SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Cheltenham Festival Thursday

Thursday started blustery but sunny and dry, the hope was that forecast showers would give Cheltenham Racecourse a swerve at least until racing ended, writes SIMON NOTT.

Our neighbours in Tatts Kalooki Racing pulled me aside to tell me a story, they’d had to visit the bank this morning to draw some more cash, when they got there the three customers in front of them and they were all bookmakers!

1:30 – Turners Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) (Registered As The Golden Miller) 2m 4f

Betting on the first on course got busy early too. Bets taken on the Tatts pitch included £2230 and £1000 Facile Vega at 9/4, £4000 – £720 Ginny’s Destiny, £9000 – £3000 Grey Dawning, and £10,000 – £500 each-way Sharjah.

Over on the rail Lofty, Flynn and Ricky had laid a dog to win the Greyhound Derby £100,000 – £2500 each-way Ben’s Teddy, they do like to buck trends! They’d also laid a couple of grand bets on Facile Vega at 5/2. The Tatts pitch had also laid a £40,000 – £8000 double Teahupoo and Brighterdaysahead.

As the horses lined up at the start the sky started to look ominous and spot with rain. It didn’t put the punters off though, they kept piling in. At the off both books were up the front two. After being weak early Grey Dawning had been well backed and Facile Vega easier to back.

Well, what can you say, it was a proper race, the crowd were roaring but ultimately another short one won. Grey Dawning won, the Tatts book lost £6500 and the rails £600. Ben’s face dropped, it was a bit early for that, but you can’t blame him after the results so far this week.

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2:10 – Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap) 3m

Ben was perplexed. Why was he perplexed I hear you ask? Well, head of on-course Steve Brewer, an actual accountant as well as a turf type one, decided to duck Le Milos early. ‘But why? protested Ben, ‘We are Star Sports and supposed to be consistently reckless’.

Steve pointed out that the previous very popular winner had been trained by Dan Skelton and it was his third winner of the meeting. He added that Dan Skelton also trained Le Milos so he expected punters to be keen to back it, so ducking it early might be prudent and would hopefully ensure laying it at the right price. Ben just looked at Steve incredulously and wandered off shaking his head and muttering to himself.

It seemed like a good plan but the price for the gelding drifted from 13/2 out to 8/1. Meanwhile mushes were going up as rain started to spot, so much for the 5pm on the weather app. Big bets were as thin on the ground as you’d expect where they bet 6/1 the field but the favourite Cuthbert Dibble attracted bets of £9000 – £1500 and £3000 – £500 on the Tatts pitch. Over on the rail, business was very thin, as they were going down they’d only taken £3500 in total.

Late on the Tatts pitch laid a £7000 – £1000 Gaoth Chuil which made that a loser to join Cuthbert Dibble in red. The first attempt to jump off resulted in a false start but they got off OK on the second attempt. As they were running I got a late bet from the office £50,000 – £2000 each-way Noble Birth.

At last, a result of sorts, 25/1 chance Monmiral landed the spoils and was a virtual skinner for both win books. Lofty’s team copped £3000 and Steve’s nearly £6000. Happy days, the firm were back in the game.

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2:50 – Ryanair Chase (Registered As The Festival Trophy) (Grade 1) 2m 4½f

Betting on the third started during pouring rain, though bigger punters were happy to brave the elements and have it on. Early bets included £18,000 – £3000 Stage Star and £2200 – £800. Ben wasn’t happy, he wanted to know where the ‘money buyers’ were, keeping their powder dry was my guess. It was a bit too competitive for those long odds on punters to unleash their wads today.

Did we speak too soon a punter bet £35,000 – £7000 Stage Star. Over on the rail their business had picked up a bit but it was still smallish, biggest bet they’d laid was a £4000 – £1000 Banbridge. The rain had stopped as the horses went down to the start, the Tatts pitch had a one horse book, Stage Star losing just over £50,000.

Aye Aye the Skelton’s to the rescue again, Protektorat winning the race was an excellent result, the Tatts book got £13,500 and the rails £5000, it was turning. Ben had stopped being doomy and Lofty yet to bark, but give it time.

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3:30 – Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle (Grade 1) 3m

Next up and the first leg of the £8000 double, Teahupoo. Gordon Elliot’s gelding opened at 6/4 but that was trimmed into 11/8 after a bet of £7500 – £5000, over on the rail a bagman backed the same horse, £10,000 at 11/8. Another punter came into Tatts and blagged a bit of extra’s £14,000 – £10,000 laid matching the price offered by Jack Bevan behind.

