ASCOT BETTING RING

AUTHOR: Star Sports Content

SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Ascot Friday

The day started well. I set off nice and early from Devon to get to Ascot to get a bit of work done before Racing, went through some torrential rain at Bristol, which is a bit scary to be honest, got to Bracknell and my clutch went, writes SIMON NOTT.

I don’t know if anybody’s ever suffered a broken clutch but the car just sort of slides to stop, unfortunately in the middle lane at a roundabout of a busy junction in Bracknell. The first few people that went past shouted stuff like ‘You can’t park there son’ and things like that. Luckily, a good Samaritan stopped his van and helped me push the car at least off the centre lane to halfway up the verge and then the AA came to save me. Quite the start to the day.

Three good Samaritans in reality because when the AA guy was trying to push the car, two chaps stopped their van and helped but not before a lot of idiots went past shouting abuse. That’s human nature I suppose and I thought Twitter was bad.

1:50 – LK Bennett Lady Amateur Jockeys Handicap (Female Amateur Jockeys) (Str) (Class 4) (4YO plus) 1m

I still got to the racecourse in plenty of time, I told you I left early. The first job was to do a lengthy interview with Flynn. He says he’s too young to do a #BettingPeople but still managed to talk for 20 minutes about his role at Star Sports. You can watch that on the Star Sports content site.

Meanwhile, while we were doing social media stuff Kaan and Nick on the rail and Lofty and Tony in Tatts were doing their best to find out who in the meagre crowd wanted a bet.

There were a few, bets of £1500 – £105 with the fractions Crystal Casque, £900 – £200 Shaladar and £6250 – £500 Little Empire the proof of that particular pudding especially as 6/1 chance Terries Royale got up close him to beat the jolly. Lofty’s team won £140 and the rails £900 roughly translated into ‘a good start’.

2:25 – Charbonnel Et Walker British Ebf Maiden Stakes (GBB Race) (Class 3) (2YO only) 7f

Next up and there was very little interest.

Very little money changed hands either but the firm kept £203 of what they took after Calla Lagoon obliged at 9/2. The rails won £243 but Lofty and Tony did £40 after taking £50 on the winner. Yes, that’s what it was like, pretty poor. Flynn was already talking about going home.

3:00 – Wesco Anixter EBF Fillies’ Novice Stakes (GBB Race) (Rnd) (Class 4) (2YO only) 1m

Next up and a long odds on shot Ballet Slippers to tempt the punters in. Lofty and Tony, Kaan and Nick both bet without the short one and took a few bets each on those markets.

But the main business was done straight. Lofty’s team laid £1400 – £200 each-way Music Piece then as the horses were going into the stalls £2000 at 1/3 the favourite. In between they did take a few quid out of the others, but let’s not beat around the bush, business was sparse.

How the brave books who chose to bet down at the far end took any money I don’t know, but didn’t have the heart to ask them. The race panned out as the market expected, the jolly win easily and Music Piece chased her home. The rails won £71 on the race and Tatts £180. Please note the SP of the winner, but to be fair the each-way chance returned 10/1.

3:35 – Juddmonte British EBF Restricted Novice Stakes (GBB Race) (Class 2) (2YO only) 6f

Next up and another short one for the punters to get stuck into. The guys tried to lay the favourite with all their charm but Diego Ventura was hard to get in the book on the rails. Over in Tatts Lofty managed to lay £250 at evens and £400 at 11/10 and was chuffed to do so.

He wasn’t quite so chuffed when the jolly got up on the line and lost £800 on the race. Meanwhile, Kaan and the team doing a Lofty going for a short one, (maybe) copped £360. Judging by the shouts from the book next door he’d had the cup snatched from his lips. It’s a tough old game.

4:10 – Ascot Iron Stand Membership Classified Stakes (Class 3) (3YO plus) 7f

Next up and the rails had laid £2800 – £400 Billy No Mates over at Haydock but nothing in the 4.10 here. Over at the Tatts pitch, Lofty went to the ablutions for a comfort break, while he was away Tony laid Lord Bertie at 11/1, when the big man came back he pointed out it was now 9/1. It wasn’t too bad though, just £75 but readers, it was that sort of day. Martyn of Leicester had given up calling ‘Money Without Work’, yes that bad.

It gets worse though, Lord Bertie won, when the punter came to draw he said he and 14 mates had a fiver each in the kitty because they liked the name, when your luck’s out. The rail lost on it too, Flynn laid it over his shoulder to a shrewd bookie, then buggered off before seeing the error of his ways, the firm did a carpet a pitch over what should have been a result.

4:45 – National Racehorse Week Handicap (Str) (Class 2) (3YO plus) 1m

The rails team perked up when they took £300 at 14/1 The Turpinator over at Haydock and cock a hoop when they got it beaten. The betting on the penultimate here was interesting for the rails too. The first seven bets were all for the same horse, Son Of Man ranging from a fiver at 28/1 and £100 each-way at 25/1. Over on the Tatts pitch they laid £350 – £200 Awaal and £1400 – £100 each-way Navagio though still didn’t field a grand. When commentator Ian Bartlett’s pitch begins to rise you know there’s something caught his eye.

In this case, it was the 7/2 outsider Theoryofeverything which came with rapid late headway to win the race beating the jolly.

You wouldn’t believe it but the fiver syndicate guy had £85 on the winner at 5/1 with the Tatts pitch, but they only lost £60 on the race after the places went their way. The rails fared better, much better, they laid on the winner, £7-£2 and was otherwise it was a skinner and copped £588 which made their total going into the last £2600, the other one had Haydock got beat too Aye Aye.

Sadly, the Tatts pitch were knocking out £1300 though were arguably not getting the rub of the green.

5:20 – Sodexo Live! Handicap (Class 4) (3YO only) 7f

Going into the lucky last, Plymouth bookie Simon James had got his and was heading to his digs a race early. He wasn’t the first to vacate a pitch, in the old days there’d often be a move up when someone went home early, not now, the kit would take a race to shift. The first action on the rails was on Love Billy Boy, £115 at 8/1, I didn’t see the punter but could fiver syndicate man have had a press up for his mates?

He hadn’t returned to Lofty and Tony but hedged his bets with backing three horses to small stakes into a book that held less than a monkey, even after his bets.

Ultimately, the poor take worked in the firm’s favour, the 9/4 favourite Granger Bay won the race, Tatts won £79 and the rails £266, it came up for them and the firm copping over a grand on one of the quietest meetings I’ve known.

I’m not here tomorrow, neither is Lofty, but the top team will be ready to take your bets with a smile should you be coming.

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

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