SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Ascot Friday

Give me a crisp chilly day over a rainy one at the races any day. Wish granted, at least today, , writes SIMON NOTT.

There weren’t many runners on today’s card but that was no surprise to professional punter Alan Potts. He sent me an email highlighting the conditions of today’s races, something I’m ashamed to admit I don’t often peruse, they did appear to be fairly exclusive hence the field sizes. It was an interesting read, thanks Alan I’ll pay more attention in future. Today, Star Sports manned two pitches, Dan Middleton solo on the rail and Lofty and Tony in Tatts.

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12:15 – Safer Gambling Week “National Hunt” Maiden Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 3) (4YO+) 2m 3½f

It’s fair to say they weren’t that busy betting on the opener. The teams laid less than a grand’s worth of bets between then and blew half of it when Kripticjim the 6/5 won the race. The biggest bet was tendered by Lofty, £250 – £200, come racing. As the race was off I got chatting to Tom from Australia, who was stood in shirt sleeves and chatted for the whole race, a lovely chap bemoaning the fact that punting is not frowned upon in the UK when it’s a way of life in Australia, it’s only the puritans trying to run our lives over here Tom. Another gentleman asked me to write the fractions down for him, anyone that doesn’t know them and wants to learn, there’s a blog I wrote explaining them on this website.

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12:50 – Bet With Ascot Donation Box Scheme ‘Introductory’ Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4YO+) 1m 7½f

Today was free entry so the hope was some curious newbies would turn up. Certainly not a newbie was well-connected octogenarian punter Peter Collier who I saw strolling around the ring. He was here for a friend’s 60th not to back the 3/10 jolly Doctor Blue for the next here, a three runner affair. There was a punter that did fancy it, peeling off a carpet to bag an easy £90, well of course that’s always the theory. Over on the rail, Dan had only taken £80 in the main book but had a bottle in the forecast book in which every bet was for the jolly to beat the second in. Yes, I know what you are thinking, not exactly Royal Ascot.

During the race a punter came up and had £2000 on Doctor’s Hill at 11/8 over at Chepstow. Meanwhile, the £90 was easy money made a whole lot easier when the leading and going well outside of three Getawhiskey slithered and fell on landing three out. The jolly went on to win fairly easily but commentator Ian Bartlett made the race sound like the the conclusion of the Royal Hunt Cup, some skill. Lofty’s team lost £90, Dan blew £280 in cold blood through cold fingers.

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1:25 – Get Your Ladbrokes Free Ascot Bet ‘Chasing Excellence’ Beginners’ Chase (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4YO+) 2m 5f

A punter was quick off the mark when betting went up for the third. He bet £1000 – £2000 the favourite of the trio Lucky Place to win the race, he did well to get in early as bottle-on was soon history. Meanwhile, Lofty was watching the race at Chepstow on his mobile, I waited until he’d replaced it into his pocket before I asked how the horse he’d laid over there had got on. It’s hard to tell, if the person you are trying to read sports an almost omnipresent sullen demeanour. ‘It shit up’ he replied, oh dear, not good news then.

The only good news part of the story was that the horse won at 13/8 so the firm laid the right price, scant consolation. By the off of the race here, Lofty had taken another £620 on it, Dan only £160 in total on the rail. This time it came up for the firm, the front-running jolly capitulated very tamely when both his rivals mugged him with two to jump. The race was won by Thomas Mor which returned 18/5, 18/5? Off course must be getting a bit ribby. There was a rumour that the shopping bag men had been active in the race, though sadly I didn’t see them so not with Star. Still, I’m writing about their business not the ring in general. Lofty and Tony copped £2300, Dan £85.

