SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Cheltenham Wednesday

Well, that was Tuesday done and dusted, it took until the lucky last to ensure Star Sports emerged from Tuesday’s betting frenzy in front on the day, writes SIMON NOTT.

Ben was no doubt hoping for a less stressful afternoon on the turf today. The Star Sports team had undergone a small but significant change in personnel, with Hannah replacing Emily on the Tatts pitch. Other than that, it was as you were, sir, with Hannah, Ben, Kaan, Nick and Tony in the Tatts pitch and Ricky, Lofty and Flynn on the rail.

Hannah and I had a wander around the racecourse, doing short cameo interviews with some racecourse bookies before racing from lower Tatts to the rail. Latterly, we had a chat with Gary Wiltshire and former sidekick Pete Houghton. Gary was quite forthright in telling the camera that he didn’t think I helped the betting ring by reporting big bets in my blogs.

Just to clarify again, most bets are £30, £40 or less. Big bets are rare, but still remain of great interest to people, especially when they win and the bookies take a hammering, just like they used to be when reported in the Racing Post and Sporting Life before it.

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⭕ 1:20 – Turners Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) (Registered As The Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 2m 5f

There were plenty of grand and monkey bets taken across the two pitches betting on the first, but no real big lumps to report. Business was good though, Ben was having a grizzle up about the latter, but both Lofty and Kaan were happy with the books they were looking at, nice and tidy. Lofty had the jolly No Drama This End losing £10,000 from his £12,000 book while Kaan had him winning nearly £5000 in his £10,000 book.

A very nice chap named Roger Lewis came over to say he loves the blogs and also asked what a ‘Lean-up’ was, it’s when the clerk ensures he has his particular fancy winning in the book, all done for the right reasons, but only owned up to if successful. Kaan didn’t have a lean-up, it’s just the way it came in, lack of money for the favourite didn’t help when King Rasko Grey won at 11/1, the Tatts book lost £5500 thanks to Irish bookmaker hedging business, not to worry though the rail won £5500, straight across though having an 11/1 chance a taker means the firm didn’t really get their whack.

Former #BettingPeople interviewee Roger Bush put the winner up to his clients, but I forgot to back it. Sad faces all round on the Star Sports pitch.

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⭕ 2:00 – Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) (Registered As The Broadway Novices’ Chase) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (5YO plus) 3m 1f

Next up, and the sun was out, lovely weather to be at the races. Betting on the Tatts pitch was of a similar level to the first, plenty of steady bets from off the floor without any lumps being tendered until a late bet of £16,000 – £4000 Final Demand, making that a £14,000 loser.

Over on the rail, they had Romeo Coolio losing £12,000 in addition to the £7000 he was still losing in Tatts, so it was up the front two across the firm. Kaan nearly lost his voice calling 11/1 winner Kitzbuhel home to beat Final Demand home, which winning £10,360 was a £24,000 turnaround in the book, he’d also backed the winner, let’s talk not about lean-ups, over on the rail they won £8000, on the front foot.

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⭕ 2:40 – BetMGM Cup Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 2m 5f

Betting on the third race on the card was a relatively placid affair. On the rail, Lofty told me that their book held just about £6000, the big single bet a monkey. The Tatts pitch held a couple of grand more through thanks to an almost last bet in the book of £15,000 – £2000 Kateira, a trade bet with no fractions making her a loser for £17,772.

The bogie didn’t really feature in the race apart from a down-the-field mention in the commentary behind impressive Jingko Blue, justifying 9/2 favouritism. Star in Tatts laid a shrewdie £5000 – £1000 each-way on the winner, the only other notable bet in the race.

We mentioned getting whacks earlier, the firm got away with it this race, Tatts knocked out £1200 the rail got £1000 back which was a get out. There had been bookmaker hedging money flying around the ring early for fourth placed Ballyadam at 33/1, hopefully the firm got out of it as he returned 40/1. Star managed to duck it, so another bonus.

