BRIGHTON FESTIVAL

AUTHOR: Star Sports Content

BETTING & RACING: Star Sports Festival, Brighton Friday

Simon Nott reports live from Brighton Racecourse for the third and final day of the Star Sports Festival of Racing with video updates from roving reporters Hannah Baycroft and Sam Hart…

I know Brighton Racecourse is a long way from the Mull of Kintyre, but the mist was still rolling in from the sea.

Steve didn’t bring a coat, but did have a Star Sports mush. It nearly took Lofty’s eye out, well he said it did, that would have been compo incoming had he need a patch.

Luckily, his days of ducking and diving in the ring stood him in good stead so still enjoyed 20/20 vision after the near miss.

2:30 – Celebrating David Dark’s 80th Birthday Handicap (Class 6) (3YO plus) 5½f

The mist, or sea fret had turned into proper drizzle by the start of the first. Doom and gloom from some members of the press contingent that the meeting might be off didn’t come to pass.

The stalls handlers were nonrunners for the 2.30 though, stuck in traffic, so the race was to be started by flip start, interesting stuff for a sprint.

The crowd, many in shorts and t-shirts were largely huddled under the stands, there were plenty of them, but didn’t appear in any hurry to come out into the ring to bet. That is apart from two punters who bet £1600 – £200 and £1600 – £200 each-way Boom The Groom.

There was a delay to the start during which Get Busy was withdrawn. You could just about make out the horses on the big screen at the start. It appeared the thankless task of the starter wasn’t easy, but did manage to get them off in a line of sorts.

The next we saw of the horses as the came out of the gloom with former #BettingPeople interviewee Dylan Cunha’s 9/2 chance Mr Fayez ahead at the post from the 10/3 jolly Notre Maison.

Boom The Groom was unplaced so the book copped £660, more than they would expect to over the second-in. The race was named to celebrate Star’s own Ed Dark’s dad’s 80th birthday, congratulations to him. With visibility getting worse the announcement was given that racing had been put back by half an hour.

I’m told it was to give the stalls handlers time to get here, but the mist lifting would be handy too.

After a deputation of jockeys and officials set off into the mist for what seemed an age, an announcement was made that the inspection had been completed and an enquiry into if racing could go ahead would follow. Which seemed a bit pointless really.

At 3.40 there was still no news. Maybe they were on the phone to Michael Fish or checking the racecourse seaweed. At 3.45 it was announced that racing had been put back a further half and hour and that a decision would be made at 4.15. Credit to the racecourse, they were giving racing every chance to go ahead.

At 4.15 the announcement came that racing would be put back another half an hour. This was greeted by a crescendo of boos from racegoers in the stands.

By 4.44 most punters had already been up to draw their money back over bets placed on the second. That was prudent as at 4.45 the announcement came that racing had been abandoned which was a huge disappointment to everyone.

The final add up was that after the odds-on shot won at Salisbury last night the firm lost 40p on the day. Today, the £660 copped on the first was the winnings on the day, the rails won £3000 over the three days, before expenses of course. It wasn’t the final day we’d hoped for, but as a famous man once said, two out of three ain’t bad.

We’re at Ascot tomorrow

SIMON NOTT

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

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

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