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licklick    365 posts
West Australian Racing
Is the little fella commonly known as The Penguin still around. Seems haven’t seen him for a few years. Used to pester the bookies who didn’t seem to mind.
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  • thefalconthefalcon    20,471 posts
    shane? dunno where he is...harmless little con man..always got a coke outa me...

    jum likes this post.

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  • psychopsycho    870 posts
    Seen him this year (2018) gives me the shits but as I am a tolerant I hope he is OK, maybe

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  • Ridersonthestorm33Ridersonthestorm33    10,930 posts
    Sean/Shawn. Not Shane.

    VillageKid likes this post.

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  • SLIPPERGOLDENSLIPPERGOLDEN    8,413 posts
    thefalcon said:

    always got a coke outa me...

    Coca Cola I presume

    PackedMetalPanda, Ridersonthestorm33 likes this post.

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  • SLIPPERGOLDENSLIPPERGOLDEN    8,413 posts
    edited May 2018
    The Penguin was well known but Holy Bookmaker's Ring there were many jokers accompanying him
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  • jumjum    3,580 posts
    Fuuuck he used to make me laugh when I was just a pup in the ring at GP and Ascot the next day.

    Offthebit likes this post.

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  • SLIPPERGOLDENSLIPPERGOLDEN    8,413 posts
    edited May 2018
    I don't know if any of you met up with her but in the late 70s and early to mid 80s was one regular woman at Gloucester Park (never saw her at the races) that was a character and made me laugh. She was an old duck with a Yorkshire accent and her regular comment after every race in her strong native accent was " I wood have backed that woon"

    I had the courtesy and never had the heart to ask her why she didn't.

    She would be long gone and may she rest in peace. Even today on the odd occasion I quote her using the same accent.

    Ridersonthestorm33, JayJay likes this post.

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  • bradybrady    1,463 posts
    The pain in the **** Penguin
    Was at Ascot on Good Friday

    therealkramer likes this post.

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  • GilgameshGilgamesh    5,004 posts
    Not hard to miss, still has the same shoes, pants, shirt and goofy look he had 15yrs ago. And possitive demeanour!

    Very much alive and seems well, the local is all the better for it O:-)

    therealkramer, jum likes this post.

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  • paraleticparaletic    3,750 posts
    Is she still rocking the dunlop's with the double valcro straps?

    hash, jum likes this post.

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  • jumjum    3,580 posts
    paraletic said:

    Is she still rocking the dunlop's with the double valcro straps?

    This made me Laugh out Loud Para
    :))

    paraletic likes this post.

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  • psychopsycho    870 posts
    Hair still combed straight forward and $2 glue on moustache not shaved for 40 years

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  • hashhash    7,495 posts
    I think it was an on going joke but it was said that he used to box up the whole field in a quinella :))
    Pretty sure it was a piiss take but a classic one nonetheless
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  • thefalconthefalcon    20,471 posts
    leave the guy alone, he had an accident as a youngster that caused the problems...
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  • hashhash    7,495 posts
    everyone around the traps knows of the penguin, I don’t think any of the comments made so far have been below the belt.
    No one has an issue with him, he’s a good thing for the ring as he used to add a bit of humour for us at his own expense
    I used to love the way he’d bag out certain jockeys after each race he’d lost calling it rigged or so and so was riding for the bookies.
    He must have clocked up some kms over the years catching the bus too, good lad he was and absolutely harmless

    JayJay, curmudgeon, spinking, Ngawyni, RIO, jum, therealkramer, Offthebit, savethegame, LuckyLongshots likes this post.

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  • spinkingspinking    3,996 posts

    The absence of some of these characters is what is making a day at the races even more boorish now. with the decline of the bookies ring In recent years we have also noticed a decline in the jokers that went with it . Any one remember mad Mark another whos antics had me and mates in stitches if you didn't know him you would have sworn he was nutts. Just a punter who took it to heart,

    curmudgeon likes this post.

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  • hashhash    7,495 posts
    Probably before my time but was he banned off the tracks for abusing or threatening a jockey and did a certain jockey in question fire back one day and almost give it to him over the fence lol??
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  • licklick    365 posts
    More atmosphere on the moon or a funeral parlour than a bookies ring these days. Uncompetitive no characters just nuffink.

    RIO, detonator, spinking likes this post.

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  • Ridersonthestorm33Ridersonthestorm33    10,930 posts
    edited May 2018
    Spink...Mad Mark was legendary , if he said 'I'm going to throw myself off the grandstand' ...you were more surprised if he didn't. Blood pressure only new one direction - sky rocketing.

    Listened to many a punter give a jockey a spray, but Mark was the only one to give the hoop a serve after they'd travelled about 100 metres! A few times would say, he's not in a bad spot Mark, but was to no avail and just let him go.