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2:00 – Join Ladbrokes Bet £5 Get £30 Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4YO+ 0-145) 2m 5f

Next up and another early bet £650 – £400 Royal Jewel, the favourite of the quartet. Over on the rail Dan laid the same horse to the tune of £1200 at 11/8 to a punter off the floor. Other money was flying around for Your Darling at 9/4, when I say money, there was a punter running around trying to have lumps on his card but not all layers were happy to get involved laying £2000 bets on plastic, Star Sports would but were given the swerve for whatever reason. Let’s hope for his sake he didn’t get it all on because weak in the market 10/3 out to 4/1 Neon Moon won the race for David Pipe under Harry Cobden. Lofty had laid £500 – £150 the winner early which made it a £290 loser in his book but Dan saved the day, copping a grand from his £1780 field money on the rail. Roger Bush, former Betting People interviewee and tipster, gave the winner a positive mention to his clients, they were no doubt happy with the win but would have been licking their wounds three out. They had value!

Meanwhile, the away punter was back, this time staking £750 on Tea Party at Chepstow taking 7/2, thinking about it, he could nearly have driven to Chepstow between wagers.

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2:35 – Ascot Partners Handicap Hurdle (Class 3) (3YO+ 0-140) 1m 7½f

That one won as well, which was a bit of a shame when things had started to turn. When he drew his winnings the Chepstow punter span up £1375 on Manuelito at 10/3 which topped up the Tatts field money already bolstered by £1000 – £400 Fortune De Mer and £1000 – £400 Move It Like Minnie. Over on the rail Dan had done well to lay £2400 and £400 bets on Fortune De Mer all at 2/1 before the drift.

What was needed was a right result and a right result was what the betting ring got. It looked for all the world as if the jolly would win as he liked such was the confidence oozing from jockey Harry Skelton, but when it came to actually winning the race the combination were found to be lacking, unable to get past 20/1 shot Trust In Times winning for Harry Fry ridden by Bryan Carver. Dan on the rail copped £3120 from the £3280 he’d taken while Lofty and Tony had £17 to pay to a delighted lady backer of the winner from the £2550 they held.

You never know what’s going to be asked for in this game, though a monkey’s worth of ante-post bets on next year’s Kentucky Derby weren’t near the top of the list, fractions were obtained.

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3:10 – Ladbrokes Best Odds Guaranteed In Racing Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 4) (4YO+ 0-120) 3m

Next up here the penultimate, nine runners, competitive pricing and nobody wanted a bet. Well, at least at first they didn’t, ultimately people did come out of the woodwork, but the biggest bet laid was £1050 – £300 All Authorized with Dan on the rail contributing most of his £738 book while in Tatts they laid plenty of horses fielding £1205.

Montregard was backed from 6/1 into a skinny SP of 4/1 then won as McManus horses tend to do when bet. Surprisingly, both books copped on what looked like a little tickle, the rail copped £738 and Tatts £400.

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3:45 – Ladbrokes Get Rewarded With Ladbucks Open National Hunt Flat Race (Category 1 Elimination) (GBB Race) (Class 3) (4-5YO) 1m 7½f

Going into the lucky last Tatts were winning on bets taken on racing at Ascot but doing their money overall losing £800. Dan, unencumbered by away bets was copping £4462. It was still all to play for though, there was a bet of £3000 – £2000 struck on No Walkover in the last at Chepstow. There was to be no walkover here either a bet of an even £13,000 Saint Jeannais from a known punter saw to that, with evidently no superstition lurking on either side. Over on the rail Dan laid £10,000 – £1000 Double The Dance and in the hole Lofty’s team laid £2500 at 11/10 the bogie, well the punter had been betting with the firm all day, it was all to play for.

Double The Dance 17/2 at the off certainly meant business, kicking into a clear lead and was still there long enough for Dan to get a bit twitchy but was saved by 8/1 chance The Walk who swept by to win going away, the lumped in jolly was a never really in it fourth. With the Chepstow race still to be run it wasn’t quite as pivotal to the day now that a profit was guaranteed but of course a £3000 hole in it isn’t to be sniffed at. Lofty had copped £16,200 on the day and Dan £5787. I’m back here with Star Sports tomorrow. Thanks for reading. Stop Press, the bogie won in a photo at Chepstow, oh well it’s only lent, hopefully.

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Views of authors do not necessarily represent views of Star Sports Bookmakers.

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