SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Exeter Tuesday

There was a good crowd at Exeter on what was a glorious half-term sunny day, the card competitive and trappy looking, writes SIMON NOTT.

Armaloft Alex was solo on the pitch for Star Sports betting in the shade under the stand, which was also sheltered from the brisk wind. Racing was preluded by a presentation to trainer Nigel Hawke celebrating his recent record-breaking 300/1 Exeter winner Blowers.

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2:10 – Happy Birthday Fiona Walker Novices’ Handicap Hurdle (Class 5) (4YO plus) 2m 5f 137y

The first race looked like a very tricky race on paper, with lots of reading between the lines and guessing that horses would reproduce form etc.

That given, it was hardly surprising that the crowd, with a holiday feel to it, stood back when it came to betting. Alex took just £136 on the race despite trying for his life and deafening at the first flight of the owners and trainers’ grandstand. He blew a further £90 when the well-backed Blue In The West landed a 7/1 into 4/1 punt for the Ben Lund yard and his Racing Club. Still, the crowd was here and the day looked promising despite the tardy start.

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2:40 – Travel Incentive For British Buyers Novices’ Selling Hurdle (Class 4) (4YO plus) 2m 2f 111y

‘Bring out your dead’ was the cry from the Star Sports pitch as Fergal O’Brien’s American Trio landed what fellow bookie Dave Spice described as ‘The best touch I’ve seen for years’.

The winner had been a 33/1 chance overnight in a race where the same yard saddled Madame De Labrunie trading at odds-on this morning and even money on course.

Star Sports laid £4400 – £400 each-way to what Alex described as a ‘yard face’ followed up a punter having £50 each-way ‘picking up the crumbs’ at 9/1, chunky crumbs as it turned out given the gelding went off at 9/2 and won unchallenged with the favourite unplaced.

There was no bid at the subsequent auction, even at £4000, though given how much the punters took out of the ring connections could probably have afforded to have bought in at plenty more than that. You’d have liked to have had the phone call; another good old-fashioned gamble landed.

Oh, the book blew £5500, who’d be a bookie? Beware of trainers that butter you up with photos of cakes, they can bite off more than a slice of Dundee when they’ve lined one up!

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3:10 – Visit Irish Bloodstock Sales With ITM Handicap Hurdle (Class 4) (4YO plus) 2m 161y

Next up and as you were, sir, just £176 was fielded on the rail, that despite Western Cross being the warm even money favourite.

Bookmakers with still smoulder fingers were wandering around hoping to find a firm who’d lost less than them on the previous heat. Those who had missed it were gently rubbing down the rest of the ring barely containing their smiles. Meanwhile, this favourite won, the book copped £28, Alex was back.

Possibly with some paranoia creeping in, I spent some time following a chap unknown to me around the ring for no other reason than he was carrying an outsized bag with a phone to his ear. I only stopped stalking him when I saw him have a tenner on one, mercifully sooner rather than later.

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3:40 – Ludo Sports & Live Lounge ‘Junior’ NH Flat Race (GBB Race) (Class 5) (4YO only) 2m 161y

The next race on the card was a bumper, with very little to go on form-wise, which might have accounted for the punters appearing unwilling to part with their shekels. However, there did appear to be support for Chester Williams’ Triple Edge nibbled from 9/4 into 6/4, though not with Star Sports.

Those that did get involved with that move did their dough as Bannerdown won by a distance, 7/2 on course, 3/1 SP. The book lost £72.

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4:10 – It Pays To Buy Irish Novices’ Handicap Chase (Class 5) (5YO plus) 2m 3f 48y

I had an interesting chat in one of the boxes before racing. I had been given a couple of bits of info regarding the race before the penultimate, one was that the jolly Loki’s Mischief was fancied, and the other that a shrewd pro-punting outfit had been backing Alexandra Dunn’s Holy Legend.

As I was passing it on, a chap piped up and said that was interesting because he was involved with that latter and it wasn’t him, though they hoped for a good run. Whoops.

Meanwhile, back in the ring, despite being a beautiful sunny day, the wind was cold. This photo will illustrate the varying temperatures and in no way reflects the hardiness of the bookmakers photographed!

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4:40 – Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 4) (5YO plus) 3m 54y

Business was once again pretty poor despite the number of people in the betting ring. Armaloft took just £320 on the race with four losers in the book at the off. Well, Loki’s Mischief was runner up and Holy Legend ran well for a long way, but ultimately Dean Summersby’s Majestic Moment won the race returning 12/1. Aye Aye!

Well, not exactly, ‘I can’t win’ bemoaned Alex, looking into a book in which the winner lost £190. With two races to go, getting out on the day looked a million, the only money in the ring had been with people that knew, the chances of them still being here, let alone spinning it up, were slim to zero.

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5:10 – Totnes And Bridgetown Races Company Ltd Open Hunters’ Chase (Class 4) (5YO plus) 3m 54y

Between races, scourge of the betting ring Harvey Instance, who went through the card at a Cornish point yesterday and was involved with the second race stick-on came to gloat at Alex and Star’s bad.

I mentioned to Harv that he should bet like a man and spin it all up on the next heats but he appeared reticent to bet so irresponsibly, quite right too. Meanwhile, business everywhere appeared to be pitifully poor, not least with Star Sports in the shade, poor Alex was so cold he’d found time between taking £120 of bets to pull on a jumper.

The race turned out to be quite eventful, the favourite Dyno Dave fell leaving 5/2 Saint Cyr De Pail to win from 11/4 Mahler Moon, the Star Sports book copped £42, anyone standing near the joint might have thought Armsloft’s cheering was a little over the top celebrating winning such a paltry amount, but he owns part of the winner, Aye Aye Alex, he must have kept his arm down.

Harvey Instance (above) wasn’t sighted betting on the lucky last, the jolly Macklin opening a 2/9 wouldn’t put him off in a race like this, maybe he’d just put a big elastic band around his wad.

Over on the rail, Alex had forgone the winners’ champagne and managed to field £244 on the race which wasn’t bad considering the ring was virtually deserted.

Macklin, 2/7 with Star Sports at the off, was never going well and beaten by 9/2 chance Stumps Or Slips, which was the bogie in the book, losing £252 adding up to a £6159 loss on the day, which was mainly due to being picked off by the gamble.

Nasty, the firm are there to be shot at, I’m doubting there will be similar touches landed at Aintree where Ben, Nick and Lofty will be doing battle.

Thanks for reading.

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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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