SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Cheltenham Saturday

So here we are, the big day of the three, and a massive crowd as you would expect, writes SIMON NOTT.

The first thing I noticed was the demographic was a real mix, lots of young people here dressed up to the nines for the occasion. I am envious of them all with such a lot to look forward to, a lifetime of racing in front of them.

12:35 – JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle (Registered As The Prestbury Juvenile Hurdle) (Grade 2) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (3YO only) 2m ½f

The first race boasted a short-priced favourite in East India Dock opened 5/4 where Steve’s pitch in Tatts laid a £1600 bet at the price. The punters came in again at 6/5, the firm was obliged with £250 and £300 bets on the rail. The teams today were Ricky, Amberley and Nick on the rail, Steve, Kieran and Tony in Tatts and an unchanged team from yesterday up at the Sovereign Lounge betting shop.

Nick’s team then laid £1100 – £1000 on the rail, it appeared the punters thought the favourite was a good thing and were determined to get stuck in. Money wasn’t solely for the jolly though, a bagman had £150 on Model Approach at 28/1 with Steve, they don’t stick on the mugs so that was a modest stake to be respected. Meanwhile, the rails laid another grand, this time at evens, as my old boss Jack Lynn would have said ‘They will not be denied’ and so it seemed.

‘They’ were right too, East India Dock was a good thing absolutely bolting up. The winner returned 4/5 so all the punters mentioned above had great value, come racing. It was nicer to see my old pal Nigel Hawke pick up some place money when his 33/1 chance Torrent finished third, just touched off for second.

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1:10 – Steel Plate & Sections Ltd Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase (Class 3) (4YO plus) 3m 1f

The next race on the card would hopefully harbour more punting peril for the punters than the first. Transmission opened the 5/2 favourite and didn’t appear to be overly popular with the punters drifting to 11/4 the 3/1 at the off. Jimmy The Digger was the first one to attract any bet of note, £2000 – £240 each-way, a trade bet, the bookmakers always know to ask for fractions. The atmosphere was buzzing down in Tattersalls where punters are now allowed to accompany their drinks down into the ring. Over in Tatts, money was steady and bets plentiful though not lumpy. ‘Good slippage’ was the positive comment from both pitches in the ring, though untroubled by lumps of any description.

The roar that went up as Transmission, eased into contention at the last and quickened up to win told the story. The winner returned 11/4 favourite though some fleet of foot folk got 3/1. As I said in the preamble though, the winner may have been popular with the crowd and favourite though wasn’t lumped on, at least not with Star Sports. The Tatts pitch lost £600 on the race while Nick’s team copped £330. In short, it could have been a lot worse, but wasn’t.

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1:45 – Paddy Power Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial Novices’ Chase (Grade 2) (Registered As The November) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 2m

Next up and a dead eight runner race with L’eau Du Sud installed at even money, a rails punter fancied some of that and bet an even £1500 fairly early on. In Tatts, they had laid £250 each-way Breizh River at 12/1 and £250 each-way Petit Tonnerre at 8/1. No fractions ask for either. My work in this respect is still not done 8/1 can be backed on course at 100/12 and 12/1 at 100/8, if you don’t ask you don’t get, come racing. Up in the Sovereign Lounge they had a run of bets on the outsider of eight Ballymackie £40, £30 and £25 all each-way at 150/1. As the field set off, Steve’s team laid €4000 Love Tree over at Uttoxeter at 85/40.

L’eau Du Sud, well what can you say, another one that bolted up. That was three jollies from three, this one returned 10/11, once again the punters got great value. The Tatts book blew £1300 and the rails £1100, both were happy with that, a cheap get out with another short one.

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🏆 2:20 – Paddy Power Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 2m 4f

Reeling, but comparatively unscathed by the results so far the teams got to work on the feature race of the day. Meanwhile, the good news from Uttoxeter was that the €4000 stayed in the hod, they got it beaten. The betting on the big race was once again brisk but small on both pitches, it was only very late on that the Tatts pitch laid £2500 – £500 GA Law and £1200 – £400 Ginny’s Destiny. The rails laid £4000 – £440 Let’s Go Champ, that’s 9/1 with the fractions to the trade almost in the hole.

This is the race where the punters realised it wasn’t quite as easy as it had been so far today. Il Ridoto winning at 10/1 appeared to be a good result for the books in general. ‘That’s the first race I’ve won on in weeks’ was the comment from one rails layer. It was a good result for Star Sports too, they got £3224 in Tattersalls and £1644 on the rail. Steve and I enjoyed the company of professional punter Andy Gibson last night, he’d made a good case for the winner, of course I didn’t back it though Steve’s teams double cop on the race might or might not have been influenced by him.

While everyone else appeared to be happy, another rails layer came up to point out he’d forgotten to pack any strides and for the first time in 36 years he was stood on his pitch wearing jeans, and for that crime, he considered that he deserved to lose. That appeared a bit harsh on himself, but we was still doing his cobblers, so jeans in place of a hair shirt it was for him.

