SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Chepstow Tuesday

I was looking forward to this week of tremendous sport out on the racecourses of the UK, writes SIMON NOTT.

Chepstow today, Worcester tomorrow and Stratford on Thursday, proper racing. Star are also betting up at York but I’m sure it’s the jumping that will capture the betting public’s imagination.

First things first though, today’s six race flat card at Chepstow where Alex and Russ were working on pitches 1 and 2 on the rail. Realistically, Tuesday on York week wasn’t expected to be rammed but racecourse bookmaking is like fishing, you never know what you are going to catch.

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14:15 – Community Engagement Programme Handicap (Class 6) (3YO plus 0-65)

The bait wasn’t that juicy a worm for the punters in the opener, where Hope Rising and Sneaky Blinder were the only two runners where they bet 1/8 and 6/1 respectively. Alex and Russ also bet on the more competitive second race at the same time but didn’t get many takers. Like I said, setting up the premise, you never know what’s going to be asked for, £1200 – £200 the second in certainly wasn’t but happily laid. Also happily laid was a bet of £50 – £500 the jolly late on when the screen was showing 1-14 in the betting shops. The jolly won as easily as a 1-16 shot, of course at least, would be expected to, by 24 lengths, the book copped £246.

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14:45 – Trade Centre Group Maiden Fillies’ Stakes (GBB Race) (Class 4) (2YO)

The next race on the card was a much more attractive betting proposition with eight runners. Delighfully Hot and Soeur De Flash opened around the 2/1 mark each of two with most books though it was Delighfully Hot that was ultimately the punters’ favourite hardening into 15/8 while her rival took a walk out to 11/4. Betting was steady in very modest stakes, though the market leaders levelled up to a bottle each of two at the off, bets included £500 – £200 and £350 – £200 Delighfully Hot. Anyone that backed the short ones did their money after Impulsive Spirit won the race, 12/1 with Star Sports at the off. The winner had been a 16/1 early and was no good for a lot of books, Star fielded £1300 copping £150 just on the race. Elsewhere books reporting doing their money with one bet of £400 each-way laid at 16/1. Thankfully not with Russ or Alex.

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15:15 – Bailey Family Investments / EBF Maiden Stakes (GBB Race) (Class 3) (2YO)

Next up and the bottle-on Grove Street wasn’t there for long, though the machine led the price into 4/9 rather than weight of lumpy odds-on money. There were no bets of any note, nobody wanted to be on the jolly, apart from those having it on the machine. This meant that at the off the 2/5 chance was a £278 winner in the £458 book, nobody on the firm was going for the market leader, but was just the way the mop flopped. Not the way of the firm as it turned out as when 13/2 chance Avionics turned over the jolly the book knocked out £400 in a race that looked bookie friendly.

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15:50 – Trade Centre Wales Handicap (Chepstow Mile Series Qualifier) (Class 6) (4YO plus 0-65)

The race before the penultimate was another punter-friendly eight runner event where Law Of Design opened 3/1 and was promptly backed into 9/4 then bounced out to 3/1 again. Business was steady enough in the context of the day, bursting through the £1100 mark as the horses went behind then a punter had a bet of £1500 – £500 Law of Design all in Scottish scores followed by a bet of £1600 – £200 Risen Again right in the hole, a good betting race. Rating won the race at 4/1 which was a good result, copping £566 in the book that held £1883.

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16:25 – Trade Centre UK Handicap (Class 5) (3YO plus 0-75)

The next question was, could Alex and Russ get rid of the Scottish notes over the last two races or would they be travelling up to York. Obviously York would be the best option as they wouldn’t want to be paying out a monkey. Rouge Exile was just favourite at 11/4 for much of the betting, though Von Trotter was snapping at his heels in the market 3/1 and flipped-flopped into 5/2 as they went to post, having travelled from Yorkshire not escaping the punters’ reasoning. They looked to have done it right in running with Von Trotter looking the winner but hadn’t taken Too Much Trevor into account, getting up close home after touching 40 in running. The 9/1 winner only won £92 in the book, after all everyone loves a Trevor, so he was well backed. Maybe, just not the chap who ran all the way down to the rail roaring the runner-up home only to just get a better view of it being chinned. Going into the last the book was winning £620, not even the exes I’d imagine, so a decent last race would be handy.

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17:00 – Saxon Automobiles Handicap (Class 6) (4YO plus 0-65)

Going into the lucky last, arguably the most competitive race on the afternoon’s card the lads were dubious as to if the punters would get involved. Those doubts were soon put to rest when a punter bet £600 Amaz at 13/8 followed in by another punter who had £600-£400, so the money was there in the hod to win. Those bets totalling a grand were followed in by plenty of smaller bets, prompting a comment of ‘Where have they been all day’ from Russ. A very good question. As the horses got to post, there was well over £2000 in the hod with the jolly losing nearly that much. At the off the book held £2506 with just the one loser for £1766, so Star Sports versus the jolly for the day. Hold tight. Oh Dear. The jolly won unchallenged, the book lost £1711 and a grand on the day. Bugger. All the work for nothing.

I’m at Worcester tomorrow, Alex is off to York with Lofty.

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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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