SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Royal Ascot Saturday

Well, here we are day five all ready. It all seems a bit weird, the firm are about £160,000 down on the meeting on course, but still quite upbeat, writes SIMON NOTT.

Today’s card boasted some short-priced horses that might tempt the bigger players to get involved so chances of getting it back and more but promised to be a hairy ride. The word on course was that the O’Brien nap of the meeting was River Tiber so Flynn, Steve and co were braced for a tsunami of money for it. In short, there was still every chance of exiting Royal Ascot 2024 in front, they just needed to get some well-backed, well-fancied horses turned over.

The teams today were Flynn, Steve, Tony and Nick in Tattersalls and Eddy, Ricky (77 not 78 sorry about the extra year yesterday) and Kieran down on the lower rail. Ben, Emily and Lofty were otherwise engaged at Towcester for the Greyhound Derby semi-finals tonight.

There was plenty of business done early today. It appeared like the punters meant business and some had ferreted out fancies to oppose the short ones, which was encouraging. Bets included, £15,300 – £3400 Age Of Gold, £14,000 – £8000 Bedtime Story, £10,000 – £5000 Continuous, £48,000 – £3000 The Wizard Of Eye, £25,000 – £1000 Kikkuli, £55,000 – £500 Wodao, £22,000 – £1000 each-way Orazio, £49,500 – £1500 Miletus, £12,000 – £1500 Postileo, £7500 – £5000 River Tiber, £68,750 – £500 Dark Tornado and a £7500 double the jollies in tonight’s football.

🎩 2:30 – Chesham Stakes (Listed Race) 7f

Early bets on the first included an even £10,000 Age Of Gold place only and the above mentioned £14,000 – £8000 Bedtime Story. As with yesterday, after the King and procession had passed, the betting started in earnest but it was mostly smaller punters. A buzz went up when he appeared, the big punter, lurking, eyes darting around like a bird of prey, expressionless apparently waiting to pounce. Bedtime Story was 11/8 everywhere, Star went 6/4, Flynn was in the mood to take him on, but still he stood, diminutive but a big presence, would he or won’t it? Bloody hell it was almost as nerve-wracking watching him than a race he’s bet in.

The horses were going in the stalls, 11/8 it was, if he’d been holding out for 13/8 he’d missed the 6/4. On the other hand, he might have just been stood there for a bit of fun to give us the gee up. Either way, he didn’t bet. The jolly was still losing £16,000 at the off with most of the field good winners but there was also the even £10,000 place bet to consider.

It could well be Star Sports’ day, no, the firm didn’t get it beaten, Bedtime Story absolutely bolted up by nearly 10 lengths but the big punter didn’t play, it could so easily have been a monster payout. Even better, the £10,000 place bet was unplaced so the book did £6000 on a short one, a losing start that almost felt like winning.

🎩 3:05 – Hardwicke Stakes (Group 2) 1m4f

Next up and it was lucky the firm laid Continuous early, £10,000 – £5000 other wise the field money would have been pretty light. During the race NBC were filming with the sadly late bookmaker Don Butler’s son Aidan Butler who was explaining and demonstrating tic-tac with me as the recipient.

There were no other big bets on the jolly and this time it was well beaten behind Isle Of Jura which bolted up at 16/1. The book copped £9000 and NBC wanted a reshoot. Maybe they were lucky.

🎩 3:45 – Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (Group 1) 6f

The reshoot went well, any American readers, let us know how it looked! Meanwhile next up and they bet 3/1 the field with Believing at the head of the market. The book already had a big loser, Wizard Of Eye laid earlier, £3000 at 16/1, no fractions offered but sticking out for just shy of £50,000 when the book opened. Meanwhile, down on the bottom rail they’d been under the cosh, working hard and getting £2000 from 465 bets in the first two races.

Up in Tatts, they were doing a lot of tickets too but bet denominations were modest. The crowd was a different one to yesterday, there appeared to be many more people here to experience ‘Royal Ascot’ than bet seriously on the races. Still, some of them may fall in love with our great game and besides, the firm knew the big players were here.

Ultimately, winning or losing in the week would depend on them winning or losing. They had to bet first though, so far they’d been unsighted since the first.

At last there was a bet on Believing £6000 – £2000, but business was pretty disappointing with £7000 in the hod at the off. There was still £6000 from that race in it after 14/1 chance Khaadem won the race. Inlike fancied and backed the winner so it was always going to be a good cop in Star’s book.