Ben sent me over to the rail to tell Flynn and Lofty to ‘be the price’ the jolly, it’s amazing how a couple of results can open the shoulders and puff a chest. It wasn’t my only visit on a ‘not ducking it’ mission, they got the message and weren’t but Lofty did refuse to go 7/5 as he’s ‘not a football coupon!’

Ben kept shouting 11/8 and eventually reeled another one in, a face had a £4000 bet at the price. It must have been a bit disheartening for the punter when he hears ‘11/8’ called as he walks away after that lump. At the off the Tatts book had the favourite losing £31,000 and the rails £17,000. Not to be left out the office laid £25,000 – £20,000.

The roar told the story. Teahupoo first, the rest nowhere. Back in the mire, like Jeremiah. With that, Ben picked up his scarf, wrapped it around his neck and left the racecourse leaving me with a forced grin smile and a ‘see you tomorrow’ farewell.

A very nice chap named Chris came over for a chat after the race, he enjoys reading the blogs and said that Ben was a proper old school bookie. I’m not sure many old school bookmakers would agree or want to be half in his lopsided books but he’s certainly a gentleman and ploughs his own furrow, sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn’t. He had gone by the time the ‘face’ came into draw to a huge cheer from his fans, spared a real rubdown.

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4:10 – TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) 2m 4½f

Next up and the big handicap was desperately quiet in Tatts but a different story on the rail. They had a big liability Crebilly thanks to bets of £3500 and £800 at 5/1. They’d also laid £3333-£1000 Theatre Man and £8000 – £1000 Saint Felicein. Just as they were lining up and the Tatts bag holding £2600 a punter bet a £12,000 – £3000 Crebilly. The false start at least gave the team opportunity to spin the money at their leisure and tender a few more £2.50 each-way bets in the rain.

What a race, Crebilly ran a courageous race and was still in with a chance jumping the last, despite a few ricks along the way. Thankfully for the book Shakem Up’Arry was too good for him and outbattled the bogie up the hill. The books copped about £12,500 between them stopping the rot.

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4:50 – Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2) (Registered As The Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle) 2m ½f

The penultimate boasted another banker Brighterdaysahead which opened 5/6 and made up the second leg of the double which would lose £46,441.15 if it was landed.

By now it was proper raining and a bagman’s weather app said it was going to be in for the night, at least he had an umbrella he let me hide under, at least until he buggered off into the dry, they’re not daft these bagmen.

Understandably the Tatts pitch weren’t chasing the favourite given it was already a bad loser over the double. Business was dampened by the rain, as it was over on the rail. Steve, Tony, Hannah and Nick appeared happy to box clever until right in the hole a punter had a £12,000 – £15,000 Brighterdaysahead. That left huge liabilities over the jolly.

It was looking like another readies search would be on the cards two out with the favourite cruising. They can’t all win though, Jeremy Scott’s 10/1 chance Golden Ace had other ideas about the Irish domination and powered up the hill to the roar of the bookmakers, if not the sodden crowd who had got used to having it all their own way this week. Their favourite was thwarted, the result flipped the Tatts book from losing £14,300 going into the race to winning £13,000.

Of course there’s often news to temper the joy, the office messaged, they’d laid a £60,000 – £5000 each-way, but still managed to just win on the race. The rails won £6000 on the race putting them £4000 in front going into the last.

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5:30 – Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase (Sponsored By JRL Group) 3m 2f

Over on the rails Lofty had found a mobile phone in the toilets. He gave it to me to take to the Betting Ring Manager’s office in case anyone claimed it. As I was taking it in the it rang, so I spoke to the owner’s mate and told him where to come. Just as I had it to my ear I hoped the dampness was rain and that he hadn’t found it in a yellow puddle. Luckily it was rain.

Meanwhile the rail laid a bet of £10,000 – £5000 Inothewayurthinkin and £10,000 – £1000 Where It All Began. Over in Tatts a punter bet £32,000 – £16,000 the favourite. The first winning day of the meeting was going to hinge on the lucky last.

I’m not having a whinge but it wasn’t the best day to wear a padded coat instead of a waterproof and a new whistle. With five minutes to go it was odds on the rain would be through the jacket by the off. OK I am having a whinge, just a little one.

The office reported: “It looked a more open day – but the two best backed duly obliged – we had laid Inothewayurthinkin big ante post to a valued client, so what looked like the better day for the bookies has been our worst of the week.”

You couldn’t make it up, enough to make a grown bookmaker cry, the jolly won the handicap by a country mile, well eight lengths and returned 13/8. Both books did their absolute cobblers, so near yet ultimately thousands away from a winning day. A bookies nightmare in the rain. We’re back tomorrow.

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Thursday’s Racing Post results from Cheltenham

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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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