SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Ascot Friday

Today was a busy day for Star Sports with pitches being worked at all the major meetings, writes SIMON NOTT.

I was at Ascot where John and Willie were manning the Tatts pitch and Dan and Pam the rails. Today’s card was a good old-fashioned six-race event which would limber everyone up nicely for tomorrow’s eight heat King George extravaganza.

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2:20 – Sports4Causes October Club EBF Fillies’ Novice Stakes (GBB Race) (Class 3) (2YO only)

Today’s crowd didn’t appear too bad for a Friday with a sprinkling of bag men in evidence one of who appeared to be attempting an image change but the application of readies on Speed Of Sound soon blew his flimsy disguise, he didn’t bet it with Star Sports though, Dan spotted the transaction and ducked the price, this particular fella’s bets often precede a market move, funnily enough.

By the off, Speed Of Sound was a 7/2 chance, so Dan did well to duck it. The only bet of note on the race which had been a pretty tepid betting heat was £1875 – £1000 Sorrengail in a book that held £3110 over both pitches, making it the only loser. It wasn’t the best start to see the bogie win chased home by 10/3 chance Speed Of Sound. The only silver lining was the winner returned 2/1 so the firm laid the right price, though it was hardly compensation for knocking out £2561 on the heat.

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2:55 – Flexjet Pat Eddery Stakes (Listed Race) (Class 1) (2YO only)

A bet of £1500 early on Love Is at 9/1 gave the impression that business might nudge up a notch for the second race on the card but a request for more pound coins from Willie and John tempered that assumption somewhat. At this point I’d like to punctuate proceedings to wish bookie and pro-punter Steve ‘Rucker’ Noyce a happy birthday, why he’s named ‘Rucker’ placid fella that he is is as big a mystery as his age, I’m reliably informed late 30’s.

Interview: STEVE ‘RUCKER’ NOYCE

Meanwhile, that early flourish of the one decent bet didn’t signal the hoped for slew of money but a late £3500 – £1000 Alfred Wallace made things more interesting again, a bit too interesting as it turned out, Silver Dominion was a good winner in the book and traded 1.12 in running only to get collared by the 3/1 favourite Alfred Wallace, the book that held £5535 lost a further £1648. Bugger.

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3:30 – John Guest Racing Brown Jack Handicap (GBBPlus Race) (Class 3) (3YO plus)

There were only four runners in the third heat but some decent bets taken, they included a monkey at 9/4 Synergism, £600 on Fireblade at 15/8 and a grand the same horse at 7/4. At the off the field money was £4422 followed by a cop of £2750 when weak in the market 2/1 to 11/4 chance Kirchner hosed in, it had turned! Ascot Bet paid £2.90 the winner.

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4:05 – Sodexo Live! Handicap (GBBPlus Race) (Class 2) (3YO plus)

John and Willie took a bet of £3500 – £2000 Al Azd on the Tatts pitch, which was by far the biggest tendered on the race, but it was quite a busy heat apart from that with total field money of £4279 in the combined hods at the off.

The trouble was, it hadn’t turned at all, Al Azd won the race, once again the firm had the value but you can’t eat it when they win. The jolly returned 2/1 the book knocked out a further £4752, Ben rang me to see how the firm were getting on just as the winner was cruising up with a double handful, the call didn’t last long.

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4:40 – Chapel Down Handicap (Class 4) (3YO plus)

The penultimate was a tough looking heat where business was accordingly light but the firm did lay £2800 – £400 Gallant which as always made things interesting. That was the only bet of any note in a race where between the pitches they’d only managed to take £2577 in wagers including the bet already noted.

When 12/1 chance Tex beat the favourite Spinning Mick who had been ‘Losing a bad 4-0’ was all smiles when hitherto wearing a face like a slapped arse having got out and back in front in one hit. Sadly, there was no similar jollity on the Star Sports pitch, I suppose everyone knows a Tex, they’d laid enough small bets on the winner to add a further £303 to their losses, it just hadn’t gone their way today.

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5:12 – Sodexo Live! Fillies’ Handicap (Class 4) (3YO plus)

So, onto the lucky last, you never know what’s going to come in, so hope springs eternal there’ll be a bet. There was one; a punter waded in with a grand on Dandy Magic taking 3/1 so there was at least the chance of winning a little back, or of course really having a bad day. The scores on the doors were losing £6514 going into this race. There was a flurry of small money for Paradise Walk at 7/2 driven home by bets of £300 and £155 at the same price. The total field money totalled £3642, and there was no chance of a skinner, every horse had been backed. Killavia winning at 13/2 for Rod Millman was too shabby a result, the book got £2300 back, in readiness to do battle again tomorrow on what promises to be a busy one.

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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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