SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Kempton Saturday

There was a time when I used to drive from Devon to Kempton up to three times a week. Dare I say it became a bit of a chore. Not any more, I could hardly wait to revisit the A303 and M3 to get here today. It’s my first Star Sports betting ring report of the year, and the first time reporting with Steve Brewer at the helm, Inlike Flynn having been promoted to the office based senior ranks. It’s well deserved and good luck to him. Steve has been working on-course for a few months so isn’t being chucked in at the deep end. He was already clued up enough to have donned some proper all weather clobber. Bringing up the rear tapping in the bets was ever dependable and cheerful Lofty.

There appeared to be a good crowd, mostly hiding under stand in the bottom bar. I spotted some regular faces from the bookmaking fraternity enjoying a pre-racing cup of tea. It’s always nice to see them but even more welcome were not one, but two bagmen. Great stuff, at least with them in the ring there’d hopefully be some decent bets in the ring.

12:20 – Play Coral ‘Racing-Super-Series’ For Free Fillies’ Juvenile Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 4) (4YO only) 2m

There weren’t any in the first as Arclight the favourite appeared weak for much of the betting, I say betting, punters were cowering from the rain for much of the race. Lofty went evens the jolly briefly, that did tempt a few punters out to bet. Those that got the evens had the value, a late machine move collapsing that to 8/13 with Star at the off. It was a very quiet heat though, the bag held just under a monkey at the off, the favourite the only loser for £400.

If those backers that got even money thought they had value, that was nothing compared to when the second favourite Regally Blonde came down at the first. The race was a virtual non-event, Arclight just pottered around and won as she liked by a distance, from Virtuoso. The winner returned 8/15, no chances being taken by the off course SP returners remember there was Evens on course for a time, come racing!

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12:55 – Coral Get Closer To The Action Novices’ Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 3) (5YO plus) 3m ½f

Business was slightly busier for the next, the book fielded just over a monkey but at least the rain had stopped. Armaloft Alex came down to advise we’d probably not run out of till rolls today. He is a sharp wit that lad. Only four went to post, the Paul Nicholls’ Owners Group owned Makin’Yourmindup was the uneasy favourite but the one the money was for the second-in Collectors Item backed late from 11/8 into 11/10. The money was spot on, the book that held a monkey lost £200. The business was pretty poor for Lanzarote Day, there were people about so hopefully they’d get stuck in soon.

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1:30 – Coral Racing Club Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 2) (5YO plus) 3m

Next up and seven runners, a punter waded in with £5 at 4/1 Annsam, he then asked if it would make the blog, of course it will Lawrie, thanks for reading them. Another £485 made it into the hod before the off, most of it for the 15/8 favourite Tile Tapper. At the off the jolly was doing a monkey and the only loser in the book. Well what can you say, Lawrie knew, hardly anyone else did. Evan Williams’ Annsam just ran them all to sleep and won unchallenged copping pretty much everything else in the hod.

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2:05 – Coral Silviniaco Conti Chase (Grade 2) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (5YO plus) 2m 4½f

It took until the fourth race but the betting livened up somewhat. A trio of punters had wagers of note, firstly a bet of £1600 – £400 Angel’s Breath, then a couple of punters with three figure sums for Pic D’Orhy, a monkey at 7/4 and a carpet at 13/8. OK it’s not Royal Ascot but good to see that the punters that like a decent bet were still out there.

Loft and Steve appeared happy with the book which had had the short ones in their traditional places, losing. The trouble is when you have a vested interest with a bookmaker, you can’t really enjoy an impressive win, Pic D’Orhy didn’t just win, the rest might well have not turned up. Mark Chappell of ‘Focus Images’ was sat next to me in the Press Room and said ‘Look at this’ pointing to one of the photographs he’d taken of the winner, adding, ‘He’s literally not riding it in the the last furlong’ and so it looked, Harry Cobden’s reins were loose such was the ease of its victory. The miserly industry SP of 6/4 even looked value, but the book blew £1100.

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2:40 – Coral Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4YO plus) 2m 5f

The feature race’s market was headed by the Charles Byrnes trained Irish raider Green Glory at 9/2. Steve and Lofty were on the look out for Irishmen wielding lumps of readies. There were none forthcoming, the two bag men had been loitering as if with intent for most of the day but were yet to go for their zippers.

The biggest bet taken on the jolly was a carpet at 9/2 from another bookmaker. I strained to see if I could spot the trainer wandering back from their joint, but he wasn’t sighted. That £300 proved to be the biggest bet fielded in the race, though £2800 – £200 each-way Petit Tonnerre was a fair one to lay.

The race itself was one of attrition. Of the 20 they ran only four finished. Of those, Green Glory was still there but looked booked for a certain place at best while Dan Skelton’s West Balboa and Paul Nicholls’ Red Risk battled it out at the business end. Lofty was getting a bit twitchy, they’d laid it at 25/1 to enough bits and bobs to make the pony chance a bad loser. Luckily Bridget Andrews managed to get the Skelton charge a short head in front at the line. That Rizla made a four-figure difference to the book, a Nevis, £700 cop instead of a loss, which is of course very handy.

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3:15 – Coral Bet Bundles Handicap Chase (Class 3) (5YO plus) 2m 4½f

The penultimate was a grind of a race, in the betting ring and out on the course where they tell me the going stick went in further than it’s ever been before. The favourite Quick Draw was the most popular with the punters. Weirdly, the under the stands bar was heaving, so much so that it was a struggle to get through it. The rain stopped shortly after the first race but potential punters appeared more interested in their pints than backing horses. To be fair, some of them did venture out to help perpetuate what was a late flurry of business near near the off.

As mentioned previously, be it in the dribble early or flurry of money late it was Quick Draw they wanted to be on, 6/4 trimmed to 5/4 in the ring as a result. There were no lumps but every bet proved inspired, the jolly handled the mud very well and came home seven and a half lengths in front. The book lost another £400 which meant that Steve and Lofty needed to field and keep about £1200 to break even before exes. A task, but not altogether impossible, those bag me could have been waiting until the lucky last to swoop.

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3:50 – Coral Racing Club Join For Free Handicap Hurdle (Class 3) (4YO plus) 2m

To get out on the last Steve and Lofty had to take enough to win enough. They did their best, there was a steady flow of money for Deere Mark at 2/1 and a late bet of £2200 – £400 Fransham with precious little for anything else. That meant that should either of those two, losing £522 and £1435 respectively, not win then the Houdini trick was on the cards. The bag men didn’t have a bet all day, at least not with Star Sports, let’s hope they are on a day rate and not commission. Those slightly braver punters that did have a go, specifically those that bet Deere Mark were rewarded for their pluck. Sam Thomas’ gelding made light work of the sodden turf and his opponents by bolting up and shattering any dreams of a cop in the book that Steve, Lofty and probably most other bookies on the track had.

Not to worry, we’re back to Cheltenham at the end of the month, and hey punters, enjoy your winnings, because it’s only lent!

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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