SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Worcester Wednesday

Jump racing fans would no doubt have been equally itching for the action to start again after the three-week summer break and agonising over the photos of some of the parched traditional winter courses with just weeks to go before racing is due to resume, writes SIMON NOTT.

There were no parching problems at Worcester, where the course was covered with lush green grass, there’s no shortage of water for irrigation here, they were rewarded with plenty of runners for their seven-race card.

Proform had every race rated as either Competitive or Wide Open so hopefully Tony from the Midlands betting on Star’s rails pitch and Russ at the entrance end of Tatts would be able to take plenty of bets and enjoy some bookie-friendly results. Star’s main focus was up at York where I’m hoping the Neil Channing-tipped 10/1 winner Item was a cracking result for them.

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17:02 – CopyBet BOG Now For York Tomorrow Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 4) (4YO plus)

The first race boasted the well-backed in the morning Smuggler’s Haven as 9/4 favourite. Tony was betting on the rail where Mickey ‘The Asparagus Kid’ Fletcher would have plied his trade back in the day. Fair to say Mickey would have done more business, the pitch was a far cry from the story Mickey told me of a famous cricketer that turned £400 into £8000 then knocked it all out on the jolly in the bumper, ah the days when people bet like men! You must bet responsibly in 2026.

People were betting very responsibly in the opener, between the teams they took £733 with Muskerry Rock the bogie for £754. It was another Mickey toast of the race, Mickey Bowen’s King Roly did the business winning at 5/1 and copping £447 for the firm.

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17:33 – CopyBet Pay First Past The Post Handicap Chase (Class 5) (4YO plus)

Up at York, both Neil Channing and Andrew Lowrie banged in another what looked like a Star Sports friendly result Miss Yechance at 9/1 the punters were banging in the bets in the second here. Firstly, Russ laid £5000 – £1000 Greer Hill in Tatts then Tony took £1000 – £400 Mr McWhinny on the rails pitch which was more like it and good to see that big backers were lurking. There weren’t any more forthcoming but at the off the book held £2179 and the bogie had drifted badly.

The punter that bet Greer Hill knew his fate from the get go and was never at the races, Mr McWhinny did fare a little better but was ultimately out of the frame, glory went to yet another Michael, this time Micky Hammond whose Getaway Jewel winning at 12/1 was a cracking result for the firm winning £1988 in the book, not a bad year for me as it happens, some of it spent in Canada including a trip to Stampede Park. Russ was 11 months…

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18:03 – CopyBet Support Safer Gambling Mares’ Maiden Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 4) (3YO plus)

Next up, Sparkling Water opened 11/10 but was fairly weak in the market so Russ did well to lay £500-£400 off the floor late on, the bet that made the £1075 field money a little more respectable.

Georgina Nicholls’ 10/3 winner Take The Boat may have been a fortunate winner as Elated was still going well when coming down at the last, the winner was popular with the public only winning £369 in the book, but it was all adding up.

Before I go on, if you haven’t seen Sean Bowen’s X photo post, go and have a look. He’s sporting a cut to his chops that would have most up feeling sorry for ourselves for weeks, but he was riding Gordon Elliott’s Newbrook Diamond here, surely every hoof step let alone jump would be juddering. Hard as nails. His mount opened a general 11/4 in the ring.

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18:38 – CopyBet For Premier League Profit Boosts Novices’ Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 4) (4YO plus)

Given the heroic participation of Sean Bowen, there was very little interest from the punters. I had time to have a nice chat with Neville Emery without him or Star taking a bet, which tells you. Neville told me that some races punters fancy and others they don’t; this one they apparently didn’t.

The start was delayed when the second-in Handmedownastar was kicked and ultimately withdrawn at the start, the 3/1 second favourite with Star at the time, which resulted in a 25p deduction, which left just £645 in the hod at the off.

9/2 winner Road To Wembley tipped up by previous #BettingPeople shrewdie Andrew Mount to his Patreon clients got up on the line under young Troy Walsh claiming 7lb to get the money for them minus their rule 4. Mounty’s selection was also popular on course, Star Sports knocked out £305.

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7:08 – CopyBet Follow Us On X Handicap Hurdle (Div 1) (Class 5) (4YO plus)

There was little improvement betting on the next; if anything business was worse. To make things even more troublesome, 13/2 chance Mrs Biddle dumped Harry Cobden and went careering off taking a plastic running rail with her on her merry way. She was withdrawn as she galloped through her second plastic rail, hardly inspiring punters to have a bet on the race ‘Another book ruiner’ bemoaned Russ, but he wasn’t wrong, there was £403 in the hod.

Meanwhile, the entertainment of trying to catch Mrs Biddle concluded with a grounds a falling out the back of a 4×4. The race was off shortly afterwards with ‘10p rule 4’ ringing in our ears. Remember Sean Bowen’s sliced face all stitched up? It didn’t stop him flying home on 14/1 chance Starshine Legend, hard as nails. The winner was no good for the book though, with so little in it, only a few quid on the winner at the big prices meant the book lost £388.

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7:38 – CopyBet Follow Us On X Handicap Hurdle (Div 2) (Class 5) (4YO plus)

I really don’t know what happened to the business, but the penultimate was equally as useless as the previous two heats. Crafty Gael opened at 15/8 but did nothing but drift, he was a 10/3 chance as horses went to post.

At the post he was a 7/2 chance, still no takers and not a lot of money in the hod taken on anything else either, did this lot only want a short one? Virtually every bet was a fiver, at the off there was a pathetic £383 over two pitches field money.

Royal Rhythm ran away with the race winning unchallenged from the favourite who never at any stage looked like winning but bagged the place money, the winner returned 11/2 and copped the princely sum of £124 in coin of the realm. Going into the last, the book was winning £2237, as punters started to leave in their droves, didn’t they know there was a lucky last yet to come?

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8:08 – CopyBet Overnight Best Odds Guaranteed Handicap Hurdle (Class 5) (4YO plus)

If the lucky last was going to come alive it needed to get a move on; with 10 minutes to go there was just £208 in the hod. The punters that were leaving had by now so the hope was those that remained would open their shoulders and bet like responsible heroes. Someone was betting like a hero out in machine land, at least in brief flurries, Fiskardo shortened from 12/1 into 8/1 and bounced back to 10/1 again.

Mancero the jolly flipped from 2/1 into 6/4 and back again, but in reality nothing was happening, at the off the book held £530, the worst result was Cinnodin losing £590. Betty’s Tiara winning the race at 28/1 should have been a blinding result to finish the day for the firm, she was a winner but only for £292, making the winnings on the night £2530 Fourth placed Fiskardo might be worth watching in a similar.

A pleasing result to roll into Stratford tomorrow evening with Russ and Jessica doing the business for Star.

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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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