SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Royal Ascot Saturday

I don’t think the Star Sports team had really gotten over the buzz and ultimate disappointment of yesterday’s action when setting up today. I know I hadn’t…

Today’s card looked like one where favourite backers thinking it’s easy after Friday’s bookie rout could fall on their swords and do some back. The big punters from yesterday returning or at least some to take their place would be pivotal to any thought of a retrieval mission for Star Sports though. The one positive was, they, the winning big hitters, were reported to be here again today.

The teams today were Flynn, Tony, Stephen Little’s son Charlie and Steve in Tatts and Ricky, Kyle and Hannah on the rail.

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2:30 – Chesham Stakes (Listed) (Class 1) (2YO only) 7f

Almost the first bet in the Tatts book was a £20,000 – £1600 ( 12/1 with the fractions ) Legend of Xanadu, a bookie hedging. Then just as the Royal Procession was coming down the home straight, it started again. The same faces, the same bookie hedging, £180,000 – £150,000 Alfred Munnings. And we’re rolling.

Another £12,000 – £10,000 was laid after the Royals rocked through. A commission agent for big players came over and whispered that there were others well fancied in the race so Star Sports had chances. At least there was a chance of getting some back, though the flip side was doing plenty more.

There was hope, as the horses were going down to the start there was plenty of 11/8 in the ring, bookmakers that hadn’t got the jolly in the book were screaming the price to punters that didn’t seem keen to oblige them. Going into the stalls some back row firms were calling 6/4. After yesterday nobody wanted to see a favourite beaten without getting their whack.

Boom! Not that easy a game after all for the punters. Holloway Boy winning at 40/1 was the sort of result the ring had been waiting for. Mind you, one punter had £50 on the winner with Star Sports but it wasn’t going to take much of the shine off.

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3:05 – Jersey Stakes (Group 3) (Class 1) (3YO only) 7f

Next up and a bet of £10,000 – £1000 early Dubawi Legend got the book kick-started. Sadly, it was the only decent bet in a very low staking race so went off the bogie losing just over £9000.

Noble Truth the 4/1 favourite obliged, the book copped £1400 in the win book and the places were described by Inlike as ‘kind’.

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3:40 – Hardwicke Stakes (Group 2) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 1m 4f

Next up and another lump, no not on Hurricane Lane the odds-on jolly in the next but £140,000 on Missed The Cut in the penultimate, half at 11/4 half at 5/2. But to this race, a punter had £12,000 – £15,000 on the favourite.

Late on, a bookmaker had a £2000-£2500 which topped it up nicely. The form book will forever read, the winner of the 2022 Hardwick Stakes was Broome which returned 6/1. What it won’t relate is that the Star Sports Tatts book copped just over £19,000. Aye Aye.

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4:20 – Platinum Jubilee Stakes (Group 1) (British Champions Series) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 6f

Next up and Flynn laid a bet of £12,000 – £1000 Highfield Princess, just as raindrops started to fall. A punter came in for £1400 the jolly Home Affairs at 9/4. Bet size had picked up too, there were far fewer £2.50 each-way bets than on previous days. There were a lot of anxious Bookmaking eyes looking up at the increasingly leaden sky rather then the punters.

After a sweltering week, not many had packed waterproof kit so a deluge would not be welcome. Besides, just when the tide looked to be turning the bookies didn’t want to give the punters an excuse to hunker down out of the rain. Luckily a few spots were all we got, everyone still dry as the field went down to the start, but there was a bet drought too. The two noted bets the bogies in the book which only held £4000.

Naval Crown winning at 33/1 pretty much skinned the win book and was of course a cracking result. Not so great was the dead-heat for third between the better-backed Artorious and Campanelle which would have been a headache for Charlie and Tony paying out and explaining to novice punters had more than a handful backed them.

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5:00 – Wokingham Stakes (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) (3YO plus) 6f

The race before the penultimate the 4/1 the field heritage handicap where bets are expected to be plentiful but not lumpy. The trouble was they weren’t plentiful, at the off the book held about £1500 and had seven losers, all rags. One of them was the winner, 18/1 chance Rohaan which lost £1200. Not great but next up there were bigger fish to fry.

The £140,000 bet on Missed The Cut laid earlier had been added to thanks to a further bet of £25,000 – £10,000. Flynn didn’t think he had much chance of betting up to it.

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5:35 – Golden Gates Stakes (Handicap) (Class 2) (3YO only) 1m 2f

He couldn’t bet up to it, in fact it appeared the ‘punters’ had lost interest in betting apart from the bogie, a further £5000-£2000 and £2500 – £1000 laid. The entire field money ignoring the big bets totalled just £2000. Missed The Cut bolted up.

One small mercy, if that’s the word, is that Missed The Cut could be called the winner a long way out. No cups snatched from lips like yesterday. After a promising start, it looked like game over. The other small mercy was that two horses withdrawn at the start resulted in a 20p Rule 4 which, considering the book held very little on anything else, was a saving.

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6:10 – Queen Alexandra Stakes (Conditions Race) (Class 2) (4YO plus) 2m 5½f

Like an ominous ode albeit too late, with four minutes to go to the last, the wind picked up, hats started to fly and the long threatened rain started to fall. The punters took cover and the book held just £800. 10/1 chance Stratum won the race and the book copped £271. A step in the right direction I’m sure you’ll agree.

What a ride this week has been. Next up the Greyhound Derby final next Saturday then Glorious Goodwood. Now to drive home in soggy cheap morning dress strides. Thanks for reading. Aye Aye!

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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