SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Ascot Friday

I headed down to Ascot from Newmarket last night after recording a very entertaining #BettingPeople interview, watch this space, writes SIMON NOTT.

When I got to my hotel, it transpired I’d buggered up my booking, the hotel was full and had nowhere to lay my very weary head.

Luckily, I managed to book a cheaper and better room at that late hour, winning isn’t all about backing horses, kipping in my car wouldn’t have been a lot of fun – a real stroke of luck.

2:00 – Tide Construction Apprentice Handicap (Str) (Class 4) (4YO plus)

After a better night’s sleep than I would have had on my windscreen-chipped and door-dented motor, it was great to be back at Ascot.

However, after the Royal Meeting, it was safe to say it was a bit quieter in the ring than the last time I was here. Star Sports manned two pitches, Kaan and Tony on the master pitch in Tatts and Callum and Dan on the rail.

It wasn’t busy, the two books combined fielded £945, which I add was better than most of their neighbours.

They probably lost more than them too when the 11/4 jolly Best Rate won the race and they knocked out £354.25, a bad conclusion to a very poor opening betting heat.

2:35 – Knight Frank Conditions Stakes (GBB Race) (Class 3) (2YO only)

Next up, just seven runners where they bet 15/8 each of two Flann Sunna and Mysterious Times.

Betting was steady with about £1200 in the hod until a punter bet £1500 – £800 Flann Sunna right in the hole, he knew, Flann Sunna won the race, the book still copped £100.09, but despite being there to lay exactly those types of bets, it was a bit of a sickener.

3:10 – JLL Handicap (Rnd) (Class 3) (3YO only)

The third heat on the card ticked along with a bit of propulsion thanks to a bet of £2000 – £600 Ciarrai Abu. I tried to do a little video interview with Tony in the quiet moments, of which there were a few. Let’s put it this way, the conversation didn’t exactly flow.

At the off, there was £1546 in the combined hod with just the one loser, for £2000 in the book, no prizes for guessing which.

The bogie looked to be coming with a winning run but 11/4 jolly Crest Of Fire pulled out a bit more, it looked cut and dried on the big screen and the machine too but the length of the photo decision suggested otherwise, 1.01 shot gubbed in the photo, the result went to Ciarrai Abu to a couple of gasps. £2022 blown.

3:45 – Long Harbour Handicap (Class 4) (3YO plus)

I’m told that the 1.01 the previous photo was brief and had drifted to a more realistic price given it was beaten before the result was called. Still, that reversal hurt given the level of business, talkative Tony had already gone through a bottle’s worth of fivers and was on his third hundred.

Just four went to post for the next, though they bet tight enough with Golden Knight and Morbeh hovering around the 13/8 each of two region. The punters couldn’t decide which of the two short ones to get stuck into at first but bets of £450 and £800 Morbeh at 7/4 eventually settled that dithering, totally against the flow a bookmaker bet £1000 – £70 Samuel Colt then paid in Ulster notes, the rotter.

At the off, the book held a very respectable £2913 given the business and kept £2320 of it when Golden Knight won the race.

4:23 – Newmark EBF Fillies’ Handicap (GBBPlus Race) (Class 3) (3YO plus)

Next up, the penultimate and the firm were £44 in front on the day, so all to play for with two races to go. The one the punters wanted to be on was Hoseki, striking bets of £1400 – £800, £750 – £400 and £1125- £600.

Well, what can you say, Luke Morris rode a very determined ride to get the bogie home and bury the day to the tune of £3973. At 28 minutes past, just after Star paid £1150 to a winning punter.

It was irrelevant in the end, 15 minutes later the result stood, we feared the worst as the 1.3 the winner keeping the race was nibbled into 1.2 just before the announcement.

4:55 – Savills Handicap (Class 3) (3YO plus)

Betting for the concluding heat was no doubt affected by the lengthy stewards, which we still didn’t have any details about. A losing day was conceded, but the firm did what they could to get a few quid in the hod.

Sadly, at the off those efforts amounted to just £1200 across both pitches with three small losers, the winner Amazing Journey being one of them, the runner-up Fast Track Harry another of them and the worst of the two so not all bad.

The book knocked out £471 concluding what can be considered an unlucky losing day. We’re back tomorrow, where today’s losses can be won back in the first…..

… can’t they?!

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