SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Royal Ascot Saturday

The team were refreshed and ready to go today, despite a wild night in Bracknell to celebrate Ricky’s 78th, writes SIMON NOTT.

The teams remained unchanged. Kaan, Nick, Tony and Emily in Tatts and Inlike, Lofty and Ricky on the lower rail.

They were the ones that took the first notable bet £15,000 – £5000 each-way Moments Of Joy not long after prices were illuminated.

Before betting proper, as the Royal Procession was setting off, NBC News came to treat the viewers in America to Tony and Emily taking bets on the opener, which I’m sure they enjoyed.

Meanwhile, still in Tatts, away business, £600 at 7/4 Jungle Monarch in the 1.43 at Redcar, which was beaten. A winning race before a home race was run, aye aye. That first cop was just as well because as the horses were going to post the book only held £4000, if business stayed at those levels there’d be no getting out on the week, whatever the results, come on high rollers let’s be having you. The fear was they might have trousered their winnings and shut up shop for the week.

As the horses were being loaded, a few drops of rain started to fall. Kaan sent me off for the mush, I couldn’t find it, the hope was that it wouldn’t amount to much.

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🎩 2:30 – Chesham Stakes (Listed Race) (Class 1) (2yo) 7f

Humidity was the aptly named winner of the race at 4/1, of course nobody backed the beaten favourite Treanmor which went off at 6/4 to any size, which was very disappointing, the book copped just over £3000 but of course everyone kept thinking on Thursday’s level of business and losses, still it was a winning race.

Down on the rail, they copped £3500, which was good, but it would have been £8000 better had Moments Of Joy not just prevailed in a desperate photo for third place.

Meanwhile, Kaan laid a £10,000 away treble the first leg of which Wild Desert ran in the 2.28 at Newmarket, and thankfully he was bet at carpet-on, went off 3/10 and was beaten.

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🎩 3:05 – Hardwicke Stakes (Group 2) (Class 1) (4yo+) 1m4f (1m3f211y)

Next up and Rebel’s Romance opened the 15/8 favourite, and there were no takers early. The ring was rammed, so rammed we wondered if the bag men would make it through even if they wanted to. Lofty messaged to say it was going to be ‘hard work’ today as the crowd were a very £5 bunch, as always, it promised to be the odd big bet among the more modest public money that would make the difference, should it be there at all. Then the rain made a more concerted effort to dampen spirits, big drops they were too. Kaan sent me off to the rail, Lofty said he had two mushes.

When I got down there, he only had one, the rails mush. When I got back, my steps tally added to, Kaan had laid £7000 – £4000 Rebel’s Romance to the trade, and £1500 at 7/1 Al Riffa, but nothing bigger. The rain had eased to not a lot, a bit like the business. Right in the hole, a bagman bet £15,000 – £10,000 the now shorter one, at the off there was £18,200 in the hod. Rebels Romance winning was no doubt a relief for trainer Charlie Appleby, but was a £20,215 blow for the Tatts pitch.

Down on the rail, they lost £2000 having held just £4000 with unsurprisingly no bets of note.

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🎩 3:40 – Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (Group 1) (Class 1) (4yo+) 6f

Next up and Satono Reve opened at 2/1, the rain had stopped and people were once again crammed into the ring, some smelling sweeter than others. This 19th-century clobber, once damp, appears to stay that way. It was excellent to see so many novice punters betting in the ring, but small stakes are ensured when they do. ‘Dreadful’ was Kaan’s comment as the horses went to post with £3100 in the hod.

Down on the rail, Ricky was in a panic too, he’d left his prized Racing TV water bottle in his digs fridge, add that to the mush and it was shaping up to be a busy day in lost property.

Sadly, not so busy in the ring. Lofty messaged up, he’d overheard a caring husband giving his wife some betting advice, ‘It’s not going to win, it’s Japanese you silly moose’. Charming.

He was right, though, Lazzat won the race returning 9/2, there was 5/1 hawking on the Star Sports pitch though the book still copped £1185, down on the rail, they’d taken £4000 and kept £1000 of it.

