at the races he would position himself some way away from the heaving mob of professional speculators that squeezed itself up against the stable doors , hoping to glean a speck of information which might improve their chances with the bookies , and instead belter would chat causally to the trailer drivers , grounds men , locals in the village and the like , and then , when he had decided on a races likely outcome would tell the bookies what odds he would offer them if they were lucky rather than wait like a chump to hear what they might offer him .