SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Ascot Saturday

I spent last night having a couple of beers and shooting the breeze with Armaloft Alex and Ed from up north, which was a very civilised and enjoyable way to spend a Friday evening, writes SIMON NOTT.

This morning I was treated to breakfast by Gentleman of the Turf and plunderer of stock markets Michael Fletcher, not to be confused with the ex-bookmaker of the same name.

Having read yesterday’s comment about five months to Christmas Day, he added his calendar-related quip, ‘Only five months until the real King George!’ Quite right Bullet, there’s a distinct lack of fences today.

There wasn’t a lack of staff, though. In Tatts was Kaan, Kieran and BHA Graduate Luke making his racecourse bookmaking debut. I must admit to feeling quite jealous, oh to be starting out and falling in love with the betting ring on my first date again.

Star also bet on the rail, manning it was Ed from up north, Amberley and Tony wearing a polyester Star Sports tie was Tony, yes, a branded Polyester tie, how standards have slipped.

I mentioned to Kaan it was a bit cruel making to old boy wear such an item, it turned out he actually asked for one, likes a bit of value does Tony.

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1:10 – British EBF Crocker Bulteel ‘Confined’ Maiden Stakes (Class 2) (2YO only) 6f

The first bet of any note on either pitch in the first was £1000 – £400 New Monarch in Tatts then it started raining which had the potential punters that had started to fill Tatts darting for cover.

Dodging the rain, a punter bet £1000 – £400 Words Of Truth on the rail which had been quite weak having opened at 2/1 then collapsed again shortly after. Poor Amberley was getting drenched under the small rails. Tony was faring better as the rain was bouncing off his polyester tie.

As the horses went into the stalls, 7/4 was the best price anywhere in the ring. The market knew, Words Of Truth obliged returning 13/8 favourite. Business had been poor, the rails had taken £1635 and lost £697 but over in Tatts it was an even worse take, £1020 but they copped £847 so an across the firm winning race.

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1:40 – Sodexo Live! Princess Margaret Stakes (Fillies’ Group 3) (Class 1) (2YO only) 6f

Next up the rain had stopped and my Mac which seemed such a clever idea during the first wasn’t quite such good attire for what was no a very humid racecourse. Over in Tatts Kaan sent me on a mission to get some paper towels to dry his computer off with, once again galvanising just how my ‘career’ had dipped, I got some though and was told on my return that there was nothing to report and business was poor despite being surrounded by people.

Over on the rail they’d taken one notable bet, £5500 – £2000 which made up the bulk of the £3740 at the off. Tatts performed marginally better than in the first race, holding £1325. ‘This place needs bombing’ was Armaloft Alex’s comment after 9/4 Fitzella made all to win for favourite backers.

The rails were, of course, clobbered losing £4377, though Kaan, who appears to have more lean-ups than Lofty, at Windsor this evening, copped £1250 in his book easing the blow for the firm.

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2:20 – Longines Valiant Stakes (Fillies’ And Mares’ Group 3) (Class 1) (3YO plus) 7f 213y

It was Tatts that took the first decent bet in the third heat, £7500 – £2500 over the jolly Chantilly Lace, that was followed by a £6000 – £2000 trade bet on the same horse.

Over on the rail, they’d only managed a £600 – £200 the same horse. It looked for a long way as if nothing was going to come from off the pace to collar the front running bogie but she was swamped with yards to go with Cheshire Dancer swooping late and fastest to provide a 22/1 lifeline to the ring.

The rail had only held £1990 but kept £1499 of it, but Tatts got the bulk of the money having stood the jolly for £13,500 fielded £5125 and copped £4723, Armaloft Alex working with John White didn’t want the place bombed anymore.

Before betting got underway, a panicked bookmaker wanted to hedge a couple of bets at Newcastle £3000 at 13/8 La Pulga and £5000 – £400 Whiskey Pete in the same race. La Pulga won, in one hand and out the other.

