SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Glorious Goodwood Tuesday

I strained every fibre not to describe today’s weather at Goodwood ‘glorious’, but it certainly was and any other word would do the course bathed in sunshine a disservice, writes SIMON NOTT.

It was beautiful when I set off from the Shire and stayed that way all the of the scenic route the TomTom took me to get here. I assume there’d been a smash along my usual route, so was just glad not to have been in it.

The teams today, slathered in factor 50 were Tony, Emily and Lofty on the rails and Steve, Nick and Amberley in Tatts. Tuesday is often the slowest of the week so was an ideal opportunity for the teams to get into the groove. It didn’t take long for them to take a decent bet, it was an unusual one at that, £24,000 Kyprios in the Goodwood Stakes. Not to win though, no, this cautious value seeker had it in place only at 1/6.

1:50 – Coral Chesterfield Cup Handicap (Class 2) (4YO plus) 1m 2f

Things weren’t quite as lumpy in the opener. In fact, they weren’t lumpy at all until someone bet £1500 – £500 the favourite Enfjaar with the rails pitch. Over in Tatts Steve’s team hadn’t even taken a grand. I can’t really dress it up any more than it was, it was quiet.

Take Heart winning the race at 7/1 from the favourite was a loser in Steve’s book which blew £700, while Lofty’s team copped £1100, so a winning start. I wandered over to get Steve’s figures, when I got back Lofty had laid £600 – £200 a winner over at Yarmouth, easy come easy go in this game.

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2:25 – HKJC World Pool Vintage Stakes (Group 2) (Class 1) (2YO only) 7f

Next up and it was all about the favourite, Aomori City, Lofty laid £950 – £400, then Steve £11,000 – £5000. Those were the only bets of any note struck on the race. If those backers were looking for excitement, they were short changed, once the gap opened the result wasn’t in doubt, the jolly bolted up. If they wanted money without work, well, they came to the right place, they got the value too, the winner returned 2/1 favourite, come racing.

Someone that did come Racing was my old pal Andrew Lowrie, Andrew is a professional tipster and trades under the name Optimum Racing. He had his three sons with him too, so look out bookies there’s more of them on the way!

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3:00 – HKJC World Pool Lennox Stakes (Group 2) (Class 1) (3YO plus) 7f

After that reversal the guys and gals representing Star Sports were well and truly involved now. They got even more involved when Steve’s team laid £7000 – £500 Chicago Critic and even more when Lofty laid a punter £1200 at 4/5 Lakers in the 2.45 at Beverley and out again when the firm got it beaten.

I think bookmakers sometimes forget from year to year how things are. Last year I wasn’t here at all but in all the years I have been coming to Glorious Goodwood Tuesday has never been a lot of good and today was no exception, but people were talking about it as if it fallen off a cliff, which of course it hadn’t. I think bookmakers have just got collective short memories.

The horses were going into the stalls when a punter had £500 Kinross at 7/2 with Lofty and his crew, that added to the £900 they’d already taken on the race. I expected a similar story from Steve and co up in Tatts, but no, they’d laid £21,000 – £6000 English Oak. Given that bit of information Audience was an extremely welcome winner, he’d been a 5/1 chance when betting opened this afternoon and returned 4/1. Both pitches won well, the punters on the winner had left them out. Happy days, next up the day’s banker and the £24,000 place bet…

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🏆 3:35 – Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup Stakes (Group 1) (British Champions Series) (Class 1) (3YO plus) 2m

Before that though, punters fancied the 3.10 at Yarmouth. Steve laid an even £8000 Aulis and Lofty £2500 – £1000 Across Earth. The latter won which was another handy cop before the race that the day could pivot on. A punter bet £1500 – £3000 early with Lofty to set the scene.

Now Goodwood is known for headwear, the ladies in their summer hats and the chaps in their Panamas, they start at £100 plus from the shop if you’re interested, Andrew Lowrie was toying with the idea the last time I saw him. With the prohibitive price in mind, the chap’s hats not the jolly, it’s probably little wonder Tony plundered his gardening clobber for his titfer, circa 2017 today. He said he’d rather wear it than get a red head, Lofty and I didn’t agree and thought a sunburned head much more favourable, meanwhile Emily just smiled on….

Lofty’s team laid a £1000 – £2000 Kyprios as the field went to post. Then £6000 – £1000 each-way Sweet William so things were interesting enough. They were interesting up with Steve too, he’d laid £6500 at 8/15 thanks to the first leg of a double being successful. Sadly, the second was successful too, not only did Kyprios win, but Sweet William finished runner-up. That and the £24,000 place only bet put the teams on the defensive again, mind you, the winner returned 8/13 so they laid the jolly at the right price. I was wondering, how do you feel when you have an ultra cautious place bet on then watch the horse win, job done or a bit gutted? I know I’ll never know first hand.

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4:10 – Coral Racing Club Handicap (Class 2) (4YO plus) 5f

Betting on the next started with a £20,000 – £5000 Fair Wind and £6600 – £600 Kiwano in Tatts but after that there was very little of interest on either pitch with just small money bet. While wandering around looking for something to write about, I heard some devastating news. One of the oldest bookmaking firms in the Westcountry have sold their pitches at Exeter and Taunton, nothing will ever be the same again, they’ll have been there in everyone’s living memory, sad days, but everything changes, good luck to the firm who bought them.

Meanwhile, back on the glorious Goodwood turf, 9/1 chance Tatterstall won by a whisker from Miss Attitude and both books copped. £6300 in Tatts and £800 on the rail, which was handy. In other news, some evil filth had been trying to scam people pretending to be my 84 year old dad just out of hospital. I had a phone call from Morrisons to say they’d just stopped an old lady buying £300 of gift vouchers in his behalf and they tried to get me to transfer £1800 after sending a message saying this was his new number. Absolute bastards, targeting sick old people.

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4:45 – British Stallion Studs Ebf Maiden Stakes (Class 2) (2YO only) 6f

The honourable business of betting was going on in earnest. The Tattersalls pitch had laid an even £10,000 Sir Rodneyredblood at Yarmouth, beat, £22,500 – £10,000 Soul Seeker at Beverley, beat and laid a £31,000 multi-sport Olympics yet to run. Needless to say, these bets are not in cash but from account holders struck on course.

Then a punter had £5000 on Jouncy in the next here and said to double it up into Gaucher at Galway should he win. Lofty laid a £900 – £400 and a monkey at 7/4 the same horse. It won, Lofty’s team lost £2000, Steve’s more than that, until the jolly at Galway got beaten. Are you keeping up with all this? Good, Star are keen to lay bets away, on all sports.

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5:20 – Ridgeview Fillies’ Handicap (Class 3) (3YO plus) 1m

Next up, the penultimate and Lofty laid a £4500 – £1000 Arisaig and very little else, Steve had laid £8000 – £500 Forever Blue and very little else. Arisaig won, going into the last Lofty’s team were down £7000 and Steve’s, up plenty including £4400 here.

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5:55 – HKJC World Pool British EBF Fillies’ Handicap (Class 3) (3YO plus) 6f

Betting on the last race, Lofty declared that it had all gone quiet having fielded about a grand. Steve concurred, his book had taken about the same. It was a shame that they hadn’t been busier because 16/1 winner Kitai was a virtual skinner for both. Lofty’s team’s blow why eased while Steve’s Tatts top team added to their just over £50,000 cop, which of course included substantial away business. We’re back tomorrow.

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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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