SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Ascot Friday

The cheery chap that boomed out ‘It’s only five months until Christmas Day’ wasn’t really what I expected to hear on arrival at balmy Ascot for King George Friday, writes SIMON NOTT.

There didn’t appear to be too many other people worried about the days till Christmas in their summer finery. Star Sports had two pitches, Tatts manned by John and Ed from up north with Lofty and Tony on the rail.

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1:50 – British EBF Fillies’ Novice Stakes (Class 3) (GBB Race) (2YO only) 6f

It was the rail that was doing all the business in the opener; the trouble was all on the same horse, Ravishing bets included £1750 – £500, £3500 – £1000 and £1500 – £500.

In hindsight, it was no trouble at all, the subject of the bets ran on well without ever being in the race behind the 2/1 second-in Princess Petrol, who left her previous form behind and bolted up.

I imagine some off-course firms got their fingers burnt, I’m told, having been a 6/1 chance this morning, but there was hardly a bet for her on course with the two Star Sports pitches. The rails copped £3300 from a book of £3500 and the Tatts £560 from £648.

Whilst collating the info to write this blog accurately I made a bit of a faux pas, I sidled up behind the Tatts joint and asked how they’d got on only to be given polite short shrift from Ed, asking why I wanted to know, it’s only when I remonstrated that it was for the blog I looked up and realised I was asking Russ of the White-Sunderland firm not Ed from up north on the next pitch up. Luckily, Russ saw the funny side, especially as he’d won more than Star.

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2:25 – Flexjet Pat Eddery Stakes (Listed) (Class 1) (2YO only) 7f

There were six runners in the next, but the market only really revolved around three of them, of which Time To Turn was the 15/8 favourite, 2/1 in Tatts until they laid £4400 – £2200 as well as £175 each-way Sirius A at 14/1.

Meanwhile the rails pitch laid £3000 – £1000 A Bit Of Spirit late on. ‘Not bad for a Friday’ was Lofty’s chirpy summary; there were indeed people about, many dressed in their finery. Sadly, at least for Tatts Time To Turn obliged, returned 13/8 (come racing) and blew a £3216 hole in the Tatts book.

The rails fared better copping £1079, but the runner-up was A Bit Of Spirit so swings and roundabouts who lost what. Still, business was OK.

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3:00 – John Guest Racing Brown Jack Handicap (Class 3) (GBBPlus Race) (3YO plus) 1m 7f 209y

Next up and a seven runner handicap which once again saw brisk better, though mostly in small denominations. It was Tatts that took the first bigger bet, £400 on Tailorman at 16/1, don’t worry I won’t bore regular readers by mentioning the lack of fractions and £1200 at 11/8 Many Men.

Over on the rail, Lofty was bemoaning having ‘Too good a book’ having got the two short ones in at the right prices, £500 – £400 Many Men and £1100 – £400 Blindedbythelights which had been 10/3.

Luckily, for Lofty’s ‘too good’ book the right one won, Many Men the 5/4 favourite showed the rest how to run sprinting clear, Lofty and Tony copped £380 of the £2019 book while over in Tatts the northern contingent blew £543 on top of the £2657 that they’d fielded.

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3:35 – Royal Ascot Winning Breeders’ Handicap (Class 2) (GBBPlus Race) (3YO plus) 1m 3f 211y

I was speaking to Spinning Mick, otherwise known as Michael Cannon to most or Spanking Mack, don’t ask, to Wendy Perry, before the race before the penultimate. He prophesied that the 5/6 at the time jolly Pinhole would either be backed like a good thing and win unchallenged or drift and fall out of the back of the big screen, though at the time he wasn’t prepared to nail his colours to either mast.

Business was a bit tepid on the rail so Lofty sent the errand boy, yours truly the Westcountry Wogan, on a mission to purchase him a nice cold Sprite. I, of course,e did so without question and on my return hardly anything had happened apart from Bet Ascot were showing 1.70 the jolly and the racecourse bookies even money.

The rail hadn’t taken anything of note while Tatts had laid £300 Dream Harder at 10/3 and £300 Assail at 7/2.

While I was over there in Tatts, they too sent me for drinks. My career appears to have been downgraded, but there’s no I in team so off I toddled and missed most of the race. Spanking, Spinning Michael was ultimately neither right nor wrong, Pinhole went off at evens, appeared to struggle for much of the race, but still won.

Lofty, by now fully Sprite infused told me that despite the short one winning they’d kept a rouf of their £900 book, no lean-ups were mentioned, ‘though over in Tatts where the northern teams’ full fat Coke has yet to be imbibed won £800 of the £1095 in the hod they could have won. Evidently it’s not just Sprite the drink that reaches the parts others can’t even when unopened.

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4:10 – Chapel Down Handicap (Class 4) (3YO plus) 7f

Going into the penultimate, the figures were looking better than my mental arithmetic was adding up to. After three favourites and a 2/1 almost favourite the rails were winning £5300 and Tatts losing £2300.

There were 12 runners in the race where they bet 4/1 the the field with War Howl the market leader. Over in Tatts Ed from up north was ‘still very confident’ of leaving the racecourse in front, though the punters didn’t appear to be steaming into them. However, they did manage to lay £5000 – £1000 Stratocracy while over on the rail, they took £9000 – £1000 over Mister Mojito.

Both were beaten after looking like getting involved at various stages of the race, Stratocracy was runner-up behind the 7/2 favourite War Howl. At first, it looked as if both pitches had won but then it transpired that Lofty and Tony had laid £30 worth of the correct forecast at 20/1 meaning a £700 loss from a £2400 book though Tatts copped £275.

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4:45 – Ascot Shop Fillies’ Handicap (Class 4) (3YO plus) 5f

Going into the lucky last, the guys were still in front, Lofty and Tony found themselves in a sticky situation when trying to help a punter who needed to charge his phone to have a bet then knocked over Tony’s fully sugared Coke into the hod.

Over in Tatts they were in a more traditional fix having laid £6500 – £1000 each-way Miss Show Off, at least the confident prediction of winning on the day was a possibility now, given the punter didn’t ask for fractions it was hoped he was a wealthy backer enjoying his day out than his selection being the result of hours of form study. Their punters weren’t finished, the Tatts pitch also laid a monkey on Emeralds Pride at 11/2.

Over on the rail, they were just tapping away with nothing big offered but still £1044 in the hod at the off. The Tatts bag held significantly more, £4269 with of course the big bogie.

Well, what can you say, the power of positive thinking or a favourable nod from the Gambling Gods, but Galaxy Zoo winning at 7/1 was a cracking result, the rail got £320 but Tatts a whopping £3310 meaning they ended up winning £1289 on the day and the rail a round £5000. That was tremendous going with the day, certainly looking like a losing one on paper.

Tomorrow should be a colossal day’s business if today is anything to go by. We’ll be back.

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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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