I was honoured to be asked to act as a guest contributor to The Irish Field.

This paper is one of the 23 publications I purchase every week. My musings in this monthly column will be point-to-point orientated, with a few personal views thrown in. I have strong views on the funding of the horseracing and greyhound racing industries; however, these are for another day.

I make a book at all the Eastern and Western meetings, holding prominent positions at most, which I have built up over 38 years. I make an odd foray into the Southern circuit when there are no clashes with my home meetings.

During these 38 years, I have met and dealt with a multitude of people with whom I have built friendships, business associations and people I can have a good conversation with concerning all things pertaining to racing between the flags. The social aspects of point-to-point meetings are important.

Point-to-point racing has changed quite a bit in these years. My maiden voyage as a bookmaker was at Oldcastle. I reckon there were a minimum of 30 bookmakers plying their trade on that day. These were the times of no Sunday racing and, of course, there were no betting shops open. It goes beyond saying that there was no such thing as a personal computer or the internet and all that they have brought to the gambling world. From memory, the ring was busy. The one thing I do remember for definite is that I lost £600 at that meeting. I will never forget that.

Mention of Oldcastle reminds me that I have seen some great horses running there. Two who spring to mind are Silver Buck, who went on to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup, and Our Vic, who won the four-year-old maiden at Oldcastle.

Talking of changes, the average number of bookmakers attending meetings nowadays is between 12 and 14, and I believe that the ring is still fairly competitive. I realise that we don’t bet to the percentages that prevail on Irish racecourses. However, a lot of races we are dealing with contain horses who have not yet run, thus we are in the dark.

Taking a view that a lot of horses are merely schooling, we have to feel our way gently.

Tuesdays at 2pm is an important time for me as that’s when the entries for the following weekend’s meetings are published. The weekly point-to-point formbook usually arrives to me by Thursday.

This early information and data is priceless to me as tools for forming an opinion and pricing up races. I strive to price all races early at the meetings I attend.

Racecourse and point-to-point bookmakers now use electronic lightboards rather than blackboards and chalk. One wonders if this takes from the atmosphere as we still use the old method at the dogs and I think it adds to the product of greyhound racing.

On Irish Champions Weekend last month we also had the final of the Boylesports.com Derby on the Saturday night. Shelbourne Park was heaving that evening and I can safely say I would not have been able to handle my take with the computer. However, computers and lightboards are here to stay.

Bernard Barry is an on-course bookmaker at point-to-points in the Eastern and Western regions