SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Ascot Saturday

My day started well – I had a very nice breakfast with city gent and formidable punter Michael Fletcher, which is always a pleasure, writes SIMON NOTT.

The firm’s day started well too, a bet of £5000 – £5500 on Sticktotheplan beaten at Haydock, the firm today being the same line-up as yesterday plus Keiran in Tatts and Amberley on the rail, the latter looked a bit green around the gills, must have been a dodgy sausage at breakfast.

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12:25 – Restorations UK Novices’ Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4YO plus) 2m 5½f

The first decent bet on the opening race here was struck in Tatts, £7000 – £4000 and £700 – £400 Off The Jury fairy early. They did well to get him in the book at that price. The money, though not lumpy was for Etna Bianco backed from 7/2 into 13/8 which gave the firm hope. Over on the rail business was very poor, at the off all they’d taken was £320 despite trying for their lives.

The money for Etna proved spot on, the gelding won nicely for Joe Tizzard under Brendan Powell, the rail copped £190 and Tatts £4040 which was a very handy start though with big punters lurking it was way too early to start counting it, the day promised to be a hairy ride.

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12:55 – Get Your Ladbrokes Free Ascot Bet Mares’ Handicap Hurdle (Class 3) (4YO plus) 2m 7½f

Next up a 12-runner handicap where Bobbi With An I was the solid 2/1 favourite. Lofty reported laying a wide spread of horses but nothing lumpy until a punter bet £6000 – £1000 Presenting Doy which had been an 8/1 chance a few minutes earlier. As well as warm money flying about it was distinctly warmer in temperature too, just damp rather than raining which was handy. Sadly, for the grand punter at least, his fancy didn’t run to expectations finishing out of the frame behind 4/1 winner Rockola Vogue. The last bet in the Star Sports Tatts book was £500 – £100 the winner but they still managed to cop a grand on the race. Over on the rail, business had hardly picked up, they held £400 keeping £97 of it.

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1:30 – Ladbrokes 1965 Chase (Grade 2) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 2m 5f

Before next up, a punter bet £4000 – £1000 Andashan over at Haydock and left it behind. Meanwhile £1000-£300 was laid Il Est Francais on the Tatts pitch then a £8000 – £2000 asked for and laid Ma Shantou in the 2.25 over at Haydock. Business had picked up, and Amberley perked up over on the rail, though fielding £912 on a Saturday was hardly business to shout about. The field money in Tatts wasn’t much better but at least broke the grand figure £1298 but given the biggest bet was only a carpet not too disastrous.

Some shrewdies were keen to oppose the jolly Jango Baie but Lofty had a lean up, to his credit as it turned out as he bolted up at an easy to back 9/4 copping the Tatts pitch £805. Dan was playing with a straighter bat having the favourite in its place and blew £382, but it was still a good across the firm cop over a market leader.

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2:05 – Windsor Horse Rangers Berkshire National Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 2) (5YO plus) 3m 5½f

The sky threatened to rain as betting got going for the next. For much of it business was little short of pitiful, though a late trade bet of £4000 – £1000 Rock My Way in the hole from the rail doubled the field money on the Tatts pitch. The rail struggled to take a monkey, their final total was just £502, Tatts £2173. Oh dear, Rock My Way didn’t just win he absolutely sauntered home for the Tizzard yard and knocked a mighty hole in what the firm had been getting on the day. The winner returned 10/3 favourite, come racing. The going was changed to Good to Soft shortly after the race. Tatts knocked out £3300 though the rail managed to keep £250 of their monkey.

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2:40 – Ladbrokes Ascot Hurdle (Grade 2) (Registered As The Ascot Hurdle) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 2m 3½f

The rail took their first decent bet of the day on Ma Shantou £4000 – £1000 over at Haydock, that on top of the £8000 – £2000 Tatts had already laid so some liability. Swings and roundabouts, Ma Shantou was never really in it and as soon as it had been dug the financial hole had been filled again.

Did I already mention roundabouts and swings? No sooner had the deficit been recovered it was knocked out again in the fifth race here. The punters all wanted to be on the jolly. The rail team, Amberley and Dan laid £3000 – £2000 Wodhooh while Lofty and co laid her little and often including a bet of £550 – £400. Out in the country it looked as if they might have had a chance of getting the 6/5 jolly beaten, but it was not to be, favourite backers were in raptures as she powered away to win nicely, bookmakers were in the dismal position of looking deep into their hods with the added annoyance of being rained on too, the rail lost £3420 and Tatts £1900, nasty.

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3:15 – Castello Banfi Hurst Park Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4YO plus) 2m 1f

It was already properly raining and dimpsey when betting got underway for the penultimate. The steady precipitation wasn’t going to do a lot for business which had been mainly poor with only the big bets making the afternoon interesting.

There were’t many big bets to talk about in this, the largest in Tatts was a £3000 – £360 Kotmask while the rail couldn’t boast anything over £100 in their book that ultimately held £737, over on the Tatts pitch they had taken £2000 in total, no doubt a bit more or a bit less but Lofty likes a round up almost as much as a lean up. Calico winning at 16/1 was an excellent result for the ring, it was just a shame that the rain messed up the business, still a cop is a cop, the rail clawed back £557, Tatts £1400, no doubt give or take a few quid..

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3:45 – Remix Dry Mortar Novices’ Handicap Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 4) (4YO plus) 3m ½f

Going into the getting out stakes, Tatts were nicely in front to the tune of £10,700, although the rail had blown £2690 so far on the day, in cold blood too. It wasn’t over though, from nowhere they laid £2000 at 13/8 Absolutely Doyen, shit or bust as the ruder people that gamble say. Another thing people say is that jump fans are a hardy bunch, a bit of rain didn’t stop them coming out to bet, a punter bet £400 on Doctor Midas at 6/1 so stood to win £2400, if only he’d asked for fractions, oh well. That was the only decent bet to talk about with Lofty and crew with £1398 in the hod at the off. The rail held £3202, having laid another £700 – £400 Absolutely Doyen which was already a bad loser.

It must have been quite soul-destroying for Amberley and Dan stood soaking wet on the rail under a useless mush watching the favourite dot up having blown £4307 on the race. Things were cheerier over in Tatts, they only lost £196. The reason the figure is so accurate is because I took a photo of the book at the off. The photo also showed the favourite was 6/4 with Star Sports, the SP was 6/5. Come racing. Despite the rail doing their dough wholesale, it was a welcome winning day across the firm, which was great to see. I’m back with Star Sports at Newbury next Friday and Saturday. Thanks for reading.

SIMON NOTT

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

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