SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Cheltenham Saturday

The first thoughts were they’d got away lightly losing just over a grand on course yesterday. That was before we got back to the hotel and started getting messages from the guys that run the Star Sports betting shop in the Sovereign Lounge up in the stands. ‘Send more readies!’ They laid two big winning multiples writes SIMON NOTT.

The first was a £1 win Heinz where the punter found five from six winners, Galvin letting him down for a lot more than the £2,754 he eventually won.

The second bet was a £100 win Trixie where the punter included Dysart Enos, Capage and White Rhino and scooped £7,354 for his pluck. It could have been a lot worse for Star Sports had he not taken the prices. They’d need a lot of punters following suit but picking a hatful of losers today to end the meeting in front today.

12:05 – JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 2) (3YO only) 2m 1f

I had a chat to James Lovell of DragonBet on the rail as bookmakers got to work on the first. He was keen to tell me that a punter had bet £4800 – £400 on 12/1 chance Balboa and not asked for the fractions. If he had, he’d have been laid £5000 – £400 without question, you need to ask though punters. I joked that if you had a betting shop you’d send a car around for that particular punter.

Down the line, keen twitter user and regular spokesman for bookies Tim Brown was making his debut on the rails. Good luck to Tim who was keen to offer value to the punters, fractions and betting shop place terms a pleasure.

The Star Sports team was unchanged today, apart from the fact head of on course Steve, Nick and Lofty were sporting natty hats to protect their follicly challenged domes from the cold. They soon warmed up as business was definitely brisker than yesterday. Forgetting the grand trade yesterday, the firm took their biggest bet of the meeting so far when a punter had a monkey on An Bradan Feasa at 5/4, it remained the biggest bet of the race. Whilst the biggest single bet was on the aforementioned, the best backed horse of the race was Kourosh which was a loser for a monkey at the off. The other one that had been popular was Balboa, supported in from 12/1 into 8/1. Maybe the punter who bet it with James Lovell was double shrewd and intentionally didn’t ask for the fractions in the hope they’d think he was having a guess up.

The race was an eventful one with all to play for jumping the last where Kourosh came down, thankfully unhurt, leaving 5/4 favourite An Bradan Feasa clear. The faller also hampered Balboa who had been a running on third at the time. The jolly went on to win by three lengths, but had he not been hampered runner-up Balboa wouldn’t have been far away. Cancel the taxi for the £400 punter. The Star Sports book copped a round of drinks on the race.

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12:40 – John Wyke Memorial Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 3) (4YO plus) 3m 1½f

Next up and a race where Lofty said they were betting ‘around the clock’ in the heat. The only bet of any note was £285 at 10/3 Weveallbeencaught placed by the punter who had the winning monkey bet in the first having a spin up. Smaller punters appeared to agree with the bigger one, his selection was steadily backed. So much so that at the off he was the only loser in the race, for £1600. Ultimately, the bogie never really looked like getting into it which instead went to Jonjo O’Neill’s 5/1 chance Are U Wise To That under Jonjo O’Neill junior. That combo copped a grand in the book and was very handy indeed, smiles all around, even from Lofty.

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1:15 – Quintessentially Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4YO plus) 2m ½f

The next heat came alive, it had taken awhile but alive it came. The bets centred around two horses, firstly £800 at a negotiated 16/5, the punter wanted 10/3 it was 3/1 on the board so settled for the middle price. The difference £100, would pay for the pasties argued Lofty, he’s a big lad you understand.

Not long after that a punter came in with a grand the same horse and was happy to take 3/1. The other one they wanted to be on was In Excelsis Deo, one punter was so keen he had a £3000 – £1000. At the off, those two were the bogies, losing £4700 and £2300 respectively. Over the last it looked as if the lesser of the two losers In Excelsis Deo might win the race but salvation came in the shape of 9/1 chance Madara who went past up the hill to win by 3 ¼ lengths from the 5/2 favourite, roared home by a Lofty. Our man beamed after announcing the book copped £4000. James Lovell stood by looked a little shocked and said to nobody in particular, ‘Lofty happy two days in a row, very unsettling, very unsettling indeed.’

