Before I start, I’d like to make just a quick memo to myself never ever attempt to drive home from the races again on a Friday, never forget it Simon boy, thank you, writes SIMON NOTT.
The team on the rail for Star Sports today remained unchanged with Nick and Lofty doing the business. There was definitely a bigger buzz as you’d expect for a Saturday around the racecourse with a very decent crowd in evidence.
I wasn’t able to get my tweets out yesterday due to the traffic problems I mentioned in my tweet earlier. Some people said they didn’t know there was a blog published, please be aware for future reference that Star Sports also publicise my blogs on their socials so check their accounts out if you’re expecting a report from me.
1:10 – William Hill Top Price Guarantee Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 3) (4YO plus) 2m 4f
Once business got started in the opener, one of of the first bets in the book was £6000 – £1000 each-way Guard Your Dreams which hopefully set the scene for a decent day’s punting. Sadly, that bet aside the book only took a further £1200 on the heat. Even sadder that the ring enjoyed a result when Lisnamult Lad won the race at 20/1 and the book wasn’t holding telephone numbers as it was at times yesterday.
The better news was that Guard Your Dreams disappeared out the back of the big screen behind the first three home as they ran up the hill so with the places the book got just over £3000 so a good start. So far the big punters from yesterday hadn’t been sighted but the team were on the lookout.
In the Racing game, there are winners and there are losers. Luckily for Star Sports, a notoriously shrewd bagman backed the winner of the first but not with Lofty and Nick but a bookmaker nearby, thank goodness for small mercies.
1:45 – William Hill Betting Done Properly Novices’ Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4YO plus) 3m
Next up, there were just four runners with tight betting. Millforce opened the 2/1 jolly to take the heat. Meanwhile, I have got talking to rails legend Gary Wiltshire betting a few firms down, he was very chuffed to tell me that his son Charlie Wiltshire has just got a recording contract and he laughed that if he can’t get the readies at the races maybe there’s now another avenue to get a few quid! Well done Charlie.
The second race on the card was busy but by no means lumpy. The biggest bet Lofty and Nick had taken as the horses were going down was a bottle, £200 over Fine Margin which was the one the punters wanted to be on. At the off Fine Margin was a loser for £1500.
We watched the race in glorious sunshine, the bogie was the first to capitulate which meant the team could enjoy the race, Lofty really enjoyed it, Intense Approach, the 2/1 favourite won the race easily to roars from the crowd and groans from the bookmakers. All except the big fella who walked across to the pitch from his vantage point leaning like a landmark in Pisa.
Take from that what you will dear reader, the book copped £1200.
2:20 – William Hill Committed To Top Prices Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4YO plus) 3m 1f
OK, punters listen to me, and listen to me good.
Someone came to the joint during betting for the third race and had £400 at 6/1 Chasing Fire, his bet was £2400 to £400. If he’d only uttered the words ‘with the fractions’ he would have had a £2500 to £400, it’s that simple is to get the value at the races, get yourself on course and help yourself.
That bet aside, it was a similar story to the previous race, there were lots of modest bets but no real lumps, oh and Lofty didn’t lean up anything. At the off, Chasing Fire was the bogie for £1500, Broadway Boy losing £1042 and Le Milos £418, the rest copping.
Senior Chief was 11/1 with Star Sports at the off and returned 11/1 after winning nicely for Henry de Bromhead under Darragh O’Keeffe. The punters that bet with Nick and Lofty evidently didn’t envisage the Irish raider doing the business, the book ended up £1600 the right side of the ledger.
2:55 – Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4YO plus) 3m
Good news emerging from the betting ring is that the new rule allowing punters to take their alcoholic drinks into Tatts has been a huge help for on-course bookmakers. Previously very hard to work pitches have been seemingly revitalised, general opinion amongst punters was that being able to move freely with their recently purchased drinks was a proper enhancement to their day at the races.
That feel-good factor didn’t relate to extra business on the rail. The rails pitches face into the Members enclosure where taking drinks outside is still banned, even on sunny days like today. The fourth race looked tough to solve, the market made Zain Nights the 7/2 favourite in a heat where very few runners could confidently have a line drawn across their names by punters who kept their hands in their pockets.
