SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Cheltenham Trials Day

Blimey, listening to the rain and wind in the shire last night I was dreading today, it was still raining when I got in the car, but by the time the car sped into Somerset it was dry, writes SIMON NOTT.

I had a painless drive up, apart from, since the new IOS update, I had to choose between music or tom tom or Apple Play… rockabilly it was then. I had a painless parking experience too, unlike my colleagues up in the bookmakers’ carpark. By all accounts, the lady on the gate was getting very animated and overzealous literally chasing members of staff trying to park. I’m told that the attendant in question was eventually escorted from her post, but if she has lost her job good judges tell me she’d be a shoe-in for Gladiators.

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12:05 – Timeform Novices’ Handicap Chase (GBB Race) Cl2 (5yo+) 2m4½f

Meanwhile, in the betting jungle, things got lively in the opening race where a proportion of the large crowd had gathered to slug it out with the layers. Star Sports fielded two teams, Lofty and Amberley on the rail and Keiran and Kaan in Tatts. The latter duo saw the biggest business including £600 each-way at 14/1 Quebecois and £3000 – £1000 Barlovento, not to be totally outdone Lofty laid £1200 – £300 Califet En Vol.

Both teams were busy with plenty of smaller bets, total money at the off was rails £2526 and Tatts £3590 with a plethora of losers in both books. The race was a thriller, though maybe not the sort of thriller the £600 each-way punter wanted watching Quebecois chinned right on the line by Jordan’s Cross.

The result suited the rails who copped £1553 but Tatts knocked out £2840 the second worst in the book.

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12:40 – JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 2) (Registered As The Finesse) (GBB Race) Cl1 (4yo) 2m1f

Next up and a seriously heinous crime to fractions, honestly these punters make me weep. The bet in question was £1500 each-way Hardy Stuff at 13/2, all the backer had to say was ‘with the fractions’ for an extra £250 should it win, but he didn’t, you’d send a car around for these people wouldn’t you! That little rant was mainly to fill a bit of space as that bet was the only decent one to report, though the teams did strike a lot of smaller wagers, the Tatts total was £4010 and the rail £1978, respectable figures though you’d probably hope for more on a busy Saturday. Incidentally, the Tatts pitch is a new Star Sports acquisition for 2026.

The race was another cracker, One Horse Town made most and kicked on over the last but was ultimately beaten a couple of lengths by 5/2 chance Maestro Conti, that result was good for Tatts with the bogie out of the frame copping £2346 but Lofty on rails knocked most of that back out again losing £2100.

Talking of Lofty, this might be a good time to mention, The Bullet aka Michael Fletcher the punter, not bookie, has offered to donate £100 to the charity of his choice if the big man appears in a betting ring wearing just budgie smuggling Speedos. I’m sure we’d all agree that’s something we’d like to see, any additional pledges are welcomed.

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1:15 – Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) Cl1 (5yo+) 2m4½f

Jagwar opened 13/8 on the rail catching the eye of a punter who had a monkey on, a punter in Tatts bet £1000 at the same price over the top of a pile of smaller bets the same horse. Over on the rail bet £2000 – £300 Javert Allen, that is 13/2 with the fractions, the would you believe an identical bet to the heinous crime the previous race was struck the same horse in Tatts, £9750 – £1500, incredible.

Even more incredible was the result, local trainer to me and pal of mine Nigel Hawke won the race with 12/1 chance Donnacha beating the favourite. Nigel can train them if he gets the horses. It was a great result for the books too, the rail copped £3410 from a £3478 book and Tatts £6227 from £8182, Javert Allen dead-heated for third taking the shine off.

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1:50 – Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase (GBB Race) Cl2 (5yo+) 3m5½f

The Cross Country was a tepid betting affair in Tatts, despite looking good value for punters they didn’t get involved, the field money totalled just £655 at the off. To be fair there was more interest on the rail, they took £2184 but with nothing bigger than £200 each-way in a single bet taken.

Sadly, that was on the winner at 100/8 that’s 12/1 with the fractions, they also laid £150 each-way the third home Escaria Ten which all added up to blowing £2200 on the race, Tatts copped £400. Even worse, Nick up at Doncaster laid £14,000 – £1000 the winner too, nasty.

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2:25 – Betfair Cotswold Chase (Grade 2) (GBB Race) Cl1 (5yo+) 3m1½f

It was, unsurprisingly all about Grey Dawning in Tatts £5500 – £5000, even £1000, even £600 and £5000 at tips-on bet, their field money totalled £13,913 while the rail fared much worse with just £2036 nestling in their hod as they lined up.

