SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Royal Ascot Tuesday

It was fantastic to be back at Royal Ascot and writing for Star Sports.

The firm bet on the number 1 pitch on the rail and number 2 second row in Tattersalls. Legendary Australian bookmaker Rob Waterhouse was betting next to the Tatts pitch with #BettingPeople interviewees Australian bookie Warren Woodcock and Stephen Little making up their team. Ben was on the rails pitch with Hannah, Ricky and Kyle, whilst Lofty, Tony, Steve and Inlike Flynn in Tatts.

2:30 – Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1) (British Champions Series) (Str) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 1m

Sadly the Queen wasn’t in attendance but the Royal Procession, including in the lead carriage previous #BettingPeople interviewee Peter Phillips, still passed the stands greeted by the first few bars of the National Anthem. Mike Vince did a great job of describing the party as they passed. The first race boasted the banker of the meeting, Baaeed was best-priced 1/6 and appeared prohibitive but that didn’t stop punters betting £2000 – £12,000 and £500 – £6000 on the Tatts pitch. Both Tatts and rails offered ‘betting without’ the favourite too, which proved popular with those not looking to buy money.

As did the forecast betting and each-way too. Considering it was the type of race it was, on the first day it was a very good betting heat.

It was little surprise to see the favourite bolt up in the style that was expected, but with the banker out of the way and relatively little damage done it was time to crack on.

3:05 – Coventry Stakes (Group 2) (Class 1) (2YO only) 6f

Next up and things hotted up quickly, the firm laid £6000 – £2000 Persian Force and £12,000 – £1500 Bradsell. Yes, readers, that was 8/1 and could have had £12,000 – £1440 and staked £60 less to win the same amount, if only he’d asked for the fractions, which he didn’t.

I spoke to a commission agent for some of the biggest hitters and asked if I should be looking out for him today. He smiled a smile that said it all. Eyes peeled.

Over on the rails Ben and Co laid a bet of £10,000 – £3000 Blackbeard, as they were going in the stalls the Tatts pitch topped that up with £1100 – £400 in a betting heat that Lofty described as a positive ‘It’s alright!’

At the off, the two backed were unsurprisingly the bogies in the Tatts pitch.

Bradsell won the race so the fact the punter didn’t take fractions became academic, but of course he could have had another £500 -£60!

It was just as well he didn’t though as the Tatts book lost over £7000. Still, it’s early days, a £15,000 – £5000 Golden Pal and £6750 – £3000 Nature Strip kicked the betting for the third off in style.

3:40 – King’s Stand Stakes (Group 1) (British Champions Series) (Class 1) (3YO plus) 5f

A late bet of £2400 – £1200 Golden Pal made that one the absolute bogie in another race Lofty didn’t get grumpy about when asked. Nature Strip absolutely hosed in, the second-worst in the book. But not the worst, small mercies and all that.

4:20 – St James’s Palace Stakes (Group 1) (British Champions Series) (Rnd) (Class 1) (3YO only) 1m

The feature of the St James’s Palace Stakes was the weakness of the favourite Coroebus which was hard to lay at its forecast odds-on. Flynn had to go even money to get it in, then laid an even £2000, £600 and monkey but there was still plenty of business for other horses which still made this another decent betting heat though the rail was very quiet. At the off a punter came in for £3300 – £3000 which put the jolly in its place. Then it won.

To make things worse the firm also laid the runner-up a monkey each way, luckily at 16/1 not the SP of 28/1. The winner returned 10/11 which appeared a bit skinny compared to what you could have had on course.

Over on the rails pitch, things had picked up, they’d laid a £20,000 – £5000 My Prospero which they kept and eased the blow. ‘It was a bit of a lopsided book’ smiled Kyle, accurately.

5:00 – Ascot Stakes (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) (4YO plus) 2m 4f

I was about the type that the race before the penultimate was very quiet when a punter came in for a bet of £27,500 – £10,000 Bring On The Night which made it a loser for £25,000. No Kyle, that’s a lopsided book!

Ahh Kyle, I ambled over to the rail to spread the good news and he dropped the bad. They had laid £4200 – £300 the winner, still, it only took the shine off.

5:35 – Wolferton Stakes (Listed) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 1m 2f

The punters made the book in the penultimate. 20/1 winner Dubai Future was a fair result in the Tattersalls book winning about £3000. The rails pitch enjoyed a skinner, for £600, that tells you.

6:10 – Copper Horse Stakes (Handicap) (Class 2) (4YO plus) 1m 6f

The target to bet up to in the last was set by an early £10,000 – £2500 Juan De Montalban. A punter came in for £250 each-way Raymond Tusk at 33/1. I’ll direct him to the link about regarding gaining maximum on-course value by asking for fractions ….

The Tatts pitch which had been shaded by the stand all afternoon was now bathed in glorious sunshine. There were serious fears for follically challenged clerks Steve and Lofty who had both jettisoned their top hats.

Just when thoughts were drifting to what sort of meal the staff welfare budget would stretch to, a punter waded in with £5000 each-way Okita Soushi at 13/2 ( 100/15 fractions in case anyone is interested ) which made that a loser for over £28,000 and Juan still losing £4000. The firm’s Tatts pitch going into the last £8000 down, chances.

The 16/1 winner Get Shirty at least copped in the win book, but the bogie finished third which knocked the place book bandy and ensured a losing first day. Next door, Rob Waterhouse fared better and won on the day. No sign of the commission agent, even though he smiled. Anyway, it was busy, sunny and we’re here all week.

SIMON NOTT

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Views of authors do not necessarily represent views of Star Sports Bookmakers.

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Simon Nott is author of: Skint Mob! Tales from the Betting Ring
available on Kindle CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

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