SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Grand National Saturday

Just an hour after my cover photo was taken everyone was running for cover to escape the hail, half an hour later it was sunshine again. All that after getting a sunburned face yesterday!

⚠️ TROLLEYGATE: It’s back, the missing trolly reappeared as mysteriously as it vanished, thank you whoever you were.

1:45 – EFT Construction Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 3m ½f

Ben arrived nice and early today but wasn’t on the pitch when the team, Inlike Flynn, Lofty and Hannah laid an £18,000 – £4000 the jolly Winter Fog in the opener.

Sadly there was nothing anywhere near that size bet offered afterwards so the book was listing badly towards the favourite. Regular readers of this blog might remember Star Sports laid a bet of £100,000 – £3000 each-way Party Business in the last at Cheltenham.

Those backers were very unlucky not to draw at least their place money. Unsurprisingly there was money for the gelding again today, but not to the same volume, at least with Star, nor the price.

Inlike Flynn remembered and had a £300 – £45, that’s 13/2 with the fractions with bookie Tim Brown (pictured below), it won at 11/2. Aye Aye, cheers Tim, come racing.

How unlucky were connections at Cheltenham, or rather how lucky were the bookies!

2:25 – Betway Mersey Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 2m 4f

Next up and another competitive looking race which might have accounted for why the punters didn’t really get stuck in.

‘Very quiet’ munched Lofty as he tucked into a Viennese Swirl, the packet of which was donated by neighbours MacBet and suspiciously hidden within the big man’s reach. Rumbled.

Three Stripe Life, the 5/2 favourite won the race, but the book won modestly. The race was marred when Elle Est Belle collapsed after being dismounted yards before the winning post.

3:00 – Poundland Maghull Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (5YO plus) 2m

Next up featured the banker of the meeting for many, odds-on Edwardstone which opened around the 4/7 mark in the ring. Eyes were peeled for short-price loving carrier bag men with bundles of readies. They are probably now just characters in a stylised good old days but we live in hope for their return. Ben bet without the favourite too, that market proved popular, a punter had £2500 on Third Time Lucki at 5/4, complemented by smaller but still decent bets.

There was hardly a Dinar for the favourite straight, in fact it just a taker in the book. Edwardstone was no match for 7/2 chance, Gentleman De Mee. It was gutting not to have got the jolly in the book, the winner was a small winner but the disappointment of not copping bundles over a beaten odds-on shot was tempered by bagging the £2500 in the ‘Without’ book.

3:35 – JRL Group Liverpool Hurdle (Grade 1) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 3m ½f

A punter came in to Hannah and Ben wielding a grand which he had on Flooring Porter at 5/4 early in the betting in the next which augured well for a busier race.

The business was brisk but yielded no more lumps, the book was described by Ben as a ‘good one’ as they jumped off. There was bigger drama on the pitch during the race. Remember the biscuits that Lofty was surreptitiously scoffing? It transpired that they weren’t for the ‘firm’ but a gift for Ben from his friend Diane who usually works for McBet but is in hospital. Ben wasn’t impressed, Lofty had devoured the lot, just as he was licking the last crumbs from his lips, he was spotted. ‘Staff!’ Squealed incandescent Mr Keith, ‘They’ll even steal biscuits given to me by a lady laid in her hospital bed!’ He was then in rant mode, telling me ‘48% of people voted remain, but when they come racing they can’t bet a loser’.

The last outburst was prompted by realising that not only was he to go home with nothing to nibble on but that 16/1 cracking result Sire Du Berlais winning took the book.

4:15 – Betway Handicap Chase (Grade 3) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (5YO plus) 3m 1f

The betting on the race before the Grand National was kicked up a gear when a punter had ten monkeys Espoir De Romay in what had been a quiet heat up until that point. Despite Aintree being rammed, largely it wasn’t a punting crowd.

Try as he might Ben couldn’t bet up to it so the monkey bet made up the only loser in the book.

Sam Brown winning at 28/1 was a cracking four-figure winning result though a few punters found him so was by no means a skinner.

5:15 – 🏆 Randox Grand National Handicap Chase 🏆 (Grade 3) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (7YO plus) 4m 2½f

Next up the big one. Despite having the option to bet on the race all day, by the start of betting proper the field money amounted to a carpet. News from the Star Sports betting shop estate was more exciting. The flagship Mayfair shop laid a bet of £5000 each-way Blaklion at 66/1 paying six places.

The team got to work on the feature race of the year, punters keen to bet their ‘shopping lists’ of horses. Meanwhile Ben decided he’d take an early bath and set off for home, firmly clutching the remainder of his gift, a packet of jelly sweets Lofty hadn’t gotten around to eating.

Without wishing to be unduly negative, the hour gap between races is too long, or at least it feels like it after three days away. It appeared the crowd felt a bit the same too, when the bell rang for the jockeys to mount a cheer did too, quickly followed by the National Anthem. Although there was plenty of singing along there was also a vocal minority boo’ing too, sad to hear and a bit disappointing on what had been a very good humoured meeting.

By the time the field lined up to start the money in the hod had grown to £6000 thanks to 300 bets.

Dave Jolly in the office got in touch to let me know how the office stood for the race, he said. ‘Decent day heading into the National – the race rarely attracts huge individual bets, but we do have a clear bogey in Longhouse Poet following bets of:
£2k ew @ 18/1
£2k ew @ 16/1
£3k ew @ 14/1
£1k ew @ 11/1

This, along with with Anibale Fly our only concerns.’

Well, what can you say about the race that has a long history of fairytale endings. Sam Waley-Cohen had already announced that this year’s Grand National would be his last ride, but it’s doubtful he’d have dared to dream retiring after winning the race. But that’s exactly what he did on 50/1 chance Noble Yeats. Unbelievable scenes ensued. The initial reaction of the crowd as the outsider won the race was muted but as soon but as soon as it became apparent who the pilot was, the cheers rang out. Not least from the bookmakers, because as well as a dream come true for the jockey it was also a right result for the ring.

6:20 – Weatherbys nhstallions.co.uk Standard Open NH Flat Race (Grade 2) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO to 6YO) 2m 1f

With fortunately very few punters to pay, there was plenty of time to bet on the lucky last given the 65 minute gap between the Grand National and the concluding bumper. One firm with multiple pitches evidently didn’t fancy it, downed tools and legged it.

The book held about £3500 as they set off with the jolly Rath Gaul Boy losing a nice chunk. All down to steady money, no lumps to speak of.

Pity the firm that didn’t hang about, why? Because Willie’s didn’t win the bumper (this time), it was 28/1 chance Lookaway which was a fantastic result and well worth waiting for to conclude a winning meeting for Star Sports on the rail.

That surely deserves a hearty Aye Aye, especially after the Festival. We’re back at Cheltenham on Wednesday.

SIMON NOTT

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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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