Ponybet CEO Jason Scott knows better than most that for a start-up bookmaker, weekends don’t just swing on volume, they swing on moments.
Different to large, established operators, Ponybet lives closer to the edge. A handful of big players, a few sharp results, and suddenly the ledger looks very different.
“Unlike the large established operators, a start-up book such as ours is heavily influenced by a handful of large players,” Scott said.
And this weekend delivered plenty of lessons.
“Two hours on Friday night and two hours on Saturday evening gave us plenty to think about, and made the holiday season more fruitful for our larger customers.”
Friday: Darts in the early hours, then night racing pain
Like the previous week, Friday started badly, and early.
“Friday commenced poorly with a result landing in the early hours,” Scott said. “This time it was darts. Scott Mitchell beating Robert Thornton cost us with one bet of $38,000 at $1.73 and had us on the back foot straight away.”
From there, Ponybet clawed its way back into the contest.
“We fought back and had a good lead until the night racing,” Scott said.
But the late programs across all three codes proved costly.
“We lost on all three codes on Friday night. It wasn’t just favourites either.”
A series of chunky bets landed.
“$3,000 on Hiatus at the Gold Coast at $8.50, $2,000 on Zulfqar at $12, and $5,000 at $4.40 on Better Eclipse at Gloucester Park.”
By the time the dust settled, the book had been pegged back.
“That saw us breaking even for the day.”
Saturday: A grind from start to finish
Saturday was no kinder.
“Saturday was a battle all day,” Scott said.
It began with an unraced two-year-old that proved anything but invisible to punters.
“Bjorn Baker’s unraced two-year-old Warwoven was a horrible result for us,” he said. “There was a plethora of bets between $1,500 and $5,000.”
Ponybet steadied briefly, but Melbourne provided another blow with another debutant, Unit Five, a rough result.
“Ciaron’s first starter was the only name we could write. It was dominant,” Scott said. “We took $10,000 at $2.80, $6,000 at $2.70 and a couple of $5,000 bets.”
There was at least one welcome miss, although early in the straight it seemed punters would strike again.
“Beast Mode not running out the 1000 metres was the best result for the book all day,” Scott said. “It killed a $10,000 bet at $2.80, less deductions, plus a stack of multis.”
Late meetings: favourites, Pike and nowhere to hide
As the afternoon rolled into evening, conditions worsened for bookmakers.
“The death knell on Saturday was the late meetings,” Scott said.
Ascot was brutal.
“William Pike rode a treble, and the quaddie paid under $300 in all states.”
One result stung more than most.
“He’s a Machino jumped $2.80 fixed, but there was a rogue $3.90 dividend on the NSW tote,” Scott said. “That was a nice Christmas present for a customer who had $7,500 on it.”
The pain didn’t stop there.
“Another $10,000 went on the last winner Apulia, the largest of multiple four-figure bets.”
Even Toowoomba offered little relief.
“Toowoomba didn’t see a winner over $6,” Scott said. “And that winner was trained by Currie and ridden by the ever-popular Bubba Tiley, so that was a loser as well.”
Sunday: Small bookies finally get a break
After two bruising days, Sunday brought a shift in fortune.
“The small bookies’ luck turned on Sunday,” Scott said. “It was a strong result for bookmakers.”
There was no over-analysis, just relief.
“Merry Christmas to all.”
For Ponybet, it was another reminder that in the start-up bookmaking world, margins are thin, swings are sharp, and weekends are rarely forgotten quickly.
