SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Cheltenham Sunday

Sunday, it wasn’t going to be wet and full of racing fans for whom a deluge wouldn’t stop them punting like heroes, or a Paddy Power Gold Cup crowd who filled the hods with the combined weight of a multitude of bets, but it was going to be dry and enjoyable with families here for Carnival Sunday, writes SIMON NOTT.

Proper Job. Kaan and Keiran had legged it to bet for Star Sports at Fontwell which left Ricky and Lofty on the rail and Amberley, Nick and Tony in Tatts ready to take on all comers in a definitely little more chilly betting ring.

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1:15 – mallardjewellers.com Maiden Hurdle (Novices’ Championship Hurdle Series Qualifier) (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4yo+) 2m½f

The initial bets didn’t really tally with what I wrote in the opening paragraph, the rails laid £2500 – £300 Ambiente Friendly, a monkey at 9/4 Gaelic Pride and €2100 – €700 Hold The Serve.

Tatts was more akin to my premise but they were busy, before they got busy though, Amberley asked if she could be photographed in her new country clobber not surrounded by grandads, so I happily obliged.

Things livened up in Tatts when a punter came up and had a grand on Gaelic Pride at 9/4 which was also best turned out though probably not the reason for the wager though it would be good if it was.

At the off, the field money for both pitches read as follows, Tatts £2418 and the rail £2993, after 7/1 to 14/1 Soldier Reeves won for the Skeltons there was still £1722 and £2300 left in those hods, an ideal start on a win by a combination that usually costs the bookies when they oblige.

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1:45 – Bottlegreen Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 3) (4yo+) 2m4f

Between races, my pal and champion runner Gary Payne came to say hello accompanied by his mate Tom. They’d had it spark off yesterday having been tipped up plenty of winners at a high quality preview night they attended on Thursday night, they’d invited me too but I could make it, next year I’ll have to take them up on it.

I don’t think they were given the winner of the mascot race though, always back the one with trainers on they tell me, mind you if we could get Gary into one of those costumes and pursude Pinno and Tim ‘Bigger than the machine’ Brown to bet on it next year we could have a right touch!

Meanwhile, a punter bet £5500 – £2000 Jordans Cross with Tatts, it wasn’t Simon Banks but as you can see by the photo he looks wealthy enough to bet like that resplendent in his impressive whistle.

Over on the rail, a punter who knew the fractions had €5000 – €600 Kdeux Saint Fray.

He didn’t just know the fractions, he ‘knew’. Kdeux Saint Fray was backed into 13/2 before winning the race in some style, though no doubt helped in that by a melee at the last.

Lofty was incandescent, not because the punter backed a winner but because he was struggling to scrape together enough Euros to pay with.

It was better news on the Tatts pitch, they copped £1860 though to lose across the firm on the race was disappointing, but it is, of course, how the mop sometimes flops.

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2:20 – Hine Solicitors Talking Sense Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 3) (4yo+ 0-140) 2m

Next up and there was very little of interest in the handicap, and what there was proved to be small money.

The rail fielded £1376 and Tatts £1147. I was tipped Glengouly by a shrewdie, which ran very well but ultimately finished fourth behind 7/1 winner Triple Trade.

That looked to be a good result, it was for Tatts, which copped £466 and at first glance the rail too, that is until Lofty spotted a successful forecast bet which made the race a losing one for £90. It wasn’t going the way of the big fella’s team.

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2:55 – Oddschecker Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4yo+) 3m3½f

Next up and a catastrophe, we had a lovely Italian meal on the firm last night but it hasn’t gone down well with poor old Ricky. It appeared that he was worried should he cough, he could be in trouble so off he trotted to the loo with suspected pizza’s revenge.

There was nothing for it but four yours truly to hop onto the rails pitch and take some bets whilst wheeling out my antiquated old sayings which I thoroughly enjoyed. Anyone who wants to employ me to call them in when I’m not blogging, give me a shout.

Once the race was off it transpired that in Tatts they took £1804 while even with me trying for my life we only took £1235 on the heat on the rail, must try harder, in which Protektorat went off 10/3 jolly.

Thankfully, the story had a double happy ending, Ricky returned having relieved himself of whatever was causing his iffy tummy, and 7/1 chance Marble Sands winning the race copped £870 on the rail and £1564 in Tatts.

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3:30 – Unibet Greatwood Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (3yo+) 2m½f

The Greatwood boasted 18 runners so Star Sports, along with some independents bet 1/4 the odds a place. Only five of the runners were single figure prices so maybe not so hard to solve as it looked at first glance but luckily that was a puzzle for the punters to work out, not the bookmakers. One punter thought that knew and bet £14,000 – £1000 Gibbs Island, fractions were not mentioned.

Over on the rail, a punter who appeared to know the time of day in previous races bet £5000 – £100 each-way Welsh Charger.

There was some shrewd money flying around for Dedicated Hero at 25/1 with at least one well connected bookmaker snapping up the pony on course. Business on the rail wasn’t great, at the off they held just £1154 while Tatts were more than double that with £2588 but of course a grand of that was one bet. Remember I said that the race looked hard, scratch that, Alexei the 10/3 jolly won with the sort of ease that would give a handicapper nightmares.

Despite being the favourite, it was a good result for Tatts which copped £1241, as for the rails, we’ll check back to the first part of this paragraph, remember the £100 each-way Welsh Charger at 50/1?

You do, well much to Lofty’s chagrin he finished fourth at 28/1 ruining his book which would have copped to one which knocked out a carpet. Dedicated Hero ran well enough to be added to trackers if that’s your bag.

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4:00 – Three Counties Christmas Open National Hunt Flat Race (Listed Race) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4-5yo) 2m½f

Going into the last, it was a tale of two pitches, Lofty and cross-legged Ricky were doing £80 though Ricky had probably dropped a bit more than that.

Meanwhile, the Tatts pitch were copping £6585. I was just collecting that figure from Nick when a punter I know started chatting to me then asked for £60 at 11/8 the jolly Bud Fox, benevolent Nick overheard and asked if the punter was someone I knew. I replied in the positive so Nick told him he could have 6/4, with which the chap pulled up a further £4000 and asked for that in at 6/4 too. The cheeky bugger was obliged, it didn’t matter too much though 6/4 was hawking soon after.

Not long afterwards, a punter waded into Nick, Tony and Amberley again and bet £6000 – £2000 Chicker so they were well up the front two with £7998 in the hod. The rail paled in comparison, struggling to get over the grand mark with £1015 field money at the off.

It took until the very last race but the firm finally got the money, the exes, the wages and some profit on the three days when 12/1 chance Saint Clovis bolted up, the Tatts pitch copped £5272 on the race making it £11,856 on the day while Lofty and Ricky won £800 making £720.

‘The Sun always shines on the righteous’ shouted a triumphant Tim Brown from down the rail, quite right too Tim, let’s hope it shines again at Ascot on Friday and Saturday when I’ll be back writing betting ring reports for the good guys.

SIMON NOTT

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