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🎩 4:20 – Jersey Stakes (Group 3) (Class 1) (3yo) 7f

Next up, the feature, the first big bet in the book, was a fellow bookmaker hedging £10,000 – £3000 Comanche Brave which at least ensured something to win in the book. That was followed by another trade bet £7000 – £2000 and £1600 at 4/1 Marvelman off the floor.

The book was looking better with £9000 in it but most of that was made up of the bets above, with Comanche Brave losing £16,000, which wasn’t what you’d describe as a good book.

Business dried up enough for a gander at X and to be accused of now mocking small punters. You have to smile at some people, not small punters but the small-minded with apparently little better to do.

Meanwhile, I was happy explaining to people how to bet, what each-way meant and writing down Silvestre de Sousa’s rides for a punter that wanted to follow him. I don’t know why I’m biting, it’s been a long week. Kaan was tucking into a panda, he’s a better judge than me… where had everyone gone?

Above, the ring minutes before the feature.

Noble Champion winning at 25/1, tipped up by my good mate Andrew Mount in his GG column, was a cracking result for the book, winning £8334, which was a virtual skinner.

Down on the rail, they won £1500 but had only taken £2500 in very modest bets. There were loads of people walking around with pricy drinks; they evidently prioritised their refreshment over their betting.

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🎩 5:00 – Wokingham Stakes (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) (3yo+ 0-110) 6f

Next up, and one of the hardest handicaps of the year. They bet 4/1 the field with More Thunder heading the market. A punter liked the look of that and had £6000 – £1500 to get the ball rolling. Next in was bookies hedging £20,000 – £3000 each-way Aramram, that’s 13/2 with the fractions.

Bet stakes were a little higher, punters seeing the chance for a decent win should their pin be sharpest. At the off the book held £10,900.

Get It winning at 28/1 was one missed by many pins. The Tatts book copped £9689, which was very handy. Down in the rail, Lofty messaged to say they won £1000 and that it had been ‘very quiet’.

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🎩 5:35 – Golden Gates Stakes (Handicap) (Class 2) (3yo 0-105) 1m2f (1m1f212y)

Next up, the penultimate of the meeting, pretty much the first bet in the book was £10,000 – £2000 each-way Best Secret, £9000 – £3000 Seraph Gabriel, and £10,000 – £2000 win only Best Secret followed, it seemed the bigger punters had decided to get involved with betting opportunities dwindling, the sun had come out too, proper job.

The last bet in the book was £5000 – £400 each-way Quai De Bethune to the trade. With half a furlong to go, the jolly Seraph Gabriel quickened away to win the race with the last bet in the book chasing him home to make it the double bump.

Well, that’s how it looked, the favourite was collared close home beaten a nose in the photo, the book won £67, which was disappointing but a get-out at the same time. Down on the lower rail, Lofty reported that they won £1600 but that betting was more like the Shergar Cup, which is generally populated by smaller recreational punters.

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🎩 6:10 – Queen Alexandra Stakes (GBBPlus Race) (Class 2) (4yo+) 2m5½f (2m5f143y)

The lucky last of the meeting threatened to be a lively one. Not least because a punter had an even £25,000 Sober quite early on. The ring was suddenly full of people who appeared to mean business, which was great to see. There was no chance of getting out on the week unless a massive punter came out of the woodwork; the firm were £11,270 up on the day.

There was a flurry, though, a bookmaker bet £15,000 at 11/10, then a punter had £1500 at 9/1, followed by a bookmaker who hedged a Sober to beat Samui straight forecast betting £9000-£2000, saying he’d laid £5000 worth. It was turning out to be the liveliest race of the day, with plenty of decent bets around the aforementioned.

Samui appeared very weak in the market, drifting to 4/1 as the horses went to post. In the face of that, a firm bet £5000 – £6000 the jolly topped up by another with £500 – £600.

The last race went much like the meeting, Sober won easily at 4/5 with Samui runner-up, the book lost £60,444 on the straight book plus another £9000 on the forecast. The dough was done in cold blood the punters had hardly a worry. What the firm copped yesterday was knocked out plus some, there were queues of punters to pay. Lofty’s team had to pay over £600 to their customers, too, and everyone was happy.

Well, almost. It was going to be a long, losing drive home for the firm. What a week of sport and betting, the punters got the money on the week, this time. It’s only lent.

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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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