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1:50 – Virgin Bet December Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 2m 4½f

Between races Lofty was cock-a-hoop, the firm having laid a £3500 – £2000 loser on the aways at Hereford. Despite it not being the team’s money, they treat it as their own when working. Now with the bit between their teeth, Steve, Nick and laughing boy got to work on the fourth race, the punters were keen to accommodate them too. Bets included £1800 – £200 Fakir D’Oudairies, £2250 – £300 Fugitif, £1800 – £400 Monmiral and £2800 – £100 Do Your Job. The punter that backed the latter said that he’d dreamt about the horse, saw it was running today so had to back it.

Maybe he should check the date of the meeting the next time he’s dreaming. Do Your Job didn’t oblige today despite having been tipped by the Land Of Nod but the race turned into a nightmare for Star Sports. Over the last and up the hill it looked as if Il Ridoto, winning £1600 in the book might just hang on under Bryony Frost. The combination nearly did but were collared a short head in the last stride by Fugitif a loser for £900 under Gavin Sheehan for trainer Richard Hobson, a £2500 turnaround, nasty.

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2:25 – Favourite From The Sun Now Daily Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 3m 2f

Still nicely up and with no time to mope, it was on to the race before the penultimate. Meanwhile, Steve got a message from the betting shop in the Sovereign Lounge, remember them, the team that did their orchestras yesterday. They had more bad news to share from the previous race, a punter up there had £300 on the winner at 7/1, £10 correct reverse forecast and topped it up with a tenner tricast. The message was, ‘you couldn’t make it up’ or words to that effect.

Meanwhile, back to the race before the penultimate, there was a gamble going on. The punter that backed the previous winner with the rails team reinvested £550 of his winnings on Broadway Boy at 9/4 and from that point on, the punters would not be denied. The last bet in the book, as they were running was £300 – £200, topping up the liability which stood at £2188 and the only loser in the book as you’d expect having taken a total of £2500 on the race. Well, what can you say? Broadway Boy gave the layers a bit of hope running through a few fences out in the country but still kept on and jumped superbly where it mattered at the last, running on strongly up the hill to land the gamble. Come back James, Lofty’s not quite so unsettling now.

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3:00 – Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (Registered As The Bristol Novices’ Hurdle) (Grade 2) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 3m

Between races I spotted entrepreneur and star of Lisa Marie Brown star of the ‘Rich House, Poor House’ in the company of a friend and well-connected racing man who shall remain nameless. He was tight lipped as to if he was marking her card or tempting her to purchase a leg of a horse. Either way, he’s a nice chap and she was charming.

The excitement of meeting TV stars wasn’t matched by the betting in the penultimate. Business had fallen away a bit but Steve, Lofty and Nick did manage to lay a £1200 – £400 Destroytheevidence which ensured the gelding would go off losing £1287. The bogie ran very well but was overhauled by the favourite Shanagh Bob up the hill and had to settle for second. The firm had laid a bet of £450 – £200 the 15/8 winner which helped make it a loser for about £80.

James Lovell came over and commented that his late father John often used to say that NH didn’t, as popularly believed, stand for National Hunt but ‘no hope’. John was a very shrewd man, after days like today and yesterday it was hard to argue. Having said that, the Star Sports rails team were heading into the last still £4400 up.

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3:35 – Virgin Bet Every Saturday Money Back Mares’ Handicap Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4YO plus) 2m 4½f

The punters kept the team busy in the last, bets included £4000 – £500 Martha Divine and £938 – £500 and £563 – £300 the jolly Bonttay with plenty of other smaller bets making the lucky last one of the busiest of the day. At the off there was over £3500 in the bag with the two losers the horses mentioned above for £2123 and £1720 respectively. Martha Divine gave the team a fright up the hill but ultimately Nurse Susan came to their rescue winning at 11/2 for Dan Skelton under brand ambassador Harry.

The victory was bitter-sweet, she only won £189 in the book, some horses shorter than her would have copped a couple of grand. Still, the runner-up would have knocked a big hole in the day had she won so the guys were grateful for small mercies, winning £4600 on the day and copping £3500 before exes over both days concluding two excellent days on the turf, unless you were running the Sovereign Lounge shop that is….

Were back at Ascot on Saturday. Thanks for reading.

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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