STAR SPORTS FESTIVAL

AUTHOR: Star Sports Content

SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Brighton Festival Friday

When betting started on the first it was glorious on top of the hill where Brighton Racecourse sits. Today’s team was Steve, Lofty and Patrick, it was Patrick’s first day working on course, given a day’s work after writing into Star. Ben loves to enable people, one of the reasons he’s such a top man. writes SIMON NOTT.

2:30 – ⭐ Star Sports We Believe In Bookmaking Handicap (Class 6) (3YO plus) 5½f

A punter waded in with intent and bet £1050 – £300 Lewis Barnes which hopefully set the scene for the afternoon’s business. What nobody expected was £15,000 at 4/9 on Mae Amor on the 2.40 at Thirsk. Today suddenly became livelier than anyone had really expected. Meanwhile, there were plenty of decent if not huge bets flying in on the first which gave Patrick a proper start to his life in the game.

At the off there was over £1500 in the hod with two losers, the worst being Alfred Cove. The race went the way of the firm, William Carson took Secret Handsheikh to the stands rail and appeared to find a golden highway winning easily one of the carpet co favourites. The book copped £750, at least the win book did, Lofty piped up with the bad news, they lost a monkey on the straight forecast, still £250 was at least a winning start, though there was a little matter of the bet at Thirsk which could possibly make or break the afternoon’s betting before it had really started.

3:00 – ⭐ starsportsbet.co.uk EBF Restricted Maiden Stakes (GBB Race) (Class 5) (2YO only) 6f

There was a shock over at Thirsk, the favourite was beaten. Now the question was would that be it for the big punters or would they try and smash their way out of trouble. The beaten favourite was returned 2/5 so they had the value, but it’s doubtful that was much of a consolation. Next up and a five horse race where Rokuni opened even money and Letsbeatsepsis at 13/8. A well-known face came into the ring but bet with another firm, but complacency is bad thing in this game, he turned on his heel and bet £6500 – £4000 Letsbeatsepsis with Patrick, Steve and Lofty shortly after a punter had a monkey on the same horse at the same price.

The punters would not be denied, another grand was laid at the price, meanwhile, the overall market favoured the jolly Rokuni which had been nibbled into odds-on, Star held out at evens eventually laying an even monkey to the trade. At the off Star’s bogie was losing £8500 in the book another make-or-break type of book. The overall market got it right, Rokuni ran up that same golden highway and won by three quarters of a length, the book won £5000 over the 5/6 favourite. Happy days but in the full knowledge that the remaining four races could be a hairy ride.

3:30 – ⭐ Star Sports Classified Stakes (Class 6) (3YO plus) 1m 2f

Next up and another short one, Time Tested opened 11/10 favourite but the first bet of note was on Letter Of The Law, a punter had £3250 – £500 getting the book underway. Bigger backers appeared to have taken a shine to that horse, the only other bet of note was also on Letter Of The Law, £1100 – £200 each-way. At the off he was losing £5504 with around £2000 in the hod.

Did I mention a ‘golden highway’? Ignore that, Letter Of The Law made all on the other side of the course and they didn’t see which way he went winning at 5/1. Time Tested, backed into 10/11 but not on course did make chase on the nearside but it was all over, the golden highway could have been the M5 but he’d still not have got there. With the places the book lost £5800, talk about swings and roundabouts, they got the odds-on shot beaten and did their cobblers, which of course deserves a ‘nasty’!

4:00 – Harry Bloom Memorial ‘Brighton Bullet’ Handicap (Class 4) (3YO plus) 6f

Next up, the race before the penultimate and the most competitive heat of the day so far. It was worth a total of £20,000 so it was not surprising that a good field turned out to race for it. Supreme King opened the 7/2 favourite to win but once again the first decent bet was elsewhere, £250 on Alcazan at a handful, 5/1. The next bet was £400 on Glamorous Express, it was 5/1 on the board at the time but the punter requested SP so obviously a punter who likes a gamble.

The first punter knew, Alcazan won very easily in the end, he not only picked the winner but also got the value too, the winner returned 9/2 and cost the book another grand, the runner up and 7/2 favourite Supreme King would have won a grand, it’s a funny old game!

4:35 – Billy Wilber 80th Stakes Handicap (Class 6) (3YO plus) 6f

Next up, the penultimate, it had got a bit quiet so Steve sent Patrick off to get himself some staff welfare. He came back with a very succulent burger which had Lofty glancing over his shoulder looking at it in a way he shouldn’t, licking his lips more times than I’m sure he’d care to admit. It was certainly better than the chicken burger he posted a photo of a Newbury a while back that went viral. Posting that was the best bit of work he’s done in ages. Ever since that day, when seasoned racegoer and punter Michael Fletcher comes racing and sees our hungry hero is working he buys him a burger, a succulent and tasty burger. Only Lofty mind you, but he was the one that suffered the oversized nugget on dry bread.

Meanwhile, back on the joint things that started quietly, remained so. Maybe the lack of momentum was caused by the 35 minute gap between races, compared to the 30 previously. As the horses went to post, Lofty looking into a book holding £800 declared that it had all gone quiet, and so it seemed. The bigger punters certainly appeared to have taken their leave, at least they’d left the £15,000 done on the aways behind, so far that bet had saved the day. At the off the book had still managed to attract a grand’s worth of bets but not one of note. Milliethemolly owned by popular couple Colin and Sue made a valiant effort to win from the front and would have copped the book a few quid. Sadly, she couldn’t fight off the late challenge of the eventual 9/1 winner Bear To Dream which lost £100.

5:05 – ⭐ Starsports.Bet Handicap (Class 6) (3YO only) 7f

Going into the last, Star Sports were losing £1600 on bets taken on the racing at Brighton where it simply hadn’t gone their way, but were actually having a good day thanks to the aforementioned Thirsk bet. The lucky last was a four- runner affair so to maximise interest the firm bet each-way 1/5 the odds if punters were erring on caution. They weren’t interested, the book held just £8 in place money but £140 on forecasts plus a couple of £200 bets on the favourite Havana Mojito at 11/8 and £200 on Interestnpenalties at 6/1. Whatever happened, today was going to be a winning one and the Star Sports Brighton Festival likewise.

It turned out to be a steady race with just over £2000 in the hod at the off the biggest bet a bottle. Despite being just the four runners, the heat was a ding dong between the £1438 loser 13/2 shot Interestnpenalties and the £361 winner 9/2 chance Monkey Miss. This time it went to way of the firm, Monkey Miss just got her head in front for previous #BettingPeople interviewees trainers Dan & Claire Kubler concluding a really enjoyable three days on the turf and ending the meeting on a winning note. It’s been an excellent festival, a really enjoyable three days. It’s not quite over yet either, we’ll be at Ascot for the Shergar Cup tomorrow. Thanks for reading.

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

STAR PROMOTIONS

 

SS_DTA_Social_Banner
SS_WeBelieveInBookmaking
previous arrow
next arrow
SHARE VIA

    Most Read