SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Ascot Saturday

The day started bright and early for the bookmaking fraternity, some had to be on course at 9.15am to make their picks while the bulk were required to do so an hour later, but at least it was bright and promised to be a beautiful day for the eight races on the card, writes SIMON NOTT.

I got a bit of a shock when I bumped into football betting guru Nick Goff, he was going to be working on the rails for a day and looking forward to it. I warned him, it’s addictive, he’ll be binning those Asian Handicaps and heading off to bet in the ring on Saturdays in February before he knows what’s hit him.

Lofty appeared to have decided that I need to lose a bit of weight and get my steps in because Star bet on the number one pitch on the rails and on the furthest pitch away in Tatts at the end of the second row, which is quite a trek. The teams today were Lofty and Kieran on the rail and Tony and Kaan down at the ends of the Earth.

Before Racing started, I had a bit of a thrill, well several thrills to be honest firstly I got to hold the Melbourne Cup there’s not every day you can say that. I already mentioned that I had a chat with Nick Goff, then Matthew Trenhaile turned up too (Trench to people that follow him on Twitter) who’s it always a pleasure to see, then veteran professional punter Alan Potts made an appearance. It really was Buzzy down in the betting ring. Finally, I bumped into a very old music pal, Humungous to his mates, I’d not seen him in around 12 years, so far so very good.

1:15 – British EBF Crocker Bulteel ‘Confined’ Maiden Stakes (GBB Race) (Class 2) (2YO only) 6f

The business of betting soon got underway and kicked off with a £5000 double the first two jollies here at Ascot. Now, I’ve set the scene, the place was heaving but apart from the big bet, there was very little money, ‘Yesterday was better’ bemoaned Lofty as the field set off with just over a grand nestling in the hod. There was still £200 of it in there after Our Terms won like a bullet from a gun under Ryan Moore, imagine what it must be like riding a horse that fast! Oh, and of course the £5000 double was gubbed. A good start was had by all.

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1:50 – Sodexo Live! Princess Margaret Stakes (Fillies’ Group 3) (Class 1) (2YO only) 6f

Next up and it didn’t take long for things to get lively. The first bet was £1500 on Simmering at 6/4 then £7000 at 11/8. There was also good money, though as you’d expect on a smaller level, on Alice Fairfax backed from 14/1 into 10/1, ‘the best backed horse in the race bar the favourite’ according to Lofty. I took a walk down to the Tatts pitch just in time to see a punter have a monkey each-way Simmering at 6/4 and they were off.

Walking back up to Tatts watching the big screen I thought that maybe the firm could get the jolly out of the frame, mind you that’s not always a good thing, but when you have laid a monkey each way it is. By the time I got up to the rails it had won landing Ryan Moore a double and costing the rails book alone £11,000 which was a nasty reversal.

Between races a punter had an even £5000 Seagolazo over at Chester. You can always get on the aways when you come racing, just ask.

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2:25 – Longines Valiant Stakes (Fillies’ & Mares’ Group 3) (Rnd) (Class 1) (3YO plus) 1m

Next up and a competitive looking eight runner heat where they bet 11/4 the field. ‘It’s a messy book’ Lofty bemoaned rather loudly, as he tends to do when it’s not going well. The bets were up on the previous race but the stakes modest. The team worked hard, there was £2000 in the hod in small denominations as the field set off.

Meanwhile, the firm did another £5000 when they away bet won. ‘That was 1.01’ observed Lofty, which at some point I’m sure it was. Another that went 1.01 and won, was Friendly Soul which bolted up here. Lofty was now in full flow, ‘We did a monkey, it was winning until the last bet in the book, £700-£200’, he paused to draw breath and added ‘Make that we knocked out £800, we did it on the places too’

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3:00 – Moet & Chandon International Stakes (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) (3YO plus) 7f

Next up and Trench who had been with us behind the Star Sports rails pitch fancied one, of course I’m not at liberty to say which one it was, even worse he’d already backed it. That was a double shame because business hadn’t been great, they could have done with the extra turnover.

⭕️ | SIMON NOTT AT ASCOT

👑 @SimonNott catches up with the well know judge that is @Matthew_Trench!

👋 Look out for our pitches if you’re on course and don’t miss Simon’s blog, published shortly after the last! pic.twitter.com/5lE1VkP1gD

— Star Sports Bookmakers (@StarSports_Bet) July 27, 2024

‘Typical six the field handicap book with losers dotted around, left, right and centre’, yes that was Lofty again, chuntering as he tapped away. The worst loser in the book was Eminency thanks to a £150 each-way at 25/1. Meanwhile a punter bet £6250 at 2/1 Passenger over at York, you just never know what’s going to come in.