As the field set off, Lofty’s summing up was that it had been a very poor betting heat where the firm had struggled to take £1200. Gordon Elliot’s The Wallpark, the 9/2 co-favourite of three won the race, this time the punters did fancy the winner who did a bottle in the book though was only the first losing race of the day, as Lofty reminded me.
3:30 – Masterson Holdings Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4YO only) 2m ½f
It’s been a while, but brace yourselves, a dannanannananna Bagman came in for a bet. He wagered a modest for him £4000 – £200 on An Bradan Feasa to get the book started. That bet was followed by a grand on Bottler’s Secret at ‘tips’ 11/10, then after a good start that was it as far as bets that generally make this blog go. ‘Poor and Disappointing’ was Lofty’s summing of the book that held £2000 in total.
The glorious sunshine that we were all enjoying wasn’t so great for the races, several hurdles had to be omitted due to visibility. Givemefive was the one that handled jumping, slalom and sunshine the best of the bunch today, winning at a not unfancied 7/2 for Harry Derham under Paul O’Brien. The book copped £1800 the places enhancing the win book winnings which was very handy given the business and result.
4:05 – William Hill Most Top Prices Novices’ Chase (GBB Race) (Class 2) (5YO plus) 3m ½f
Prior to the penultimate, I got talking to a very well respected rails Bookmaker he’s the sort of chap I would have liked to have got as an interviewee for Betting people. Privately but at long last he told me his secrets to finding value. It was very illuminating, sadly I’m not at liberty to disclose it at the moment, I have to be vague. There’s a clue there.
Meanwhile, betting on the penultimate, Nick and Lofty laid £1100 – £200 Hyland, £3000 – £500 Bowtogreatness to a Bagman and £750 – £400 Theatre Man. Such was the modest business apart from that trio of wagers, those three were all losers at the off.
Once again the Sun scuppered much of the potential drama in the race with several fences including the last omitted. Hyland won the race and returned 9/2. The £1100 – £200 struck on the winner was the second last bet in the book which tells you, the book lost £200 which was annoying for the passable Right Said Fred tribute act taking the bets for Star. Even more gutting for the duo was that 17/2 shot Transmission runner up was in Lofty’s words ‘A bonus banquet!’
4:40 – Junior Jumpers Open NH Flat Race (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4YO to 5YO) 2m ½f
The Sun was still very bright and very low going into the last race, but luckily being a bumper they’d already admitted the obstacles so all good. Lofty informed me that the firm were around £7500 up going into the race so unless a punter of substance had been hiding out all day and had one lined up for the lucky last, today should be a winning day.
Fortune Der Met opened the 11/4 favourite but there was hardly an avalanche or even gentle landslip of money for the jolly or anything else in the race. As the field went to post the biggest bet taken on the race was £2000 – £100 each-way Let Me Go Boys.
Peering into the machine Lofty commented on the lack of liquidity and the way horses were collapsing and bouncing again. There was very little of interest in the race on course either. At the off the book held £1141 and boasted two losers, the jolly and the hindered each way bet, and a taker. The race was a cracking one, Block Rockin Beats got the better of an extended tussle with Fortune De Mer and copped the book a cherry on the top monkey to end the day rounding today’s cop to £8000. It was nice to end on a winning note, albeit a modest one given the winner’s 14/1 SP, you could have had 16/1 with Star Sports at the off, come racing.
I’m back writing an on-course betting ring report for Star Sports at Ascot next Saturday.
Oh as a footnote, sorry for being a tease, the shrewd bookmaker’s value secrets on betting remain just that, secrets. I can divulge that his hints on saving money on course involve not leaving a coffee sachet or teabag in your budget hotel room and smuggling a thermos about your person into the racecourse!
Views of authors do not necessarily represent views of Star Sports Bookmakers.
Simon Nott is author of: Skint Mob! Tales from the Betting Ring
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