SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Glorious Goodwood Saturday

‘Ah you’re working for a change’ was the comment I got accompanied by howls of laughter as I hopped onto the Tatts pitch to take some bets, writes SIMON NOTT.

Nick had been taken ill again so had to stand down, Inlike Flynn, ex head of on-course and now Star MD was called upon and was on route, but in the meantime I was chuffed to have to chance to churn out some of my favourite old cliches in order to tempt the punters in. But ‘Working for a change’ the cheek of it I don’t think some people understand the principle of publicity!

1:50 – Coral Glorious Stakes (Group 3) 1m 4f

Flynn arrived resplendent in shorts just as the horses were going to post, in the meantime Steve and Amberley had been cracking on the best they could which was very well of course. On the rail their machine of a team remained unchanged, Emily and Tony up front with Lofty bringing up the rear tapping in the bets and changing the prices. As so often this week, the first race was brisk but stakes were light, Lofty’s team had taken a couple of carpet bets at 11/4 Aimeric but the rest was small, at the off he was a loser for £2000 with Al Aasy the second-in a taker, the Tatts pitch had a similar book but the bogie losing £700 and the second in a bottle. Al Aasy won the race, so not too much damage was done.

2:25 – Coral Summer Handicap (Class 2) 1m 6f

After the opening five-runner affair the next race gave the punters something to get stuck into, a 13 runner long distance handicap, proper job. Today appeared to be the busiest as far as people in attendance but missing were bag men and thus far bigger punters. The rails found a monkey each-way at 13/2 in one hit for True Legend.

Talking of true legends, when I got to the races today, DragonBet’s James Lovell sent me an old cutting featuring his dad, the late John, who introduced computerised systems into the UK betting ring. It was a very prophetic article written by an alarmingly fresh faced David Stewart who is now head of content at Star Sports. For those of a certain age, David Stewart was otherwise known as Computer Kid back in the day, he caused such a stir tipping winners in The Sun, before he was even old enough to bet himself he made News At Ten. Our Dave doesn’t like to blow his own trumpet so I thought I’d use mine!

Back to the future and despite prices being displayed digitally direct from the bookmakers’ computers and the crowd being a large one, bets were very small ‘Typical Saturday crowd’ was Flynn’s observation looking like he’d come direct from the Yacht Club, which he said he’d take so here’s a photo of the MD with a happy couple who wanted to be in the shot.

At the off the Tatts pitch had a good book, £2000 in the bag and two small losers. The rails book had just True Legend the only loser thanks to the £500 each-way. Align The Stars winning at 10/3 joint favourite wouldn’t have been any good for most of the ring but the planets aligned for Star, the Tatts book copped a bottle and the rails a monkey which was a get out.

3:00 – Qatar Lillie Langtry Stakes (Group 2) 1m 6f

The next race was after non-runners a dead eight heat where they bet 3/1 the field, Lofty’s rails team laid £1500 – £500 Free Wind but the rest of the bets they took were modest, which was better than Tatts where they were all modest at first.

There were already a few bookmaker murmurs, there was a huge crowd but very little money, Jack Lynn would have said something along the lines of ‘shake them all upside down you’d be lucky to get a monkey’ mind you, another of his favourite repeatable sayings was ‘little fish are sweeter’ he’d have been in his element with a penchant for taking on the small fry, there were here in shoals today. The lack of businesses isn’t helped by the racecourse being cash free, of course nearly every firm will take card payments, but prefer cash if you are coming racing.

As the horses set off the rails pitch had taken around £2500 with the places, the Tatts pitch held a monkey more having also laid £1500 – £500 the jolly and £3750 – £500 Term Of Endearment both near the off. They got the favourite beaten, Lofty’s team copped £1700, the trouble was, 15/2 chance Term Of Endearment won the race which resulted in the Tatts pitch losing £3200, then, if almost to rub it in, the first spots of rain on course this week started to fall. Nasty.

3:35 – Coral Stewards’ Cup (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) 6f

The Gambling Gods shone in the ring, though they might have had the needle with Star Sports, specifically Lofty on the rails. His team lost £700 despite 40/1 chance Get It winning the race, evidently Flynn hasn’t upset them, his pitch copped a grand on what was a very low staking race.

4:10 – Whispering Angel Handicap (Class 2) 7f

Next up and the race before the penultimate, they bet 7/2 the field in another race that appeared to be too tricky for the bigger punters on a card full of competitive races. On the rail they were drowning in a deluge, no not rain, that hadn’t amounted to anything, but £2.50 each-way bets. The biggest bet taken in Tatts was £3300 – £100 Witness Stand in a book that held £2000 in coins and fivers.

You couldn’t make it up, and I didn’t Witness Stand won. It was a bookmaker hedging bet from down on the lawn, let’s hope he earned out of it and wasn’t trimmed, the Tatts pitch lost £2500, the rails pitch won all that they took, in coins and fiver, £1500, the winner returned 40/1 so nobody did anything wrong price wise, still losing a grand across the firm on a result like that is unfortunate. Happier news was that the bookie that hedged with copped £900 on the race having bet his way out of it.

4:45 – British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Stakes (IRE Incentive Race) (Colts & Geldings) (Class 2) 7f

Betting on the penultimate opened with Consolidation the 2/1 favourite. The rails had a vacant pitch next to them for the last two races, their neighbours White-Sunderland had packed up and left. In theory that should have meant a little more business for Tony, Emily and Lofty. In reality it didn’t, there was nothing at all in big bet action on either the Tatts or Rails pitches, the former held £2000 and the latter £1700 in small bets.

Punters that did get involved were treated to a thrilling race between Hott Shott and Spell Master which went to a desperate photo. They were both small losers in the Tatts book so it didn’t really matter to but there were bookmakers betting on the photo at least trying to, something I’ve not seen in years. That could only mean one thing, yes, it was a dead heat. Not ideal when it’s the just the lucky last race of the meeting to follow having to explain dead heat rules to refreshed novice punters. It wasn’t all bad though, the rails pitch copped a monkey on the race.

5:20 – Coral We’re Here For It Handicap (Class 3) 1m 1f

The lucky last did see a bet to write about struck on the rail, £5000 – £200 Simply Sondheim, that could prove significant as there was little chance of betting up to it and Lofty’s team were £3000 up going into the race. The Tatts pitch was busy but once again small bets, when placed on big priced horses they can add up quite quickly though. The one they latched onto with Flynn, Steve and Amberley was Sanitiser, it was already losing getting on for three grand when a breathless bookmaker asked for 40/1 the 25/1 shot, if you don’t ask you don’t get, but in this case he asked and still didn’t get.

Over on the rails Lofty’s team had fielded over £3000 but had what Lofty described as a weird book, there were plenty of big priced losers until right in the hole they laid £1750 – £1000 Native Warrior which helped make the book look more traditional though still with some nasty surprises lurking in the bigger prices with £4000 in the hod. Back in Tatts they’d taken £2300 with another weird book doing £7000 going into the race so little chance of winning on the day.

Paradias won the race and returned 8/1, a thousand quid winner in the Tatts book and almost £2000 in Lofty’s. A winning race to conclude a winning meeting but a small losing day. So Goodwood was Goodwood this year after all.

I’m back writing for Star Sports from Brighton and Ascot next week. Thanks for reading and sticking with it if you have all week. If you enjoy these blogs, please spread the word, as with bookmaking and punting, it’s all about the figures!

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