SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Ascot Friday

Well, this is a treat, I was asked to work at Ascot on a non-festival Friday, which is always a pleasure, order yourself a new frock Mrs Nott, writes SIMON NOTT.

First up before any betting talk, happy birthday to all-round good egg ‘Inlike’ Flynn Goward who is celebrating his today.

Not celebrating in any capacity were Father & Son team Paul and Archie Metcalfe who had an impromptu day off enforced on them when their car lost a hose en route. Paul said he wouldn’t have minded so much had the wretched vehicle not just been in for a service relieving him of £1200…

Of course, they could have bet on the end of the row but having been betting here for 100 years it wouldn’t hurt to have the day off.

A card full of results today would rub salt into those fear of missing out wounds mind, and needless to say the bookies that did get to the course on time were hoping for just that.

⭕️ | SIMON NOTT AT ASCOT

🗣️ @SimonNott catches up with Lofty (@MartinChapman12) and Tony at Star Sports’ new rails pitch at Ascot ahead of today’s racing!#HorseRacing | #Ascot pic.twitter.com/E876hvA8bs

— Star Sports Bookmakers (@StarSports_Bet) July 26, 2024

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

The Star Sports team were Lofty and Tony, those two stalwarts of the betting ring were working from number two on the rail, forsaking the Tattersalls pitch. Lofty’s decision to bet on the rail paid off in the opener, he described business as steady. Punctuating that steady business was a single bet of £1250 at 5/2 on Pearl Of Windsor, well it was actually a grand to begin with but the punter came back and pressed up another £250 at the same price.

There were no other big bets offered on the race but as Lofty said, business was steady, including money for forecasts. It came up for the firm, Miss Fascinator had been 11/8 early but was friendless in all markets drifting to 9/4 but still proved fast enough to win the race, copping the book £900 in the process.

She still returned favourite so we have cheered the Metcalfes as they enjoyed a commiseration pint at the bar, everyone’s a winner.

2:25 – John Guest Racing Brown Jack Handicap (Class 3) (3YO plus) 2m

Next up and another steady race, but it took a while to get going despite Lofty and Tony’s heroic efforts. As the horses were going to post the Star Sports team had yet to take a meaningful bet out of the tips-on favourite Tactician or anything else for that matter.

That changed when a punter bet £220 to win £200 on the jolly followed by another customer lumping £1100 at the same price, which was much more like it.

A bet they didn’t expect was £5000 – £100 Red Flyer which made things interesting. At the off, that one was the bogie but the jolly the more likely loser bad for £1100. For much of the race the odds on backers must have thought they’d done their money, that was until Oisin Murphy worked his magic getting the colt up to win close home.

The Star Sports book did £1100, so went behind on the day, looking on the bright side, two favourites out of two winning would have cheered the Metcalfe lads up a bit more.

Another story between races, I’m told the bookmakers at Newbury were really having a go, their prices barely rose above 1% a runner a race all day. A disgruntled punter came to a bookie and had a moan up that their prices were all the same. Apparently, he glazed over when told they were all the same because everyone was already best price. The bookie added that the ring would be better off betting to a margin and give the punters what they want, the ability to shop around, they don’t understand value anyway.

3:00 – Chapel Down Handicap (Class 4) (3YO plus) 7f

Next up and a tricky third heat where they bet 3/1 the field. Lofty noted that the bets had become brisker, but in this race not bigger. The largest bets were a couple of £150 and £100 each-way bets.

Luckily neither were on anything in the frame let alone the winner, Rod Millman’s Billy Mill ridden to a bookie-friendly 12/1 victory, the book copped £1500. ‘A good betting heat’ was Lofty’s observation, they always are when they are winning races.

In the meantime, I expect the Metcalfe team decided now was the time to check into their digs. Anyone that is interested and able to come racing on a Friday, prestigious tracks like Ascot and in the winter, Cheltenham are tremendous places to visit on days you have facilities designed for 60,000 people with just a few thousand rattling around.

They are excellent value and a very comfortable places to be, come racing.

3:35 – John Guest Racing Handicap (Class 2) (3YO plus) 1m 4f

The race before the penultimate was the fourth, it’s quite rare these days to only have six races on a card. Mutaawid was the short one steady at around 13/8, but the big punters didn’t seem interested in back the jolly or anything else. I had been chatting to a bag man earlier, he’d already warned me that they were expecting a quiet day and was conspicuous by his absence. That’s not to say that business wasn’t good.

It was brisk but it was just small. The biggest bet taken on the race as the horses were going down to post was just £200 or a bottle in racing parlay on the jolly. The money mounted up enough to have Wonder Kid and the jolly four and three-figure losers in a book that held around £1500, all in small money, the dynamic duo of Tony and Lofty were grafting hard for their money today.

It was very good that the guys decided to work hard because almost every penny that they took stayed in the hod when Mount Atlas came with a wet sail down the outside to win close home under Hayley Turner for Andrew Balding and the Kingsclere Racing Club. The winner returned 14/1 beating 16/1 chance Insanity into second, which was another great result for the firms making traditional books, going into the penultimate the firm were winning £2600.

4:10 – Slingsby Gin Handicap (Class 4) (3YO plus) 1m 4f

Next up, the penultimate and what Lofty described as the poorest betting race of the day, though they did manage to lay a single bet of £700 – £400 the jolly, Individualism. That bet ensured he’d go off in his place as bogie which turned out to be very handy as at the business end of the race he was the first one beaten.

It was the punters that backed the 4/1 winner Assail that got the money in the race, thankfully not many of them chose Star to have their wages.

The firm kept a monkey of the grand they held which added nicely to the day’s winnings. There was now just a case of the lucky last in which not to knock it all out in.

4:45 – Berenberg October Club Supporting Back Up Fillies’ Handicap (Class 4) (3YO plus) 5f

Lofty has a tally up and the firm were £3200 to the good going into the last race where they bet 10/3 the field and bigger punters had been thin on the ground all afternoon.

Sadly as anticipated it was the slowest of the day, the book held less than £900 with a couple of losers for £300 a piece. At least at the off the firm were certain to end the day winning, and win they did, Saffie Osborne getting 12/1 chance Alcazan not only landed her a double on the day but also copped the good guys another £400.

That victory concluded a good winning day but one that was never going to be Royal Ascot, or indeed King George day, but we’ve got that to look forward to tomorrow and it’s an eight race cracker.

The luckiest event occurred after the last, Star nearly needed a replacement for Tony tomorrow, he went arse over tit putting the kit away and could have done himself a mischief, security rushed to his aid, but it was OK our man was unhurt, he landed on the readies!