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3:00 – Moet & Chandon International Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) (3YO plus) 7f

Next up they bet 4/1 the field and big bets weren’t expected. The Tatts pitch, betting 1/4 odds a place only laid one notable bet £1500 – £500 Akkadian Thunder which was a 7/2 chance with Star at the off.

Two Tribes winning at 25/1 was an excellent result Tatts took £1473 and kept £1468 of it, the rail held £1670 but ran into some bad places but still copped £897. The winner got Kaan warbling 80’s songs, he’s got the voice of an angel…

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3:35 – Betfred Handicap (Str) (Class 2) (3YO plus) 1m

Kaan was having a moan up about how poor the business was in Tatts in the next handicap when thinks livened up for him when an away bet of £6000 – £600 Nazron over at York.

Luckily, it was beaten so he was back to having a moan up, so I went over to the cheery rail where Ed from up north and Amberley were still marvelling at Tony’s tie, between taking bets of which there were several but all small.

Back on the Tatts pitch, Kaan stopped moaning after a bet of £9000 – £3000 Bullet Point was called in as the field were being loaded, business apart from that had been poor despite betting 1/4 the odds a place.

Over on the rail, they’d also laid Bullet Point, a grand at 10/3 taking £2726 in total, Tatts held £3560, which, if you can do takeaway sums, you’ll know why Kaan was grizzling.

Bullet Point was a couple of lengths in front at one point, but the aptly named 10/1 chance Fearnot came with a rattle to do the 5/2 jolly quite comfortably in the end. The rail had laid the winner only copping £448 while Tatts got £2692.

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4:10 – King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Group 1) (Class 1) (3YO plus) 1m 3f 211y

While I was away, the Tatts pitch laid £6000 – £2000 Knicks away at Chester which was beaten. That bet aside, business in Tatts was pretty poor considering it was the big heat of the day.

The rails were busier, having laid £5500 – £5000 Calandagan in a book that held £8951, the Tatts book laid £11,000 – £10,000 the jolly right in the hole bringing their take to £11,184 at the off. It did look as if Kalpana under Oisin Murphy, but he couldn’t hold on, bundled by the jolly.

The rail lost £3962 dwarfed by Tatts blowing £11,099.

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4:45 – Me2 Club Handicap (GBBPlus Race) (Class 4) (3YO plus) 1m 3f  211y

Just when you thought that the day was over, it appeared the punters had the smell of bookies’ blood in their nostrils and were going in for the kill. It wasn’t as easy as all that, a bet of £7000 – £2000 Drish Melody over at Gowran Park stayed in the hod.

Meanwhile, over on the rail, the punter who won £5500 on the previous winner spun it up on Tenability at 5/4 here, Tatts laid it too, but sweeter, £11,000 – £10,000 to a bookmaker hedging.

It was no fun watching yet another well-backed short one win, Tatts lost £10,911 and the rail blew £5777, OK so it was as easy as all that after all, nasty.

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5:15 – Whispering Angel Handicap (Class 2) (3YO plus) 5f

With both pitches doing their cobblers it’s safe to say everyone was just looking forward to going home. It had been a very long day with eight races and some lengthy gaps between races. It’s not so bad when winning but when the firm are doing their dough too it grinds.

Amberley was the exception to the rule, she was off to Windsor for the dubious pleasure of doubling up with Lofty for the evening. There were still bets about here, a monkey at 9/4 Aramram was a good one to lay in Tatts but a drop in the ocean of getting out on the day, which looked a million and was probably bigger.

At the off the rails held £1958 and Tatts £1361 Cover Up winning at 7/2 was a cop in the book for the rail winning £568 but losing £11,404 on the day, Tatts copped £809, they’d blown £10,185 on the day. One to forget.

There was one bit of good news, friend of the firm Bill Esdaile’s King Of Stars finished third at 50/1, congratulations Bill. That’s it, I’m back for the week at Glorious Goodwood, where winning is on the cards, maybe.

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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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