Racegoers were treated to glorious winter sunshine for the first day of the Paddy Power November meeting, writes SIMON NOTT.
Star Sports had three active teams they bet number three on the rails, number three in Tattersalls, and the betting shop up in the sovereign lounge. The teams were Nick, Lofty and Ricky on the rails, Steve Amberley and Tony in tats and Steve Paolo John and Chris up in the sovereign Lounge, made up of the A-Team of regional betting shop managers.
As you would expect for the festival’s opening day, there were plenty of people and traditionally there are plenty of punters on the Friday. A bag man was up for a few bits early but only modest for him but the teams’ eyes are open for any of the lumpy hitters.
1:10 – Lycetts Insurance Brokers Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle (Class 3) (3YO plus) 2m 5f
The big news before Racing was the David Power Cup where jockeys will be riding in televised races for a £500,000 prize for the jockey that wins the most points, amazing. That is sure to raise great amount of interest for the rest of the season ending at Aintree in April. I don’t usually have an opinion in any races and I didn’t have an opinion in the opener here this afternoon but I was hoping American Sniper would do the business for Peter Garnsworthy and his syndicate based in and around Tiverton, my hometown. The David Pipe trained gelding won this race last year and his connections are top notch you could never hope to meet a more enthusiastic group of Racing fans.
The betting for the opener early was 9/2 the field, the teams saw modest sized but plentiful bets across the firm. The best backed horse in the race was Double Powerful, but no to lumps. Steve’s team in Tatts laid £900 – £200 each-way. Lofty’s rails team of veterans laid £250 each-way at 12/1 Tune In A Box the biggest bet in their book. Up in the Sovereign Lounge they took several decent bets, the biggest of them £400 Plaisir Des Flos.
At the off, all books had several small losers which comes with the territory in this sort of race. Well, American Sniper (connections pictured below) did his best to make it another winning race for the Tivvy lads and the Pipe team, making all only getting swamped at the last. The one the forged ahead of the field after the last to go on and win was Double Powerful. The punters got that one right, the winner returned 3/1. To make things worse, Tune In A Box was placed ensuring a small losing race for both teams.
1:45 – Mucking Brilliant Paddy Power Novices’ Chase (Listed) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (5YO plus) 3m ½f
Between races, I bumped into my marathon running racing mate Gary Payne who was arm in arm with two lovely young ladies, he knows how to enjoy his day at the races does Gary, always in great company. Meanwhile, Lofty’s rails team took £3200 – £800 Begin The Luck over at Southwell and got that one beaten. Meanwhile, the four horse heat here attracted some decent bets £500 at 2/1 and £300 at 15/8 on Springwell Bay plus £2000 – £500 Resplendent Grey over on the rails. The Tatts pitch laid £300 at 15/8 Springwell Boy and £400 at 13/5 Buddy One. Yes I know, who the hell went 13/5?
That was it though, there didn’t appear to be a really big punter here today, either that or they were keeping their powder dry for a later race lump on. Despite being just four runners, the race was a good one, eventually going to Hyland. The winner had been backed from 3/1 into 2/1 but only to small stakes, they added up in Tatts though, the book lost £1300, meanwhile over on the rail they copped £1500 so the race was a winning one across the two pitches, just. Still, not bad for a stick on winner.
Up in the Sovereign Lounge they laid £1100 – £400 and £2500 – £1000 Buddy One plus £600 – £300 over the winner so decent business up there, come racing, you can get on.
2:20 – Shloer Chase (Registered As The Cheltenham Chase) (Grade 2) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 2m
Jonbon opened the 3/10 favourite to win the next. The teams were keeping an eye out for the bigger staking punters. They didn’t have to wait long one came into Lofty’s team on the rails and had £10,000 at 1/3 shortly after Steve’s team in Tatts laid £6000 at the same price.
At around the same time my old mate Armaloft Alex was seen scampering around the ring snapping up all the carpet-on and that he could find, evidently another lump has been laid further down the rail, it seemed things were hotting up. They got hotter, Steve’s team laid a further £5000 at 10/3 while the Sovereign Lounge team reporting laying £2000 – £5500 up there. This did look a penalty kick for the jolly but racing history is littered with lost fortunes over such good things.
