SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Ascot Saturday

Back at Ascot today, the hope was business would take a serious step up from yesterday’s very modest fare, writes SIMON NOTT.

Today’s teams were Steve and Paul in Tatts and Jessica and Keiran on the rail, the crowd was as you’d expect, bigger but plenty of bookmakers had turned up too so today’s market was sure to be a competitive one and the teams were keen.

1:10 – Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% EBF Novice Stakes (GBB Race) (Class 3) (2YO only)

Before racing, I got talking to some racing social luminaries, Stephen Darbyshire, Paul Jacobs and Jerry White. I recorded the ‘Racing Alternative’ guys’ tips live, then had a chat with Jerry, he’s a music fan too and a friend of rock stars, it turns out he’s friends with some of my favourites, I can feel a racing and rock n roll themed collaboration coming on!

Head out of the clouds, Simon boy, there’s serious betting talk to crack on with. On a positive note, business for the first here today was better than the first yesterday, but still wasn’t tearing. Both teams cracked on but try as they might, Tatts only just broke the grand barrier fielding £1054 and the rail £830, the only way was up from there surely?

Luckily, the day started on a winning note with 9/1 chance Night In Vegas winning, but dare I say the teams didn’t get their whack Tatts copped £121 and the rail £334, but a winning start is always a good start.

1:45 – Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% British EBF Fillies’ Handicap (Str) (Class 2) (3YO plus)

Next up and the guys were busy but busy taking pretty modest wagers. On the positive side, the punters were very much all racegoers who were certainly not regulars but keen to get involved making their way down to the bookies and bet despite having to negotiate numerous better placed tote outlets en route.

The average bet in Tatts on the next was £15 but skewed by the one £220 bet taken in the race which will give you an idea of the business. Neither pitch took a grand, Tatts fielded £850 and the rail £725, both did their dough when 7/2 chance Radiant Beauty popular with the pick a name punters came home victorious.

Tatts knocked out £1044 and the rail £445, both teams hopped on to the back foot.

2:20 – Carey Group Victoria Cup (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) (4YO plus)

Next up and the horribly hard heritage handicap where they bet 10/3 the field a race which attracted the first couple of early decent bets, both on the rail, £6500 – £1000 Tribal Chief and £6600 – £300 Completely Random.

When I said early decent bets, they were the actual bets though the rail pitch was busy, they held £2858 at the off compared to Tatts whose book fielded £957.

You’d like to think you have chances in a horribly hard heritage handicap and it came up for the firm when The Wizard Of Eye put his best foot forward on the day to land a 20/1 surprise of sorts, both books won, the rail £2240 and Tatts £373, back in the game.

2:55 – Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% Italy Handicap (GBBPlus Race) (Class 3) (4YO plus)

It was all about Valedictory in the next with both pitches taking decent bets over the jolly, the rails attracted a £3000-£2000 and Tatts £1200-£800. As per the rest of the day so far the bulk of the books’ remaining field money was made up of smaller recreational money with the Saturday punters keen to get involved, at the off the rail had added an extra £1744 to their lump and Tatts a less impressive £692.

Both those figures were handy enough, plus the teams could relax for much of the race watching a favourite that never looked like winning then see how much they won when another surprise of sorts popped up for the ring in the shape of Harry Charlton’s Wine Dark Sea obliging at 16/1 under Saffie Osborne, the rail copped £2503 and Tatts £951 which is worth an Aye Aye in anyone’s language.

3:30 – Royal Ascot Local Schools Art Competition Handicap (Class 3) (3YO only)

Over on the rail there was a bit of a buzz as it transpired that a punter had bet £18,000 each-way the last winner with more than one firm, Star dodged a bullet there.

Next up, the race before the penultimate or antepenultimate for the pedantic and the smallest field of the day. Waterford Castle attracted bets of £2000 at 15/8 £1000 and £500 at 7/4 and Sassicaia £300 at 5/2, meanwhile over in Tatts a chap had a tenner on all of them.

That £50 helped their total at the off to £1387 though of course dwarfed by the chunk driven £4724 the rail held. It went the way of the firm again Sintra blazed away to win at 4/1 leaving a toiling jolly in his wake, the rail copped £3787 and Tatts £1113.

They just needed to keep the luck rolling for a couple more races, sadly, the tenner on all of them punter blew a fiver, having bet the weak winner when it was a 7/2 chance.

4:05 – Mariner Systems Fillies’ Handicap (Class 4) (3YO plus)

Just when you think with a brace of races to go it’s a case of coasting home with a guaranteed profit the big guns come out to play. In this case, care of a bookie hedging, unloading £13,500 – £6000 on the rail and a bag man betting £9000 – £4000 in Tatts, both bets on Naga, though Moon Angel also attracted a bet of £750 at 7/1, do you think I should do a seminar on fractions for this bigger punters. ‘Don’t educate them Simon boy!’ – Quite right Jack.

Over on the Tatts pitch they’d taken £250 each-way at 5/1 Room Fourteen but both teams were in it should Naga oblige, the hope was that the run of beaten favourites would continue. Spoiler, it did, praise the Gambling Gods, at the off the rail held £7635 and had the bogie losing £12,539 while in Tatts they were clutching £5419 with an £8500 liability, old school bookies would be spinning, but cheering ‘Aye Aye’ too when Naga enjoyed a less than satisfactory ride according to Stephen Darbyshire though there was swearing, behind 11/1 shot Venetia who did the business for the punters that backed her and the bookies that hadn’t laid her. The rail copped £7635 and Tatts £4634.

4:40 – Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% Blue Handicap (Class 4) (4YO plus)

Surely, surely that was it, coasting to a very healthy days profit. Well, you’d think so wouldn’t you, wallop incoming £10,000 – £1200 each-way Tokyo Joe bet on the Tatts pitch to a bag man, though over on the rails they politely requested people hold their beer having laid £25,000 – £3000 with the fractions to trade the same horse. Talk about taking it right to the wire.

Dear oh dear, Jess confided in me that just prior to that bet being struck Keiran had uttered the phrase ‘Well, we can’t lose on the day now’. Talk about prodding the Gambling Gods who had been thus far so good to the firm, all Star Sports could do is hope they weren’t paying attention.

Back over in Tatts, they hadn’t bet up to it, with the bogie losing £10,000 in the win book, the rail had it for £24,527.

They hadn’t heard him, 20/1 Azure Zain won, the bogie was unplaced what a cracking result. The rail ended the day copping £7065 on the race and £22,880 on the day, while Tatts got £3134 on the race and £9288 on the day, a cracking afternoon on the turf after an unpromising start.

I’m at York with Star Sports for the Dante next week. Catch you then.

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