SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Newbury Saturday

I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that the iPhone weather app staff are all on holiday and that the office cleaner has been told to take over with an educated guess-up.

There was no hint of rain in the forecast for Newbury this morning, but it was very damp down in the betting ring as the firm got pitched in and set the kit up. The Star Sports team today were Tony, Lofty and ‘Inlike’ Flynn. Yes, Flynn had returned, despite having deservedly landed a top spot in the business he couldn’t stay away from the sharp end for a day. It was great to see him back.

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12:05 – Play Coral ‘Racing-Super-Series’ For Free Mares’ Handicap Hurdle (Class 3) (3YO plus) 2m ½f

The betting for the 12.05 was slow and to be honest very disappointing. The team had secured a good pitch jutting out opposite the gap but business was very hard to come by. Hopefully, it was the combination of an early start and the rain that stopped the punters getting stuck in. Whatever the reason, the biggest bet of the race was £50 into a book that held £436.

The best-backed horse and bogie for just over a carpet, £308 at the off was Nicky Henderson’s Spring Note. That support was justified as Nicky Henderson’s mare bolted up.

Despite doing what little money they managed to take the ring dodged a pasting, the winner had been a 9/1 chance last night. If only the punters had sat on their hands and waited until they were going down they could have had it spark off. Instead, you suspect a couple of itchy trigger fingered small bets ruined the plot.

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12:40 – Coral Committed To Safer Gambling ‘Introductory’ Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 3) (3YO plus) 2m ½f

The firm hoped it was too early to write the day off as useless after just one race, and they were right. There’s nothing like an odds-on poke to get the punters out of the bars. Jeriko Du Reponet opened at ‘bottle-on’ 1/2, a price that was quickly taken by a shrewdie, having £4500 on to win £2250, given the stake you have to assume he was expecting 4/9 best, come racing. That the was the price another punter had to settle for to his £250 stake.

The race was a strange one, it took the field about 30 seconds to commence running after the starter’s flag went down. Once they did get going the favourite backers would have been feeling quietly confident for most of the race though 15/2 chance Paradias did briefly flatter to deceive coming to challenge three out only for his run to falter back into third after the last.

The favourite won just nudged out in the end, value for its 2/5 SP though the real value went to the punters that came racing. Of course, the firm did their dough, which isn’t the idea of coming and betting in the rain. Still, with five races to go it was still all to play for.

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1:15 – New ‘Bet-In-Race’ With Coral Handicap Chase (Class 3) (4YO plus) 2m ½f

Things picked up for the third, the rain had almost stopped and the punters were venturing out. Business was brisk but still not what you’d describe as tearing, but going the right way.

There were a couple of decent but not huge bets for Martator at 5/4 and 6/5. It wasn’t just one way traffic though, other horses were backed to small money but at the off the book held just over £1500 and had the jolly losing £1010.

This time favourite backers did their money, their fancy was no match for in form Gary Moore’s charge Issar D’Airy which won nicely at 4/1. The firm did run into £450 – £100 each-way the winner but still copped a monkey on the heat. The comeback had begun.

I didn’t wear any flashy strides today, having spent three days in mostly rain at Leopardstown I’d decided practicality had to rule the day. My trusty Jack Murphy long coat had certainly passed muster over there and was a no brainer to wear again today.

Two bookmakers who enquired on the brand have been furnished with a link to buy a similar coat and will be warm and dry all winter if purchasing one, it’s the best racing gear I’ve ever bought. Mind you, I’m already looking forward to not having to wear it, at least the nights are pulling out now. No commission has been paid on this racing clobber service announcement!

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1:50 – Coral Racing Club Join For Free Handicap Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4YO plus) 2m 4½f

I was dispatched to purchase coffees for the team, different country same job, and when I returned I’d missed all the action. The team had laid £11,250 – £5000 Rambo T and £20,000 – £5000 Irish Hill. Another punter also fancied Rambo T but was more cautious and asked for a monkey place only when the win odds were 9/4. He was obliged. Other business was much smaller but plentiful. A result was required.

Well, what can you say, the firm had taken enough money to enjoy a right result, but sadly for them, the punters knew much more.

Approaching the last it would have taken an act of God to get the two bogies beaten and he wasn’t playing ball. Always happy to accept small mercies, Lofty, Flynn and Tony cheered home Rambo T to victory as he was ‘only’ losing £5632 compared to the £14,775 the runner-up Irish Hill would have cost the firm. They returned 2/1 and 10/3. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if you are a serious punter, stop getting bluffed and short priced, come racing.

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2:25 – Coral Mandarin Handicap Chase (Class 3) (4YO plus) 3m 2f

The fifth race was a much slower affair, field money was just £1200 with the place money outweighing the win thanks to the cautious punter having a monkey on Surrey Quest place only. At the off Atlanta Brave was losing £100 in the win book with Surrey Quest bad for £438 plus the extra place takeout.

Maybe the place only punter should become a little more courageous with his punting. Surrey Quest beat Atlanta brave and the book did another grand.

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3:00 – Coral Challow Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 2m 4½f

There was no shortage of mettle when it came to the punter that had £5000 on Rambo T earlier. He came to the joint, the firm expected to pay his winnings back onto his card, but he decided to spin it all up on Willmount at ‘top of the head’ 9/4 in the Challow. Right behind him was another punter who wanted £3000 at the price and got that too. That’s what Flynn, Lofty and Tony are there for to take on the big punters.

As the betting progressed there appeared to be more confidence behind Paul Nicholls’ Captain Teague backed into 2/1 while the bogie took a walk out to 11/4 before being supported back in late on.

While it was unlikely there’d be a bet to match the lumps already taken business was still brisk. The place only punter was back but only had a bottle on, this time on Johnnywho but most of the remaining bets were modest.

At the off Willmount was losing £42,145 in the win book. You don’t need me to tell you that the firm would rather he didn’t win. No spoiler, he didn’t, Flynn and co found themselves cheering home the 2/1 favourite Captain Teague to a battling victory, a winner for £18,260. ‘The worst winner in the book’ observed Tony, rather miserably. They’d gotten themselves out of a hole with one race to push.

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3:35 – Coral Get Closer To The Action Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 3) (5YO plus) 2m 6½f

I had a quick chat with the Racing Blogger between races, he’d had a touch with Rambo T and happy with life. The firm was chipper too, after being well behind they were going into the last £9000 up, well down in cash but Lofty had snapped an elastic band around the card machine. ‘We won’t be losing today’ he confidently predicted.

The punters weren’t going to let them count it just yet though, a bag man had £3500 – £1000 Walking On Air early. That wasn’t a precursor to a frantic getting out stakes though, the rain started again, but at least it was warm rain, and the punters largely shut up shop. At the off Walking On Air was a loser for £3518.

The firm couldn’t have typed in a better result than 17/2 Henry’s Friend winning what was a thrilling race, this time the best cop in the book, but for 10 times less than the previous worst winner, the book bagged £1879 and topped off what had looked like a poor day into a five-figure winning one.

That concluded what has been an excellent year on the turf for Star Sports. Thanks for reading. We’ll all be back in 2024 – Happy New Year.

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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