SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Kempton Saturday

Phew! What a week that was at Cheltenham, but the travelling circus that’s the on-course bookmaking game rolls on relentlessly, writes SIMON NOTT.

The teams at Kempton today were Steve and Kieran, flush from two massive Placepot touches at the Festival including the Tuesday, aye aye, in Tatts and the stalwart that is Tony and Dan Middleton on the rail. The Cheltenham betting frenzy was certain not to be repeated here but the crowd looked a healthy one so the hope was there’d be a few quid about.

1:37 Virgin Bet Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Herring Queen Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle Series Qualifier) (GBB Race) (Class 4) (4yo+) 2m

And there was, Steve and Kieran laid a monkey at 5/4 the jolly Miss Altea Blue fairly early in the opener. Dan and Tony laid the same stake at the same price over on the rail. They both did well to get the jolly in at the price because as the horses went to post 6/4 was being called by some firms.

The race went to Timetoshine under Nico de Boinville which returned 9/4. The winner had been popular to small money which added up to a £213 loss in Tatts though the rails pitch copped £349 to ensure a cop for the firm.

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2:10 Virgin Bet Daily Price Boosts Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 3) (5yo+ 0-130) 2m2f

Next up and a five-runner but tight betting race. First Street opened 9/4, 12/5 with Skinny Price Steve initially, but proved popular with the punters backed into 2/1 so accountant Steve did right to duck the top price but business was frugal. By the off the Tatts pitch took £550 and the rails £100 more, hardly lively. Teddy Blue won the race by three and a bit lengths after being left clear at the last. The winner had been popular in the rail, losing £79 but friendless in Tatts, where they copped a monkey, two winning races across the firm, not to be sniffed at, but the level of business was still taking some acclimatising to after Cheltenham.

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2:45 Virgin Bet Best Odds Daily Handicap Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4yo+ 0-145) 2m5f

The betting on the next was slow until a punter bet £1200 – £300 Classic King in Tatts which livened things up a bit. As the horses were going to post the rail had struggled to take a carpet in total. There were plenty of people under the stands in the bar but just weren’t coming out, mind you it was perishing in the ring. There was a little surge of people emerge from down under near the off which saw a flurry of money which took the Tatts field money to over a grand for the first time today. Down on the rail Tony and Dan were tapping away the small money bets and were nudging £700 in the hod with a minute to post time. I was hoping to meet pro-punter Alan Potts here today but he emailed last night to say he couldn’t make it. Graciously he told me his main fancy today was Aston Martini in this race which he thought should be favourite. By the off it was 10/3 joint favourite and won as Alan predicted. The Tatts pitch won £370 and the rails £51, so another winning race extra satisfying that it was over a market leader. It’s lucky Alan wasn’t here to ruin Star’s book, I hope he was on at home.

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3:20 Virgin Bet Daily Extra Places Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 2) (5yo+ 0-150) 2m4½f (2m4f110y)

Next up and the rails pitch laid £1100 – £400 the jolly Bad. With not a lot else going on, I wandered out to the car to put some warmer boots on, told you it was nippy, and it was like Benidorm out there, no, not full of drunks and mobility scooters, but sunny and warm. The stand really was casting a cold shadow over the betting ring, but once again the punters swarmed out of the warm late in to have their bets. Over in Tatts they had Bad losing over two grand to a stream of bets, the biggest of which had been just £120. At the off they had Bad losing £2311 and Outlaw Peter for £530. Over on the rail they had laid £300 each way Flegmatik at 13/2 ( no fractions, tut tut ), making it their bogie for £1536 and Bad losing £894. Bad and Flegmatik jumped the last together. Bad did good and won, Tatts lost £2269 and the rail £1259, and it had been going so well.

A great finish to the £60,000 highlight!

A fine round of jumping from Bad, who makes it two from two here as a fine campaign continues for @BenJone04644251 and @benpauling1 🥇 @kemptonparkrace pic.twitter.com/INSlv5LJ6t

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 15, 2025

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3:57 Virgin Bet Novices’ Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 4) (4yo+)/strong> 2m5f

Next up and a four horse race where they bet 10/11 Kingston Pride and 11/10 Quebecois 33/1 bar. Over on the rail they laid £2200 – £2000 the latter and £750 Fortunate Man at 6/1 over at Uttoxeter. In the meantime, Steve set me to work getting coffee and chocolate bars for the team, when I returned the rails had laid an additional bet of an even grand Quebecois, Tatts had a ‘good book’ having fielded a grand. Kingston Pride won the race, the rails book copped £2654 and the £750 over the away bet. The Tatts pitch won £45 which just about paid for the coffee and chocolate.

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4:32 Virgin Bet Every Saturday Money Back Handicap Chase (Challenger Staying Chase Qualifier) (GBB) (Class 3) (5yo+ 0-130) 3m

As betting got underway for the penultimate, Kieran’s comment was ‘Has everyone gone home?’ He had a fair point as all of a sudden the racecourse looked deserted. Under the stands, rather than home was the hope. The race boasted an even money favourite in The Doyen Chief but with nobody in front of them was attracting very little interest. Meanwhile, over on the rail they laid £4500 – £1000 I’m A Lumberjack away at Uttoxeter and got him beaten which was OK. They then laid £7000 – £1000 The Wolf here. Back over in Tatts, they had taken a grand in total as the horses were going to post. As before, the punters came piling out of the bar late and got stuck in almost doubling the field money in a matter of minutes. At the off the rail had The Wolf losing £6500, luckily The Doyen Chief beat their bogie copping £911 in the book, they weren’t so clever in Tatts where they had a more traditional book where they lost £1150.

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5:07 Virgin Bet “Junior” National Hunt Flat Race (Category 1 Elimination) (GBB Race) (Class 4) (4yo) 2m

The concluding bumper looked a good race, you just had to hope that the punters hung around for it. Going into it the Tatts pitch were losing £2700, in contrast, the rail were winning £4400. It was still going on with them though, they laid £8000 – £1000 Seven Stars and in the 5.20 Uttoxeter £9000 – £1000 on Top Of The Moon. The Tatts pitch laid £300 each-way at 9/2 Trustintimes and £200 each-way Idontdealwithliars at 11/1. Over on the rails they ran into one having laid £4500 – £1000 Intimate which won and took the wind out of their sails. At the off they had Seven Stars losing £7467 so the wheels already wobbling had plenty of opportunity to come right off. They nearly did, Seven Stars was in front inside the final furlong but luckily couldn’t stay there. Trust In Times won the race and copped £600 on the rail, leaving them £590 in front with the 5.20 at Uttoxeter still to be run. The Tatts pitch lost £690 so £3380 behind on the day, a losing day for the firm whatever happened at Uttoxeter. Star Sports well and truly back to reality after the heroics of Cheltenham.

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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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