Some things are meant to be.
Blake Johnston’s path into horse racing was one of those things.
The son of a champion jockey now leads “The Leg Up Australia” as a form analyst and racing expert, providing daily lay tips for Betfair customers and full previews for members of The Leg Up service.
“My earliest influence in racing was my old man,” Johnston said.
“I was born into the game, my dad (Malcolm Johnston) was a jockey, he rode for Tommy Smith, he won jockey premierships.”
The star jockey rode one of the all-time greats, and one of only two horses to have won a hat-trick of Cox Plates.
“Dad was synonymous with his relationship with the great Kingston Town. He won the 1980 Cox Plate on him, and he also changed the game for apprentices at that time.”
It was a time reflecting with his father that would set the wheels in motion for what Blake has since built.
“The Leg Up started in 2018. I did an interview with my old man and posted it to a page we had built called “The Leg Up.”
“I received a phone call from co-founder Sam Wood, we had a coffee, and we decided to start a podcast with another friend of ours, Chris Borg.”
“I was going to be the racing analyst, and we were going to do sport such as AFL and NRL on top of the racing.”
“We never wanted it to be a business, we just wanted to grow our audience and see what kind of opportunities that could create,” he said.
That would eventually evolve, with The Leg Up building momentum and gradually taking it’s place within a key market corner of the racing game.
“The Leg Up was just a podcast to start with covering racing and sport, but at some stage we had a tipping point, and we thought this can take some space in the racing landscape,” Johnston said.
“I was giving tips on a Saturday and there was an opportunity where we had some people contact us and ask if we do a daily tipping service.”
“So, it became racing only, and we’ve really grown.”
“Last year we also syndicated two racehorses, with owners coming from the Leg Up following. All owners are people who have supported us,” he added.
WHY IS BETFAIR IMPORTANT?
“Betfair is important to the wagering landscape because it is a place for free speech.”
“It is the only place in the wagering industry where you can have an opinion on both sides of the coin,” Johnston said.
“It is an important platform because the market can tell the story, you can back one to win and take one on to get beat.”
“The last few minutes before a race are so important in defining the Fixed odds price of horses. We all know the bookies follow Betfair.”
“If you want to use Betfair for the first time, see what it’s like to lay one. See what it’s like to cheer home 13 horses in a 14-horse field,” he added.
WHY THE LEG UP AUSTRALIA?
“Our members only service is where you can get daily tips, and it is results driven. Last year we won 350 units with a 25% strike rate.”
“It is a good place for people to join to improve their punting. People can learn how we find overlays in the market, and from there how we find good bets,” Johnston concluded.