    In movies or real life we have all seen a big lucky winner in gambling throw some of his/her money into the air, well Mark in the Tab one day is the only guy ever known to throw $20 and $50 notes into the air after a loss! He hurriedly walked away, his fists clenching the form guide, after what he considered a poor ride proclaiming.."it's got nothing to do with the money", as everybody else in the Tab looked at 20s and 50s drifting into space before dropping to the ground. Mark takes off into the street, comes back after several minutes and dosent even mention the money!
    At the time it was a case of I've seen everything.

    The good thing with Sean and Mark though, sometimes they said what we were thinking.

    spinking, TheDiva, jum, paraletic likes this post.

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  • spinkingspinking    3,996 posts
    As yoy say riders seen him give them a spray after the barriers had opened , the bloke was pure joy to watch in full flight. I have seen him headbutt the tab boards in the old Ascot tab in the days when the fields were pinned to the boards and you had to look at the good form upside down sometimes because the horse you wanted to read up on was on the reverse side of the paper. Mark drove myself and Pat Love to the Bunbury cup the year Feverish and I think it was Hard Act deadheated the funniest two hours I have spent in a motor car

    TheDiva, Ridersonthestorm33 likes this post.

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  • SquiddySquiddy    93 posts
    Used to be a regular at the left bank aswell, not sure if he still is as i havent been there in years. Was a good bloke to have a chat with

    Ridersonthestorm33 likes this post.

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  • RodentRodent    7,446 posts
    Was "mad Mark" jockey sized? I remember a bloke like that in Sydney in the late 80's/early 90's.

    Ridersonthestorm33 likes this post.

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  • thefalconthefalcon    20,471 posts
    speaking of lunatic punters...anyone ever seen brad hardie go off? I've seen him scream and yell and chuck chairs at the old hyde park TAB. used to go right off his scull.
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  • spinkingspinking    3,996 posts
    Yes Rodent he certainly was jockey size. Story goes as told by Adrian the ace Williams (so don't know if it could be believed or not ) that Mark held up the races at Randwick one day up on the roof of the stand threatening to jump . Pretty close top what Riders said above

    Ridersonthestorm33 likes this post.

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  • ElitistElitist    366 posts
    Bring back the Irish?/Scottish? fella who would cheer "Harvey Harvey" in the ring every time the Pontiff lifted another one over the line.
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  • sonnysonny    1,538 posts
    Yep  Rodent. He was in Sydney and used to kick bins and hang around a red headed guy with a beard. He used walk around saying F...F... . He also the sole protester when Parra lost  a final . Max Presnell gave him a mention as a colourful character when interviewed. I don't  recall the Randwick incident. He came to wa and teamed up with Jack .. ..... .

    Ridersonthestorm33 likes this post.

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  • buffybuffy    277 posts
    A few people on here have mentioned the Penguin and how harmless he was !  Should ask Chooky Kersley how harmless he was the night Penguin ran the coin down the sides of his car at GP  and caused thousands of dollars damage. Or the night he abused a couple of guys continually and threw rubbish at them until they chased and caught him and put him headfirst into the wishing well. Or the night he got caught trying to pinch the money out of the wishing well at GP. He has also been banned from numerous TABs around town and many times from the races and trots ! Not quite the little sweetheart some think.
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  • Ridersonthestorm33Ridersonthestorm33    10,930 posts
    edited May 2018
    The other thing Spinking with Mark was he was a pretty good judge and very knowledgeable and happy to share with you what he thought were the chances and his reasons for and against horses in a race.

    When saw Mark after he had a win ( in the Tab ) it was like a blissful peace, a quiet hush, the colourful language abated, but no exhilaration of victory either, more contentment. Can only describe it as like a dormant volcano. A rumble here and there, a murmur, then tranquility. But destruction was lurking and normally it was the next race he had an interest in.

    The time spent with him wasn't long enough, there was never a dull moment. For me he exploded onto the scene and was gone all too soon. Last time saw him he was into laying them on Betfair. If he thought one of the faves was a risk he'd lay it for a place! It was good in a way because he was actually hoping the hoop would ride a bad race haha much more peaceful to watch a race with then. But if the fave got up and ran third every other hoop in the race copped it!

    Realising that Mark was a fair spectrum to the right in his political beliefs made me glad that he never bought up those beliefs once. From a strictly horse racing perspective he was great to be around.

    spinking likes this post.

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  • PAULPAUL    2,665 posts
    edited May 2018
    I have no idea if it is actually his account or if someone is impersonating him, but I know of an account on Twitter, The Real Penguin.
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  • therealkramertherealkramer    8,008 posts
    @buffy And T J Smith ran raffles that were never drawn....and everyone looked past that. Meh, it's racing :-@ O:-)
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