 10p each-way but it felt like a fortune at the time. 25/1!! I've liked big prices ever since."

The school of hard knocks...

In the late 1980s regular Saturday afternoon attendance at the Congleton betting offices of Harold Penk esq became a feature of life. Great days, great laughs... but not good on the pocket. It was during this period Nick did a great deal of losing and, consequently, some of his most expensive learning.

"I used to go in there with Garry Snelson - still a big friend of mine. We'd have a couple of pints in the Bulls Head and punt our wages on the afternoon's racing across the road at Penk's. Not something I'd recommend now. They were good days. Some real characters. It was in there watching the local big-time Charlies that we learnt how not to go about it. But it took us some time and cost us some tin before things sank in. If we had enough left for a Saturday night on the town we were doing well."

In those days being seen leaving a betting shop was not much different from being seen slinking out of a massage parlour today. And Nick was often seen leaving the bookmakers - one time too often as it turned out. There's only so much family dishonour a mother will tolerate in silence. Mrs Pullen made it clear it was time to shape up and get serious about life or ship out...

Graduating...with honours

University proved to be a great education - though perhaps not the one intended. Were it possible Nick would have majored in horse-racing and punting. As it was he studied English - supplementing the classics of literature with the greats of the racing and betting canon. The racing press and the works of Mordin, Beyer, Coton, Rix, Ainslie, Davidowitz and Quinn, amongst others, received a great deal more attention and thought than his academic tutors thought healthy or appropriate.

The devil finds work for idle hands to do and a potent combination of too much spare time, regular grant cheques and a student loan facility was only ever going to lead in one direction. Nick haunted the racetracks of Northern England for three years - putting into practice the ideas he'd studied and testing the early incarnations of his own unique methods and systems.

"Party Politics winning the National was the high-point during that period. A huge horse, tailor made for the Aintree fences. The trainer had made it clear earlier in the season that the horse was being aimed specifically at the big one. 14/1 was a lovely price. I cheered it home in the public bar of The Steam Pig in Huddersfield. I don't remember getting home that night - but I haven't forgotten the hangover the next day. It was a bad one."

The hardest working punter on the South Coast...

Post-graduation Nick went into the publishing business - editing books and newsletters for a specialist publishing house on the South Coast. Later he went freelance. Escaping from the shackles of his 9-5 routine enabled him to spend the best part of seven years organizing his working week around the racing programmes at the South Coast tracks and producing a very healthy second income in the process.

"Lady Bear at Goodwood in August 2003 was pretty memorable. A big bet by my own standards - basically all in. The horse was drawn high - always an advantage over a mile down there. The official going was good but I was on course and it looked softer and suited to Lady Bear in my mind. I couldn't believe it when I saw some of the boards showing 16/1. Nashaab was drawn high too. I had a stake saver on that but it was unnecessary. Lady Bear never looked like losing. Happy days!"

As his rate of winning bets got more prolific and his systems more successful, Nick had a 'road to Damascus' moment. An idea began to form... Why didn't he take what he'd learnt on his ascent up the steep learing curve of race-betting - and use that knowledge to help other punters make the climb?

But before he could bring the idea to fruition, there was something very important he had to do. Nick reasoned it was in his interests to make one final investment of time and do a bit of dirty work....

Operating behind enemy lines...

In late 2002 Nick pitched up at the head-offices of a major bookmaker. The poacher was now working for the gamekeeper. From day one his intention was to observe the bookmaker's operation from the inside... and learn what he could of the bookmaking industry's secrets... working on the principle that to know your enemy is to know how to beat him.

Nick spent the next 5 years watching and listening and refining his methods in line with what he learnt from the day-to-day business and the like-minded, shrewd minds he met there.

"Only when you work for a bookie do you grow to realize where their weak spots are. At night they employ a skeleton staff - they're busy and they can miss a lot...forget things. You come to know what to look for and where and you circle like vultures - watching and waiting. Remember Capital Sports? They weren't around for long but while they were it was a case of make hay while the sun shone. They'd sometimes leave markets up way after the 'off'. I remember they often had American race markets still showing long after the races had finished. When it happened it was a case of get the result and then put the bet on. Fill your boots, son! Probably some trader out having a fag when he should've had his mind on the job. My account got closed down - along with quite a few others - once they cottoned on to what had happened. But it was a case of shutting the stable door after the horse had bolted. There's irony for you!"

It was a strangely enjoyable time and a good period to be behind enemy lines - the bookmaking industry enjoyed unprecedented activity, growth and expansion throughout the years he was in it. Nick observed an industry in the midst of transformation and evolution - and was perfectly positioned to learn from and capitalize on the bookmaker's new ways of working. Nick had caught the wind. Never had there been a more rewarding time to be working on the inside.

Emerging from the shadows...

In late 2004 Nick started to distribute his Racing Advisory - an eletter carrying picks based on the speed ratings, profiling methods and contrarian trend-spotting techniques he had spent years honing. 

The advisory's proudest moment came in 2006 when Mudawin was advised to win the Ebor at the princely price of 100/1 and duly obliged.

'It was another huge horse and I saw it win in a driving finish at Sandown earlier in the season over the same distance as the Ebor. On Ebor day the horse sneaked in at the bottom of the weights. It only had 9 stone on its back and I just felt it was too big at 100/1 and would be running on at the end. I advised it each-way. In some ways I felt entitled to the win having backed Sun Bird at 25/1 in the 2003 renewal and Gold Ring at 12/1 in 2004 only to see them both beaten into second. I have to say the Ebor is one of my favourite races."

Nick finds his spiritual home...

Early in 2007 Nick and his work came to the attention of the editorial team at Oxfordshire Press. It was a true meeting of minds. Nick was immediately retained and left the bookmaking industry in June 2007 to write 'Join the Lay Betting Revolution and Win Big Money from Losers' and to prepare the ground for his eletter service, Horse Racing Focus.

Which brings us nicely to the here and now. These days Nick combines his betting activity with full-time work on Horse Racing Focus and Racing Angles. Whether he's at the track, on the road or at his desk, he's working like a madman to bring his growing army of readers regular doses of cutting edge information, unique analysis and winning advice in what has to be the most entertaining and educational format in the business.

In short he's giving racing punters of all levels exactly what they need and just how they like it - straight from the horse's mouth.