NEWBURY IN THE RING

AUTHOR: Star Sports Content

SIMON NOTT BETTING REPORT: Newbury Saturday

Today was always and still is one of the highlights of the early national hunt season, writes SIMON NOTT.

This Newbury fixture certainly appears to be as popular as it always was. As with yesterday there was a real buzz about the ring but amplified with the much bigger crowd in evidence. Today’s team consisted of yesterday’s stalwarts Tony and Kaan with the addition of Amberley helping the old boys taking the bets and calling the punters in. They’d have their work cut out to compete aurally with Ben Johnson betting behind them though, that man is loud!

12:07 – Play Coral ‘Racing-Super-Series’ For Free Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Listed) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 2m ½f

Betting on the first was brisk, that’s was hopefully a very good indication as to the business to look forward to the rest of the day. Quite often people appear to be mooching about on the run-up to the opener but not today, they were keen to get stuck in. The racecourse was heaving which I’m guessing accounted for the very iffy Internet connection the bookies endured today. Those that rely on the exchanges would have been having a ‘mare but Star were too busy to worry too much about it. The favourite was popular including a bet of £1300 – £800 but not exclusively £2000 – £400 Sansrisk was also taken in a race where the team fielded 200 bets, that’s pretty good. Before racing I spoke to my old mate and top judge Andrew Mount who reiterated the card was a tough one. At the off Listentoyourheart was losing nearly £4000. Two out it looked like there could be a turn-up, even over the last there was a chance, in time gone by the jockeys either side of a horse trying to come up their middle would have closed the door, but not today, the gap opened like the Red Sea and the jolly slipped through to win going away, a bad start which felt a bit like the cup had been snatched from the firm’s lips. The queue of winning punters was monumental.

12:40 – Coral Sir Peter O’Sullevan Memorial Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4YO plus) 2m 6½f

The queue for winning punters over the previous race was so long that the people at the back could have had a pint or fish and chips while they were waiting. The first heat was the busiest I’ve seen in a long while. Poor old Kaan was pulling his hair out, Amberley and Tony were getting the ‘full treatment’ from some of the Saturday punters. Novices are welcome but when they are trying to have £1 reverse forecasts and then wanting to pay on a card when there are 50 people waiting to be paid and others trying to get on, it holds up business. I won’t relate a Jack Lynn quote in similar circumstances but let’s say it would have been very Anglo-Saxon. The trouble with a jolly winning the first on a very busy day is that as well as doing your cobblers it holds up betting on the next, the team could have done with another person, hence this blog was also held up. Ultimately the book took around half as many bets and half as much money with no bets of any note with Twinjets the bogie for a grand and Demnat a taker. Wiseguy winning at 11/1 was a cracking result with only five to pay and a £1680 cop so a good chunk of what they lost on the first.

1:15 – Coral ‘We’re Here For It’ Novices’ Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 3) (4YO plus) 2m 4½f

One of the first bets in the next book was £1262.50 over 4/6 favourite The New Lion, yes the punter drew and had a spin up in the right and proper manner. That bet was followed by a further £1200 at the price, several £120 then a monkey at 8/11 and several three figure bets at that price too. Still they came in for the favourite, a gentleman had £650 on at 8/11 then team struck a wager of £3300 at the price, from the guy that wanted the elastic bands back yesterday, maybe he did make WH Smith on his way home. As the horses were going to post The New Lion was losing nearly £6000 but the firm were still the top price, then a punter came in with a grand, at the off the jolly was for £6757 with the rest winning bundles, if ever it was the time to get a hotpot beaten it was now, just the payouts enough to warrant an obvious comment like that.

Punters never had a moment’s worry. The favourite sluiced in, the firm did their cobblers.

1:54 – Coral ‘Daily Rewards Shaker’ Handicap Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4YO plus) 2m 4½f

Next up and the team were under the cosh, there were no big bets but plenty of punters scrabbling to get on. In amongst the melee, I was interviewed by the telly talking about the betting. I was chuffed to be able to honestly tell them that the betting ring was really busy and that business was brisk.

Guard The Moon was all the rage, 8/1 last night and 5/2 at the off, but not to any big money. There was a bit of trade money for Spring Note, £2000 – £90 laid right in the hole. At the off Kaan said that they had a good book, albeit low staking, the book held just over £2000 but only had two losers for less than half that. Impose Toi won the race, the book, too good a book copped £91 but wasn’t too bad when you consider the first three in the betting were the first three home, the jolly runner-up. Next up, the Gerry Fielden.

2:25 – Coral Racing Club Intermediate Handicap Hurdle (Registered As The Gerry Feilden) (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 2m

Once again, the punters were keen to get on, but weren’t lumping wads. The biggest bets in the race were £6000 – £300 each way The Famous Five and £4250 – £500 Navajo Indy in a race where the hod held £3000. No race had lived up to the promise of the first race as far as bets taken were concerned but it was still lively. While betting was in full force I bumped into Simon Hopcraft, a very nice chap who told me he likes to read these blogs, cheers Simon. There’s a caveat though, as I told him that the firm were currently doing their orchestras he also said that he doesn’t feel sorry for bookies when they lose. I know the rest of you’ll be teaching for the Kleenex though when I tell you that Navajo Indy, the winner of the fifth was a loser for £2856 on the race which topped up the running total of losses to over £11,000 and as Kaan said, it was a mountain to climb with the competitive races to follow. The blow was lessened when he remembered a £2000 bet taken on the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle had been beaten. Next up, the big one.

🏆 3:00 – Coral Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 3m 2f

They bet 5/1 the field in the penultimate and feature, it was a case of heads down, fill the hod and hope for the best. As the team were trying to do just that, rails legend of some repute Simon Wallis came to say hello, he brought his nephew Sam with him to have a look at how it’s done on course. Sam is following in his uncle’s footsteps in ‘the game’, which is great to see, I’m sure with such a mentor Sam’ll do well. Mind you, peering into the Star Sports on course book is rarely going to illustrate a classic book, just a record of what they had taken thus far. That total was bolstered by a punter who asked for and got £2000 – £120 each-way 16/1 chance Horantzau D’Airy, he said we could keep the elastic bands too, there weren’t any, cheeky bugger! The team did well though, they took nearly £4500 calling in every punter as they tried to pass by bet-less, grafters. All that was needed now was a ‘turn up for the books’. They sort of got one, the next best thing, a good winning ‘middle pin’ in Kandoo Kid which won at 8/1. It was potluck but the book copped £3100. That was five grand back from that worst case £11,000 down. Hopefully, the punters would open their shoulders and get stuck into the last, there was a fair chance, as it was being run at 3.35 they might not all be upside down in the bars.

3:35 – Coral ‘Pipped-At-The-Post’ And Win Handicap Chase (For The Jim Joel Memorial Trophy) (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4YO plus) 2m ½f

Betting on the lucky last started with a wallop, £5500 – £2000 Imperial Saint then £2500 – £1000 the same horse, then £3000 – £390 with the fractions 15/2 chance Etalon. Kaan decided to stick it right up the jolly, and I mean right up to the buffers, as the field went to post Imperial Saint was losing £8750, anything but Imperial Saint would do.

Fortune favours the brave, at least on this occasion, General Medrano bolted in unchallenged, the win book copped nearly £5000. Kaan, Tony and Amberley had managed a get out of Houdini proportions. Tremendous stuff. As was the day, racing and the betting ring are alive and well. Get yourself on course and see for yourselves.

I’ll be back!

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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