There was a worry before they set off when it was announced that Grey Dawning might have been kicked, the vet gave him the all clear and they were off. The punters that waded in with the big bucks might have rued that decision as 11/4 Spillane’s Tower fought out the finish with L’Homme Presse ultimately conceding to the 11/4 shot carrying the green and gold. ‘One for the good guys’ beamed Kaan looking at a cop of £13,708 from £13,913 in the hod, Lofty and Amberley kept £1500 of the £2036 they held, aye aye, at long last.

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3:00 – Unibet Hurdle (Registered As The International Hurdle) (Grade 2) (GBB Race) Cl1 (4yo+) 2m1f

The first bet in the Tatts book for the race before the penultimate was £15,000 – £5000 The New Lion where Sir Gino opened the 4/11 jolly, an interesting bet to lay.

Meanwhile, over on the rail, a punter bet £2000 – £5500 Sir Gino followed by £1500 – £600 The New Lion in was became quite a frenetic betting heat. Kaan and Keiran were desperate to get the jolly in the book, they were 4/9 at the off but no takers even at that price.

At the off, Lofty said he had ‘too good a book’, he and Amberley had taken £8204 and had just the one loser, The New Lion for £165. It was a different story in Tatts, Kaan had the one loser, needless so say The New Lion, losing £21,905 at the off.

The ominous drift of Sir Gino and strength of support of the second in was ominous, though nobody would have anticipated Sir Gino pulling up as he did, after that there was an inevitability that The New Lion would win, though he had a battle on with his two remaining rivals though prevailed in the end. ‘He’s not that good’ was Keiran, a keen form student’s comment, we’ll see, but he was enough to cost Star Sports £22,070 over the two pitches, double nasty.

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3:35 – Pertemps Network Cleeve Hurdle (Grade 2) (GBB Race) Cl1 (5yo+) 3m

Next up and another hairy heat, at least in Tatts, Lofty and Amberley on the rail reported that the race never really got going for them.

Sadly, yes spoiler alert, it did for Tatts, they laid two decent bets, neither on the jolly Impose Toi, they were £2400 on Strong Leader at 9/2 and £2500 each-way the ultimate 5/2 winner Ma Shantou. How do they know? A phrase that has echoed down the ages from exasperated bookmakers regarding punters that appear to be the offspring of Nostradamus and Mystic Meg.

The book that never got going copped £1100, Tatts tossed away another £8588.

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4:10 – AIS Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2) (Registered As The Classic Novices’ Hurdle) (GBB Race) Cl1 (4yo+) 2m4½f

I was about to pack up and go home after the penultimate, not because I could no longer bear the pain of being in such close proximity to losing bookmakers, but I thought it had been the last. It’s only because Star’s Joe at the other end of my typing marked my card, it was an eight race card, I wasn’t on my way to the car park. Cheers Joe.

Meanwhile, Kaan is very serious when it comes to his job, a top bookmaker’s rep treats the firm’s money as their own. Kaan is that man, stoic with it though and just cracks on, though when it’s at that stage don’t ask for a better price a price on his board already topping the ring, short shrift is likely to be delivered. I plucked up the courage to ask if he’d laid anything big in the last he hadn’t.

Lofty and Amberley were tapping away and laid a monkey at 2/1 Heads Up. That was followed in by a £2000 – £1000 on the same pitch, shortly after that there was an announcement that there would be a delay to racing which was apparently to inspect a part of the course, though there was no delaying the sun going down.

In an uncanny fashion, just after I typed that, pro-punter Alan Potts text to say they were by passing the last hurdle due to a low moon, very droll Alan. At 4.28 there was another announcement that a rail had be realigned and that they were holding a second inspection, which was followed by an announcement that the 7/2 second-in Act Of Innocence had been withdrawn, reducing the field to seven and compounding the confusion in the ring as punters started to get a bit tetchy. Then at 4.34, it was announced the race would go ahead, which was greeted by a big cheer from those racegoers who had hung in there.

The rule 4 was announced at 20p in the pound which made the books look a mess though between the two pitches they’d taken around £7000. It started to drizzle as the race got underway, I’d skidded into my parking space so feared the worst, but at least they were racing.

We were treated to an excellent bit of sport out in the dimpsy light, with Kripticjim shading it in the gloom to land a bit of a touch, Kaan had laid £2000 – £100 each-way hedge money the winner, his book lost £4742 after returning the money over the non-runner, Lofty and Amberley copped about half of that back.

Always look on the bright side, at one point it looked as if they might call a dead-heat, the combined with a rule 4 would have been what Jack Lynn would have described as the full treatment, especially in the dark, see, things could always be worse, just don’t tell Kaan that….

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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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