After the flurry of money dried up, carpet-on was easily available again at the off which gave the ring a glimmer of hope, there was opposition to the favourite. Opposition there might have been but there were no country piles or even small fortunes lost by intrepid punters today though. Jonbon won the race, not exactly easily but didn’t really ever look like being beaten either, in short, this was just the sort of race that makes people think lumping on short ones is a winning system…
2:55 – Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 2) (5YO plus) 3m 5½f
Next up and the cross country race where it is often joked that, oh no I won’t go there we’ve told that one too many times about going round and around until the favourite wins. There did seem to be a lot of public interest in the race though . There were swarms of people taking up the opportunity to cross the course to go and watch the race from the middle of the track, which must be quite some experience. There were no such luxuries for people working in the betting ring though as business was brisk.
Bigger bets on the pitches included £2000 – £500 each-way, £2000 – £500 a couple of times Tommie Bleu and £300 at 8/1 and £300 at 15/2 Sweet David. The public money, small but regular was on Conflated at 9/2. And they were off, one thing that’s not changed is that this is the race where the staff head off for an ablutions break, Tony was very quick out of the traps and into them in that respect. Tony missed out, the race was a dramatic one, Tommie Beau punters must be ruing what might have been. He was going well until running out crashing through the rails into the centre of the course, luckily not where the racegoers were. Not being too mercenary, Tommie was the bogie so him out of the equation of course suited the Star Sports’ book.
However, Sweet David went on to win and landed what appeared to be a nice little tickle in the process, he returned 5/1 but had been an 8/1 chance earlier on. Come racing. Both teams still managed to win though, Steve’s team a monkey and Lofty’s £800, which was handy going into the penultimate.
3:30 – Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2) (Registered As The Hyde Novices’ Hurdle) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 2m 5f
Meanwhile, the Sovereign Lounge team reported a bet of £1800 – £6000 Sounds Victorious over at Punchestown. If ever there was a horse named to give a losing punter the rubdown it was that one, beaten by a 40/1 chance. Meanwhile, the rails pitch laid two £700 bets in the same race at Southwell and got them both beaten.
The penultimate saw a few decent wagers on the rails but not much for the jolly Valgrand of any size, bets laid included £1500 – £1000 Potters Charm and £2750 – £500 Gale Mahler. Over in Tatts Steve and Co had laid an £300 – £330 x 2 £400 – £400 and £1000 – £1000 Valgrand and £2250 – £1500 Potters Charm.
Meanwhile, the Sovereign Lounge was still doing decent business, a carpet at evens the jolly plus £800 and £3000 bets over Potters Charm. From three out the up the front two books had no chance, they got the jolly beaten though, Potters Charm won the race and copped £1800 in the Tatts book, that was negated by a Jonbon and Potters Charm double so they were going into the last £4000 down. Over on the rails Lofty’s team had been getting stuck into the jolly so copped £1200 and were £2800 up on the day, so there was all to play for.
4:00 – Valda Energy Novices’ Handicap Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 3) (3YO plus) 2m ½f
Betting on the last was once again steady on the Tatts pitch as Amberley stopped work to have a selfie with an admirer. That’s the price of fame Amberley. Luckily nobody asked Lofty to get up close and personal so his team were able to lay £3000 – £500 Letterston Lilly with no holds ups, which was just as well as that bet was the biggest across both pitches on the race. It came up for the good guys, sort of, well it did but could always have been better. Much better, had the 50/1 runner-up Cavern Club won the race, both teams would have enjoyed a skinner, as would much of the ring I suspect.
Sadly, Cavern Club, and the betting ring had to settle for the runner-up slot and consolation price. 11/2 chance Wreckless Eric winning the race was a length too good for the ‘result’. He was still a cop in the book though, winning £1200 in Tatts and £1800 on the rail. That ensured a pre-exes cop of around £1800 over the two pitches, happy days. The Star Sports team emerged unscathed from a largely punter friendly day and face tomorrow’s big meeting battle hardened and ready to take all that’s thrown at them.
Bring it on.
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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