🎩 4:25 – Jersey Stakes (Group 3) 7f

Next up and the race where if the big punters were going to bet, this was the one. There had already been a £5000 bet on River Tiber this morning, which was followed by £700 at 6/4 as the betting opened.

Meanwhile, Flynn had tipped the last winner to his partner’s sister who backed it accordingly. She was extremely pleased as you can imagine, he didn’t tip it to his work mates mind.

Anyway, back to this race, the Tatts team laid a monkey each-way Pearls And Rubies at 25/1 while down on the lower rail Ed Dark’s team laid £6000 – £4000 River Tiber. The other one that was sticking out in the book was Dark Tornado laid at 125/1 and 150/1 this morning. As well as typing this, I was tasked to look out hawk-eyed for the high staking punter. Would he come into the ring at all, if he did was he going to just give us the jitters again or nod an absolute lump in?

The 6/4 the jolly became 13/8, there was still no sign of the big punters. An insistent chap came over trying to blag a £3500 – £2000 and wasn’t going away, I decided to become floorman and shout ‘13/8 over, 6/4 it is’ the chap soon snapped up the 13/8, the old ones still work.

Just when we thought he wasn’t coming in, he appeared stealthily under Steve’s arm and had £160,000 on River Tiber at 13/8. Flynn just looked over and calmly said ‘Si, this is Royal Ascot’ then promptly laid another £6000 at 13/8.

It turned, and it turned in style, the absolute bogie River Tiber was beaten out of sight, the race was decided in a photo between Haatem and Kikkuli, the latter had been the subject of a £25,000 – £1000. You have to feel for that punter, his wager was beaten by a short head.

The book won £179,000, Star Sports, hitherto know as the good guys were in front on the meeting, but with three races to go still not certain to end it that way.

There’s no premature celebrating on this firm (Lofty was safely at Towcester) the rotund lady hadn’t even limbered up yet.

🎩 5:05 – Wokingham Stakes (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) 6f

Next up, the race before the penultimate where Dark Trooper was 7/2 favourite and well backed, losing £5330 as they started to load, other losers were Orazio, Desert Cop, and Lethal Levi in a race where the punters made the book which held about £6000 Orazio was the bogie losing £18,000.

Unequal Love winning at 12/1 was a result in the win book but the firm were clobbered in the places, Orazio back in third did the damage, £22,000 – £1000 each-way laid this morning.

🎩 5:40 – Golden Gates Stakes (Handicap) (Class 2) 1m2f

The penultimate was another race that had a bad loser lurking in it as betting got underway, Miletus was bad for £48,000 thanks to a bet of £1500 at 33/1 this morning. The other one showing red was Hand of God, £2600 – £1000 laid earlier in the day.

Apart from those two bets, business added up to an extra grand in small bets on top of the two I’ve noted which was disappointing, but there was no sign of any huge punter to knock the day which was handy. I think the team were ready to snap the elastic band around the week’s winnings. Just as they were going into the stalls, a punter bet £1500 the jolly at 9/4 and £480 with the fractions Approval at 6/1.

It was a messy book but Hand Of God won the race tidily, the firm lost £3500 on the Tatts pitch, the blow eased, winning on the places.

🎩 6:15 – Queen Alexandra Stakes (Conditions Race) (Class 2) 2m5½f

OK, deep breath, the sun was beating down on us and the crowd well refreshed but there was just one race to go. Early bets indicated it might get lively for the lucky last. An Internet tipster bet £5000 on Run For Oscar, Charles Byrnes’ runner, at 11/4. Postileo had already attracted a bet of £1500 at 8/1 this morning while a punter bet £3200 – £1600 in the early live skirmishes.

The next bet took the firm by surprise £30,000 – £4000 hedging money from another bookmaker, that relative chunk looked sure to send that one off as the absolute bogie taking out £35,000 as the horses went to post. The combined win over the five days over the two pitches was about £30,000 so if Postileo obliged the meeting would still be lost, plus not inconsiderable expenses, Ricky loves a steak, so this was going right down to the last race.

Then a bet of £15,000 – £2000 the same horse sealed it, then a bet of £5000 – £150 each-way Maxident dropped in right in the hole followed by £22,500 – £10,000 Uxmal.

Ed Dark messaged they laid £16,000 – £1000 each-way Fasol. A lively way to end the meeting with the bogie losing £40,000. Uxmal, a winner for most of the betting bolted up, the book lost £7000 but a winning week was ensured. Who’d have thought it earlier in the week?

What a week, what a ride and a profit at the end of it. Thanks to everyone who has read and commented during the week.

Next up for my betting reports is the Greyhound Derby next Saturday night… 🐶🏆

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