SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Cheltenham Friday

The November meeting holds a special place in my heart…

39 years ago tomorrow, on Mackeson Day, was my first visit to a racecourse. I started at the top as far as racecourses go and was immediately hooked. Things have changed massively since that wide-eyed lad first copped sight of Prestbury Park but it’s still the same buzz all these years later.

The Star Sports teams today was ‘Inlike’ Flynn Goward at the helm with Kyle and Tony on the Tattersalls pitch while Ricky, Lofty and Charlie took bottom rail duties. Things augured well for some decent business when one of the ‘bag men’ came asking for prices though he wasn’t going to be accommodated for the sort of stakes he wanted on, betting later races, ‘on the show sir’ the cry, one that was accepted with a smile.

1:10 – Markel Insurance Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle (Class 3) (3YO plus) 2m 5f

The opening race looked a tricky one for the punters to start off with, stakes were small but bets brisk. Flynn was doing plenty of business on the card machine while cash was still proffered and king on course. The team in Tatts laid several big-priced horses, £250 each-way Ashington at 28/1, £150 each-way Nietzsche at 16/1, £150 each-way Sweet Will at 10/1 and I was chuffed to see, £1000 – £60 each-way, yes with the fractions, Ellaat at 100/6 while those that didn’t ask for the bits got 16/1.

At the off, most of those were losers in the book. It wasn’t a great start that Sweet Will won, at 8/1, losing £1600 but the book was saved to a certain extent by the places, the final tally, the book lost £700.

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1:45 – Mucking Brilliant Paddy Power Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4YO plus) 2m

Next up and it was a similar story without the outsider money, the book held £2000 with no bets of note or any significant moves. Just nice and steady in Tatts. Amarillo Sky was sent off at 7/2 and won nicely, the book copped £700.

The new fitness app on my phone was happy that I took a walk down to see Lofty and co, it’s a fair trek you know, all that way and they were bang level on the day too. Still, my steps were mounting nicely.

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2:20 – SSS Super Alloys Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 3) (4YO plus) 2m 4f

There were a couple of punters that pulled up three figures to bet with in the next, Flynn, Kyle and Tony took bets of £1800 – £400 Hereditary Rule and £2400 – £800 Pull Again Green. During the time the team were betting I bumped into some proper racing chaps from my neck of the woods, they used to be the ‘Blue Ball Syndicate’ and had horses with David Pipe. They are usually clued up on the Pond House runners but as the stable didn’t have anything in this one there was no info on tap as they were as clueless as I was. Luckily, there are some sharp cookies on the Star Sports firm.

When ‘The Master Trainer’ Chris Gordon’s Unanswered Prayers ran on bravely to win the race returning 9/4 favourite, most of the betting ring groaned a collective grown. But, illuminating pitch three in Tattersalls were two of the cheesiest grins this side of Cheshire. Kyle and Inlike had taken the bold step of going for the favourite and gone up the other two, copping almost the lot. Aye Aye.

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2:55 – Glenfarclas Veterans’ Handicap Chase (Class 2) (10YO plus) 2m 4f

Down at Lower Tatts, Lofty, Ricky and Charlie weren’t doing too much damage though hadn’t taken the ‘going for favourites’ route, though any regular readers will know that Lofty has been known to enjoy a lean up or two. No chance of that backup in Tatts. Now, at this point, I’ll have to hold my hands up, I wasn’t entirely truthful about an earlier bet. The £800 on Hereditary Rule was actually £880 but thought I’d tidy it up a bit. I need to reprise that small slice of artistic license as the same punter came in with £880 in this race too. He had it on Ballyandy at 11/4, yes there’s a pattern emerging. He wasn’t the only one to back the gelding, the public would not be denied, resulting in a one horse book. At the off, Ballyandy, hitherto known as ‘The Bogie’ was losing almost £5000 in the book. That would have taken a lot of paying out.

Tony looked delighted when 7/2 chance Magic Dancer won the race with 14/1 hope Broken Quest separating the winner from the bogie. The book copped £1600 and it was happy days all round, except when the roll of winning bets to pay spiralled out of the printer it was of a length that would have got the Andrex Puppy’s tail wagging. It appeared the winner was popular with the smaller backer, Tony rolled his sleeves up and when wrist deep into the shrapnel.

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3:30 – Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2) (Registered As The Hyde Novices’ Hurdle) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 2m 5f

One of the Tiverton guys, but not the inner circle of what were the ‘Blue Ball Syndicate’, collared me before the penultimate, gave me a knowing look and half-whispered ‘Mullins in the last two.’ Card marked I strode into the ring to see Willie’s charge Hubrisko a 6/4 chance.

Flynn laid a monkey at 6/4, then another monkey at the price, it seemed that the word had gotten around, then one more monkey for the tea party but this time at 13/8. Meanwhile, £880 man came in for Paul Nicholls’ representative Hermes Allen, he had, no, you guessed wrong, just the £800 on at 11/4 before the price collapsed. There must have been another shrewdie going around giving knowing looks and tipping Nicholls in the penultimate.

He’s the one that will be getting the free beers tonight. ‘We’ve seen good one there’ was Inlike’s observation as Hermes Allen bolted up. The book copped a monkey, with one race to go, and not a result for the books in sight, a winning day was on the cards.

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4:00 – Valda Energy Novices’ Handicap Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 3) (3YO plus) 2m ½f

Sometimes, glib words taking winning for granted with just one race to go in racing come back to haunt you. This is one of those occasions, apologies for the spoiler. The book was very tidy as the field gathered at the start. The lads on the joint had boxed them up and were happy to cop what they were winning on the day.

Just as Flynn was about to snap the elastic bands around the readies he was approached by a very dangerous entity at Cheltenham, an unknown Irishman with a fist full of Euros. One thousand of them to be exact, which he wanted each-way on Contrapposto at 25/1. He was of course obliged, and they were off.

The judge called a photo, but there was no doubt that Contrapposto, the horse that lost £13,000 in the win book, had got up to beat 20/1 chance Explosive Boy, which copped the lot, and so it transpired, won by a head.

Poor old Flynn and team were shell-shocked, in the olden days the boss would have been convinced the staff had written one in. There were two small mercies, the first mercy, the winner returned 28/1 so they did the correct price. The second mercy, Lofty’s team had won enough to pay for tonight’s Italian. Aye Aye.

We’re back tomorrow.

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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