Royal Ascot Tuesday: Simon Nott’s Tales from The Ring

ROYAL ASCOT DAY ONE: Simon Nott is on course all week covering the action in the ring from the Star Sports pitch. It looked a bookmaker friendly opening day but did it pan out that way?

2:30 Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1)

Where did that year go? Time flies in racing but it didn’t take long for Royal Ascot to get into top gear. The office laid some chunks Recoletos £60,000- £10,000, Yoshida £70,000 – £5,000 and £42,000 – £12,000 Benbatl then the commission agents piled into us on course. They all wanted to be Rhododendron including £70,000 – £20,000 £52,000 – £15,000 each way, £35,000 – £10,000 each way and £33,000 – £10,000 each way. Ben couldn’t have written in a better result with 33/1 Accidental Agent winning and the bogie unplaced. Aye Aye – is it too early for that?

3:05 Coventry Stakes (Group 2)

The punters, this time cash, were in again almost as the lights went back on, with £2,500 on Calyx at 5/2 then another for £9,000 – £1,000 each-way Advertise, the trouble was, when we checked the money as we always do the cash was a monkey light. Unable to locate the punter, the Betting Ring Manager was called to verify and the bet was voided and put back in at £750 each way at the price.

In the meantime Calyx had tumbled into 15/8. The office called to say they’d laid £40,000 – £20,000.

On course the commission agents were hovering, but nothing done as they were going in the stalls then as the last couple were going in one did £20,000 at 10/3 Sergei Prokofiev. Then the office called again, they’d been hit too, at the off, in a matter of minutes Ryan Moore’s mount was a loser for over a quarter of a million across the firm.

Rarely has a favourite been called home on the pitch but it was today. 2/1 jolly Calyx was first past the post with Advertise runner-up.

3:40 King’s Stand Stakes (Group 1)

The next was quieter on course, we took a cash bet of £2,500 at 2/1 Lady Aurelia but that was dwarfed by a bet of £150,000 – £80,000 in the office.

At the off across the firm the jolly lost £180,000. Commentator David Fitzgerald called it beaten a lot earlier than deemed comfortable when you stood it for that much. He was right though, 6/1 Blue Point was an excellent result but a relatively small money race on course.

4:20 St James’s Palace Stakes (Group 1)

Betting started light again, but then a punter came in for US Navy Flag £90,000 – £20,000 each way and another £25,000 each way at the price. The office laid it too, the firm was stood on the precipice looking at what Ben called the biggest liability ever, £500,000 or half a million pounds.

For the second time today the entire firm cheered home another favourite, when Without Parole got us out of jail free but in truth the bogie was beaten before the race got serious, getting it out of the frame gilded the result.

5:00 Ascot Stakes (Handicap)

As anticipated, the fiendishly tricky handicap didn’t attract any lumps as seen earlier in the day but we did lay a £9,000 – £1,000 White Desert which made it worst in a book peppered with losers in a race of steady betting. Ben departed to the Star Sports Box before the off, no doubt needing a lie down.

10/1 winner Lagostovegas was a decent winner in the book so kept the great day going in a winning vein.

5:35 Wolferton Stakes (Listed)

The ‘lucky last’ or ‘getting out stakes’ depending on your situation was a similar story. The office took a £5,000 bet on a Morando in the morning but we didn’t expect or even see anything like it on course.

Frankie Dettori at Ascot is always popular and never likely to do you any favours. His mount Monarchs Glen winning at 8/1 was a bad payout in the on-course book and a hefty loser in the office. The cherry was pinched from the top of the firm’s hitherto best ever winning Royal Ascot day. That said, we sail into Wednesday well in front with confidence high.