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🏆 3:40 – King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes (Group 1) (British Champions Series) (Class 1) (3YO plus) 1m 4f

Next up and the feature race, there was decent action as you’d expect, bets included £2000 at 15/8 Auguste Rodin, £14,000 – £500 Dubai Honour, £3000 – £1000 Rebel’s Romance, £3000 – £600 each-way Bluestocking and £10,000 – £500 Sunway then £16,250 – £10,000 the jolly in the hole. ‘Well I never’ spluttered Lofty, ‘I didn’t think I’d lay twenty monkeys something and still have it a winner!’

⭕️ | SIMON NOTT AT ASCOT

🇫🇷 Allez Les Bleus! Goliath storms home in the King George, giving the rails a cracking result!

👋 Don’t miss Simon’s blog for the full story, published shortly after the last! pic.twitter.com/gJij3rFA7V

— Star Sports Bookmakers (@StarSports_Bet) July 27, 2024

Je me demande ce que signifie Aye Aye en français ? Goliath remportant un 25/1 signifiait que l’entreprise était de retour dans le jeu!

Goliath winning was a cracking result on the rail, the book copped around £14,000 and all of a sudden the firm were back in the game again. Aye Aye. The coaster was still rolling though, no sooner had the Aye Ayes wafted into history Lofty laid £12,000 – £8000 Beauty Queen in the 4pm at York or is that the roller was still coasting.

Beauty Queen was beaten at York.

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4:15 – Flexjet Pat Eddery Stakes (Listed) (Formerly The Winkfield Stakes) (Class 1) (2YO only) 7f

Next up and the race before the penultimate, once again bets were plentiful but small. Small apart from £2000 at 6/5 Chancellor and £1000 at 3/1 New Century. It really had turned you know. When Lofty shouts ‘It’s beat’ during a race it’s often time to cover your eyes, this time he was so obviously right, Chancellor was the first one to turn it in. To top it off, New Century was beaten too behind Al Qudra which had been friendless drifting to 4/1, friendless is good in bookmaking terms when something which has been, wins.

The ledger showed that the firm had copped four grand, the big bets plus the tenners and fivers that mostly made up the rest. With that race, it was all change on the stool as Steve jumped up to replace Lofty who was off to Oxford dogs for the double up and Star Sports had hit the front coasting. As Lofty left, so did two bagmen, no relation, that augured for a bit of a slow down at least with big bets, so a quiet couple of betting heats in the last two races?

Between races, we had another racing celebrity come to the pitch, not other than Andy Henderson, known to his twitter followers as Andy The Lodge, he pops up everywhere. He let the side down a bit today though, he wasn’t in a box, come on Andy, work harder mate. I didn’t get a photo of Andy but I did Michael Fletcher and Trench, jolly good one it is too, even though I say so myself. It’s nice when people drop by the pitch.

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4:50 – Betfred Handicap (Str) (Class 2) (3YO plus) 1m

The biggest single bets in the penultimate were £500 on the jolly Elnajmm at 6/4 and £300 each-way Sean at 16/1 who didn’t ask for fractions and should know better. When I tell you that the book held getting on for £6000 you’ll realise quite how brisk it was on the pitch. When I tell you that the book did £1800 after the favourite won, backed from 2/1 this morning, the mood turned to brusque, the pressure gets to the best of them, not just Lofty. To be fair though, two people on the top rail is under the cosh in a Saturday.

So under the cosh that I jumped up on the stool and called a few bets back to Steve, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Punters never seem to tire of ‘£20 invested hopefully wisely’ or stop eying you suspiciously when you wish them good luck, which is just as well as they are the only bits of banter I have. Of course, I hopped down again as soon as the flurry was over, I’ve got this blog to write.

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5:25 – Whispering Angel Handicap (Class 2) (3YO plus) 5f

Business was steady but small, the book was a typical last race handicap affair, at the off the book was dotted with losers but holding just under £3000. A huge roar went up when Albasheer won the race, hardly surprising as he was ridden by Hollie Doyle and returned the 10/3 second in. What was surprising is that he was a winner in the rails book copping £400. Aye Aye. The cherry on the top of what turned out to be an excellent day and the perfect appetiser for Glorious Goodwood next week.

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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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