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2:55 – From The Horses Mouth Podcast Handicap Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4YO plus) 3m

Next up, a bagman came over to tell me that he’d been sticking on the last winner for his client and my mate Andrew Mount also tipped it up in his column, and I still wasn’t on. There’s no hope for me as a punter is there. Anyway, there was a stick-on in the next, Doyen Quest was backed at 15/8 small, then £700-£400 was struck on the rails and £1625 – £1000 in Tatts, that bet was followed by £18,000 – £1000 (no fractions) Itso Fury with plenty of smaller public money to help fill the hod in what was another very busy race awash with public money.

It looked a race approaching the last, but normal service was resumed when Doyen Quest the 5/4 favourite threaded his way through and zipped clear to win propelled by the joyous roar of favourite backers. Just when the ring sensed a comeback the layers were whacked back onto the canvas.

The Tatts pitch lost £3000 and the rail £1730, nasty.

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3:30 – Paddy Power Intermediate Handicap Hurdle (Class 3) (3YO plus) 2m 5f

Next up and a betting crime. A punter bet £10,500 – £1500 each-way Major Fortune, that’s 7/1, he could have had the fractions, 100/14 asked for £10,500 – £1470 each-way and trousered the £60 change. Anyway, it was a nice bet to lay. Meanwhile, over on the Tatts pitch they lured a punter into bet Hamsiyann at 12/5, he had £2000 on to win £4800. My faith in punters was redeemed when a backer had £100-£8 the 12/1 chance Fire Flyer, you don’t have to bet in lumps to ask for the bits. OK, that’s enough, no more fractions talk in this blog, I promise. Also at the Tatts pitch a group of Tiverton punters were begging a price over the favourite. Kind-hearted Tony looking at the chap dressed as a bin man gave him slightly bigger. Little did he know that the ‘poor’ chap had copped £168,000 from the town’s Betfred shop a few years back.

The guys had a laugh about it then confided that they could have had a big win today, they put the first five winners in their placepot but had neglected to have a pop at the Jackpot too. The last leg was Champagne Twist and were praying it wouldn’t win, beaten a short head would be ideal. Meanwhile, the pitches tapped away, business was brisk again, chunky occasionally, Tatts laid £3000 – £500 Wonderful Eagle in the hole.

Over on the rail, they continued to fill the bag but not to any more lumps. As the field kicked off there were a rowdy group badly singing what appeared to be some sort of football chant, tut tut, not what we like to hear on the turf. I thought those days had faded into memory with ‘Green Army’!

The poor Tivvy lads were out of luck, Champagne Twist fell, scuppering their placepot too, though I doubt it would pay a lot anyway. Hamsiyann the 2/1 favourite won the race and compounded the misery for the betting ring. A forlorn Armaloft Alex, a jumps man through and through, asked when the flat starts again and mentioned financial bloodbaths. At least the Tivvy boys had the consolation of drawing over the jolly at enhanced prices, the Tatts pitch blew £5700.

It was better news on the rail where getting the non fractions £1500 each-way bet out the frame meant they managed to cop £960 on the race.

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4:00 – Karndean Designflooring Mares’ Open NH Flat Race (Listed) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO to 5YO) 2m ½f

Today had been little short of a disaster for the betting ring. Forget stories of layers greening up and nicking a few quid every race, just a look around at the ashen faces of the bookmakers told the story today. There was just one race to get the money back today, for a lot of the pitch holders here, today and the festival will be the only time they use their pick numbers, they have to make it pay.

A well contested bumper certainly isn’t the getting out stakes of dreams for punters who in the old days would try and smash their way of of trouble in the concluding race. It wasn’t likely that many punters would be doing their cobblers so the hope was they’d open their shoulders and go for the coup de grace and attempt to put their chosen bookie out of their misery with chunky bets their weapon of choice and the ring would get a funny one up.

Let battle commence.

Korinthia opened 7/4, the rails laid £3500 – £2000, other bets included £9000 – £1000 Settle Down Jill and £2700 – £600 each-way Seo Linn. The punters certainly were having a pop, to the extent that should there be an absolute old fashioned turn-up, getting out on the day was on the cards. The stick on was Seo Linn, as the horses lined up and a thick drizzle descended the Irish raider was a 5/2 shot. ‘How do they know’ was another favourite saying of Jack Lynn. How do they? Seo Linn landed the gamble in almighty style resulting in more carnage in the ring. Well, you’d think so wouldn’t you?

It seems the gamble was for those in the know and not the general public, at least as far as the Star Sports business went. Despite laying £600 each-way at 9/2 the winner Tatts win book copped nearly too grand and the rails £2800 so they got some back, not enough though but it could have been so much worse had the big hitting punting firms been in action on the short ones.

Getting the forecast favourite beaten was also a get out for the Sovereign Lounge team who were looking at a nasty £62.50 trixie copping should it have obliged. It was well into twilight as the ring dismantled, the gloom and drizzle matching the mood of many layers, it had certainly been a punters day even though it could have been worse. Don’t forget your strides again Dan!

We’re back tomorrow.

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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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