in the late 1940s i did not think about opening an account with ladbrokes. their form was in a different league to the rest of the bookmaking world. they were not involved in the competitiveness of the ring. their clients were mainly members of the aristocracy and without calling the odds, ladbrokes representatives like mrs verney, a grey-haired dignified woman who looked about seventy if she was a day, were merely there to accept bets for very large amounts, without any fuss. mrs verney stood by the rails at newmarket and no one would ever have guessed that in the hurly burly of the racetrack, she was taking bets. while other bookmakers shouted out their odds she hardly ever spoke.