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⭕ 3:20 – Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase (Limited Handicap) (GBB Race) (Class 2) (5YO plus) 3m 5½f

As betting got going on the race where they run around and around and around until the favourite wins, but gives bookmakers’ staff time to visit the ablutions, phew, farmer Tom came to say hello.

Tom Cowdry is often seen at Chepstow and Ffos Las when he’s not farming pigs. He had a story, the day I had a near escape on the M4 writing off my car, Tom had a lucky escape after being bitten by a bloody gurt pig which took exception to having his bollocks bitten by a terrier. I kid you not, Ben recoiled in horror when Tom showed us a photo of the wound in the immediate aftermath, gory stuff. Luckily, Tom is OK now, the only pain in his healed-up head was the hangover after celebrating yesterday’s Holloway Queen’s victory in the last with connections last night.

Meanwhile, the Tatts book had taken £14,000 on the race that’s usually not that popular with the punters. Bets included £750 and £300 each-way The Goffer at 16/1, £1250 and £500 at 4/1 Stumptown and £1000 at 15/8 Favori De Champdou.

Over on the rail, they had the jolly the loser in the book having laid £5000 – £2500 and €2400 – €1200. Final Orders winning at 7/1 was a good result despite being popular with the smaller punters winning £7000 in the Tatts book and £3600 on the rail.

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🏆 4:00 – BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (5YO plus) 2m

There was no messing about launching into the feature race of the day, where a known big punter bet £32,000 at 10/11 Majborough, then in Tatts bookies hedge money £5000 – £5500, £12,000 at 10/11 then another £5000 – £5500, Cheltenham betting in the right and proper manner with plenty of smaller but still decent denomination bets in between.

Over on the rail, they’d laid £30,000 – £10,000 Il Etait Temps bringing their field money to a tad over £50,000 at the off after a frantic betting heat.

The writing was on the wall for favourite backers a fair way out, Harry Skelton’s look around on L’Eau du Sud was optimistic, Il Etait Temps was lurking there full of running and veritably bolted home.

Kaan was cheering, his book copped £38,889 after the places. It’s Lofty’s first round though, the grand the rails copped should just about pay for it.

Meanwhile, I was getting plenty of messages from the betting shop in the Sovereign Lounge. They were fielding decent money up there, including £2000, grands and monkeys.

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⭕ 4:40 – Debenhams Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (5YO plus) 2m

The penultimate was a steady heat on both pitches, small bets in comparison to previous races, the rail fielded £7500 and Tatts £6500, with no real bets of any note in today’s context, the biggest being £2000 at 10/3 Be Aware.

Martator winning by a nose at 66/1 despite being second favourite in the photo betting and number 13 was a tremendous result for the books, though a certain previous #BettingPeople interviewee tipping him up to his Cheltenham Trail subscribers might have dented a couple of books.

Not the Tatts book, though, which copped £6066.99. Kaan likes to be precise, Lofty doesn’t. They copped £5500.

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⭕ 5:20 – Weatherbys Champion Bumper (In Memory Of Sir Johnny Weatherby) (Standard Open NH Flat Race) (Grade 1) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO to 6YO) 2m ½f

Kaan didn’t tuck into his panda until the lucky last, possibly just in case Ben, now having left the building, might have asked for a nibble, though I’m told he’s off sugar.

Some punters were showing signs of refreshment as betting took place on the last, bending over, not remembering that a plastic glass had been cunningly tucked under an arm, appeared prevalent. Kaan and I must have seen £50 worth spilt over expensive country clobber, some of it nearly on ours.

Meanwhile, betting that you could only dream about at a normal meeting, appeared to plod. Flynn came over from the rail, they were £25,000 up on the day, half of what Tatts were though only the rail had just topped £5000 field money in this concluding heat, there was no way the firm could lose today, which is a good feeling going into the race, though both books had plenty of losers.

15/2 winner The Mourne Rambler wasn’t one of them with either firm, the rails copped £3300 and Tatts £2148, Kaan likes to be accurate, topping off a very good day at the races for Star Sports, a great position to be in halfway through the meeting.

We’re back tomorrow.

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Views of authors do not necessarily represent views of Star Sports Bookmakers.

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