SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Fontwell Friday

I was looking forward to my first visit to the Star Sports pitch at Fontwell, writes SIMON NOTT.

I was even looking forward to the fairly long drive but I didn’t expect it to be nearly five hours where I hardly hit a dual carriageway, but anyway, I have got here as they were running for the first so still better than the proper job, isn’t it?

3:50 – Rapunzel Me Long Hair Don’t Care Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle 2m1½f

As I got to the pitch the 9/2 chance Footloose Man won the race and won £180 in the book. The last time I was here was last season, very briefly to watch one horse run to keep Nigel Hawke company in his horsebox.

The last time I was here with the working Bookmaker was with the Ivor Perry must’ve been about 15 years ago quite a lot has changed since then.

Between bets, Steve told me that I was missing all the action, the action being at Sandown where Kaan and Nick had just laid a winning bet of £15,000 – £5000. Evidently, there was at least one big punter there, the hope was there’d be one or two here, if they weren’t stuck in traffic.

4:25 – Rapunzel Me Curls For The Girls Novices’ Handicap Chase 2m5½f

The next heat was very busy again with Barrakhov attracting a bet of £2000 – £400. Belgarum opened at 5/2 and was backed into 7/4 favourite, it was just the sheer weight of money that did it, there were no lumps but those £2.50 bets can load a hod in no time. As it turned out the firm did well to take the roof out of Barrakhov as apart from that bet he was pretty much friendless.

The weight of money for the short one certainly didn’t slow it down, eventually winning nicely. Thanks to money for other horses the winner copped £60 in the book.

Meanwhile, over at Sandown, they’d laid £18,000 – £4000 another winner. Head of on-course Steve Brewer, at Fontwell, was not impressed, the team there had done £37,000.

The text went out, that the Ivy booking had to be cancelled and that local lad Dave Stewart should be able to recommend a half-decent chippy.

5:00 – Rapunzel Me Let Your Hair Down Juvenile Maiden Hurdle2m1½f

When Bernard Redfern, on course bookmaker and for older readers father of Generation Game star, wife of Bruce Forsythe Anthea, didn’t fancy one, he’d write ‘Get Fav’ on the top of the race. When he saw that scribbled it used to put shivers down his clerk ‘Bristol Dave’s back. Steve went one better here and declared he was going ‘up the front two’ and opened 7/5 each of two. It’s easier said than done though, especially if the public only want to back one horse. At the off Kalkaroo was 8/11 while Global Skies was 9/4. The trouble was, there wasn’t much in the way of business at all, just £1065 was resting in the hod.

They knew, again. The favourite won fairly easily but only lost £104. Not at catastrophic as the Sandown team ( if you ask for scribbles at the chippy that would help ) but it was still a loss, small mercies for the firm’s coffers that the big punters weren’t here.

The 10/1 runner-up Masonbrook Meadow ran well to be runner-up, she’s owned by the 69 Racing Team, fronted by flamboyant former betting people interviewee Simon Prout, the only interviewee so far to smash something live on camera, well done to them.

5:35 – Rapunzel Me Lush And Long Handicap Hurdle 2m5½f

There was another potential ‘up the front two’ race next where Earth Cry and River Robe open a bottle each of two. There wasn’t much going on so I went for a chat with my old pal Armaloft Alex up on the rail, it was a lot quieter up there but he was enjoying himself buttering up the ladies. Back on the pitch, the biggest bet was £700 – £200 Stan The Man in a book that held £1794 mostly in shrapnel.

Earth Cry won the race and the book lost £84, another ‘result’ over a 2/1 favourite. Steve was very proud to tell me that after four races and three jollies, the team were still winning £54. Mark Taylor owner with Dylan Cunha kind bought us all drinks which was very kind and welcome. With three heats to go, it was still very warm.

6:10 – Rapunzel Me Hair Flips And Sips Handicap Chase2m5½f

One of the first bets in the race before the penultimate was £1000 – £400 My Gift To You. There were a lot of all-lady groups enjoying the racing and a few glasses of bubbly along with the sunshine and the racing. As the evening progressed their volume rose faster than the sound system was able to cope with, the commentary was inaudible in front of the stands but clear as crystal out the back.

The next half decent bet was £750 – £250 Cape Vidal which ensured that this time Steve really did have an up-the-front two book, losing roughly £750 each. If you are ever going to go up the front two, when 6/1 Jigginstown King wins is as good a time as any. The victorious Oliver Signy runner had been an 8/1 chance early so not unbacked, but a great result for Star.

The next race looked competitive but whatever the bets the firm took, on the face of it, this advert could have been the biggest on course gamble of the night. Let’s hope the intrepid proposer was playing with a well-marked card!

6:45 – Rapunzel Me Bouncy Blow And Go Novices’ Limited Handicap Hurdle (Div I) 2m5½f

The penultimate boasted 13 runners, unlucky for some, but didn’t put off the punter that wanted a grand on Hawaii Du Mestivel at 5/2. The way it won, literally unchallenged, you could see why the punter had the confidence to lump on. Malcolm from next door was wandering around asking if any knew the result, he wasn’t being ironic, you literally couldn’t hear the result, so if you missed it, had to wait for the big screen.

Lucky Rose and Bushmill Boy were the names he was looking for filling second and third respectively. Steve reported that the places couldn’t have been worse, the total loss for the book was bumped up to £2700.

That meant that after ducking and diving all evening the book was now behind by £1400 going into the lucky last, also known colloquially as the ‘Getting out stakes’ but not in the days of responsible gambling or when most of the jollies have bolted up.

7:20 – Rapunzel Me Bouncy Blow And Go Novices’ Limited Handicap Hurdle 2m5½f

It’s just as well it was the lucky last and not the getting out stakes as the concluding heat looked the most competitive race of the night. That is at least on paper where they bet 9/2 the field. Too tricky for the punters surely. That’s how it transpired, the book took £1235 in very small money which kept Tony and Steve busy, but it also meant that even with a skinner it was destined to be a losing night.

Not as bad as it could have been though, Easter Icon winning nicely for Gary Brown under 10lb claimer Isabelle Ryder at 5/1 clawed nearly a carpet back leaving the firm £1200 down. Between them Steve and Tony had taken 768 bets on the night, just a little bit too small, but at least the ladies were engaging with the bookmakers, having bets and enjoying their night.

There was music on course to follow, but only in the car for me, Ernest Tubb the choice on the way back to the shire.

Fontwell Park, it’s a great track, if you’ve not been, get it in your diary.

Thanks for reading, I’ll be back soon.

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

Simon Nott is author of: Skint Mob! Tales from the Betting Ring
available on Kindle CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS