SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Goodwood Friday

Still no sign of a bird on Kennel Hill, it’s a spooky fact, but you won’t see one, at least I never have, no birds on Kennel Hill, writes SIMON NOTT.

If the birds won’t play on a glorious day like today, the hope was that the punters would. There were a few about, I spotted a slack handful of bagmen and tricky dickies in the ring prior to the first, it appeared as if it could be lively.

Today’s Star Sports team were husband and wife team of Dan and Andrea betting four from the bottom of the rail who were doing their best to draw the sun-drenched punters in. I had a lucky escape early in my day watching and recording the betting, if the security guard hadn’t spotted my press badge, I’d have been hauled out of the Members’ enclosure for not wearing a tie, phew.

1:57 – Soil Association 80th Anniversary Conditions Stakes (GBB Race) (Class 2) (2YO only)

Sadly, for Star Sports, those that were wearing ties weren’t betting, despite the temptation for the punters to get stuck into 4/7 jolly Night In Vegas to kick things off, business was very poor, £275 poor. Those lily livered punters should have opened their shoulders on the short one, it bolted up, unbacked with Star Sports who copped the princely sum of £24, happy days.

2:32 – British Stallion Studs EBF Fillies’ Novice Stakes (GBB Race) (Class 4) (2YO only)

Next up and a fillies’ race where Lazurite opened 6/4 attracted bets of £600-£400 then £1300 at 13/8 but still drifted to 2/1 at the off. Star Sports don’t hedge them but having her losing £3334 and drifting was taken as a positive by Dan and Andrea, hopefully the market knew, it did, the jolly finished unplaced behind 7/1 winner Pershaada.

Not only did the market know about the jolly but also the winner, certainly nibbled at, the first price I wrote was 10/1, Star Sports didn’t lay her to any meaningful amounts though, the book copped £2455.

3:07 – Track Radio Handicap (GBBPlus Race) (Class 3) (4YO plus)

They were running around hedging in Tatts quite early, a few books betting really hard and the vultures were circling. I heard of some lumps on Give It To Me OJ which had the resting heart rate of some of the layers up a notch as they tried to offload some of their liabilities.

Over on the rail, where Andrew and Dan were betting into a more gentile clientele, their pulses weren’t sent racing fielding only modest money, but enough that it amounted to £886 at the off where the jolly St Mawes was a loser for £643 and Give It To Me OJ a taker.

The team played a blinder, Bahadur won the race returning 5/2, Dan swears he didn’t have a lean up, he was just hard to lay, for whatever reason the book copped £802.

3:42 – British Stallion Studs EBF Fillies’ Handicap (GBBPlus Race) (Class 3) (3YO plus)

As betting got going for the fourth, the betting ring was bathed in glorious sunshine and everything was well. You’d think so wouldn’t you, but no, after being drenched on course for most of the year, just four races in to the first beautiful day of summer, Rucker was having a moan up, his beef? His smash was getting hot in the sun. Unreal.

On the Star Sports pitch, their change and free sweets suitably shaded Andrea and Dan were cracking on and filling the hod, business was as with the previous race but punctuated by a bet of £700-£400 the jolly Venetia topped off with a further £150 at the price. The rest of the business was smaller but amounted to just under £1300.

At the off Venetia was the bad loser for £829 with Sibling Rivelry also bad for a round of drinks.

It went the firm’s way again, Orionis, 4/1 painted on-course won the race returning 7/2, ever felt cheated, the book copped a monkey, at least that’s how it looked, until Dan noticed that they had taken a successful pony forecast, gutted but of course delighted for the punter, so £176 profit on the race rather than £500, but still a winning heat.

4:17 – Fitzdares Festival Stakes (Listed) (Class 1) (4YO plus)

The race before the penultimate, where they bet 10/3 the field was a fairly busy heat on the rail, where bet size was up though no lumps taken, a late bet of £550-£100 Boiling Point made the Karl Burke charge the absolute bogie for £1132 in the win book.

It was gutting then to see him getting up close up to win in a photo under Shane Grey, that short-head victory cost the firm £1155 which was a real setback after successfully tiptoeing through the tulips better than Tiny Tim so far this afternoon.

4:52 – Edward Bulmer Natural Paint Handicap (Class 3) (4YO plus)

The penultimate was a big handicap where they bet 9/2 the field, the buzz seemed to have gone out of the crowd so expectations of the field money beating the last race weren’t high but ultimately the field money of £942 wasn’t bad by today’s very modest standard. There were no big bets to write gleefully about, hence this relatively brief description of the business.

When the 4/1 favourite Crimson Spirit passed the post in front the red figure in the win book was £109, that was £199 after the places were taken into account, third placed 16/1 chance Philanthropist was bad in the place book adding £90 to the losses.

Did I say 16/1? That’s what he was in Star Sports’ rails book, check out the SP return, I had to do a double take. Come racing. The good news was that going into the last, the firm were still £2142 in front and hoping to keep hold of it.

5:27 – Sustainable Food Trust Handicap (Class 3) (4YO plus)

Ben called to see how things had been going this afternoon. He seemed pleased enough with the tally so far. Dan and Andrea had been grafting all afternoon and were still doing their best to get some money in the hod. It was like pulling teeth, but they were doing pretty well.

Now, I’m not saying Dan was boxing them up, but the book looked very tidy, in other words, as the book looked as the horses got to post, the firm were unlikely to lose on the day. Late on a shrewd face was asking around for Canon’s House but wanted 10/3 the general 3/1 chance; not many appeared happy to oblige him a begged price, nothing was done with Star, then the horse drifted late but books held the line at 3/1.

At the off, Dream Composer was the only loser in the book for £435 in a race then treated racegoers to a blanket finish. The other 3/1 chance in the race, Seven Questions got the nod winning £260 in the win book, boosted to £446 when the places and forecasts were taken into account, happy days, a good start to the meeting.

I’m back with Star Sports tomorrow, where Keiran will be joining Dan back on the rail. As a footnote, even Rucker was happy, he’d had a good day and his smash had cooled down prior to the last, everyone’s a winner, except most of the punters today, Aye Aye (sorry punters)