SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Royal Ascot Thursday

I’m not really a superstitious sort of chap but I had a shiver sent down my spine on the way into the course today. That takes some doing when it’s already 20 odd degrees in the shade.

I was approached by a very friendly Gypsy lady who wanted to flog me a flower. I didn’t have a Dinar on me, guessed she would take a contactless payment so smiled and politely declined. I walked a few steps when I heard a blood-curdling ‘You don’t refuse a Gypsy, young man’ now the young man bit eased the blow, but was that a subtle curse? I hoped not as my step quickened.

The question ‘What’s your minimum bet?’ and the statement ‘I’ve never done this before’ in combination are likely to fill a racecourse bookie with more dread than the gypsy lady did me today. There was lots of shuddering going on around the ring, but it was nice to see novice punters, many of them ladies, having bets in the ring. A punter did liven up the early betting with a £4000-£9000 Reach For The Moon in the penultimate.

There was a big cheer from the stands for the Royal Procession, which thankfully drowned out Lofty’s mumbling and half-heart singing of ‘It’s Coming Home’ over the national anthem. Yes, it appears yesterday’s prolonged sunny demeanour from Mr Chapman was destined to be short-lived.

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2:30 – Norfolk Stakes (Group 2) (Class 1) (2YO only) 5f

The race was shaping up to be the poorest take of the meeting so far then a bookmaker came in for a bet of £5000 – £700 ( 7/1 with the fractions ) Brave Nation, and was laid. Now the firm had a bogie.

The Ridler won the race at 50/1, more punters solved the puzzle than you might think, the bets in the win book totalled £35 at 33/1 so took out over a grand with Walbank the favourite back in second, the bogie was just out of the frame back in fourth.

The book copped £600, or at least thought they had. Luckily nothing had been paid out before the bing bong to announce a Steward’s Enquiry.

The result stood, the book copped and the gypsy’s curse didn’t appear to have affected the firm.

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3:05 – King George V Stakes (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) (3YO only) 1m 4f

Next up, a heritage handicap and a slew of small bets from novice punters.

Inlike Flynn commented that the punters were calling the horses by name not numbers and that the business was like a very busy Shergar Cup. Whilst it made life harder for those working on the joint, novice racegoers engaging with the betting ring can only be a good thing and we can hope that, if they have fun, they will all be back for the Shergar Cup and know to call the numbers.

As they were going in the stalls, the firm laid a bet of a monkey at 9/2, Post Impressionist, another hedge bet from the ring and a bet of £1000 – £200 Secret State, ‘an old-fashioned book’ beamed Lofty, yes he was back happy.

Secret State won a photo that wasn’t really close. The book lost £400, not a disaster. ‘The places saved us’ Lofty’s observation.

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3:40 – Ribblesdale Stakes (Fillies’ Group 2) (Class 1) (3YO only) 1m 4f

I was sent on a mission to buy some water as betting got under way for the third. £30 for 15 bottles if anyone is interested. On my return, delivering to rails pitch Kyle told me they’d laid £6000 – £3000 Sea Silk Road and £6000 – £1000 Mukaddamah. It was much smaller news on the parched Tatts pitch. With 12 minutes to go, they’d not taken a grand. Chip Shop Steve on one of the computers behind the joint told me that so far today he’d cancelled 40 bets, which was something of a record.

11/4 chance Magical Lagoon won after a tussle with Sea Silk Road, the latter looking to have come to win the race but outbattled. The Tatts book won £400 from a book that held less than £2000. The Tatts pitch had a cracking result.

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4:20 – 🏆 Gold Cup (Group 1) (British Champions Series) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 2m 4f

A punter came in early and had £1500 on Princess Zoe at 7/1 on the Tatts pitch. Lofty was desperate to get Kyprios in the book as he considered it a poor favourite. It seemed like the punters agreed with him, they initially struggled to find a backer off the floor but did take a grand out of Stradivarius a 2/1 then £7000 – £4000 the jolly, that was more like it.

At the off, Princess Zoe lost £4877 and Kyprios £3353.

It was a memorable race, but Kyprios the 13/8 favourite and second-worst in the book wasn’t the result the ring required. Looking for the silver lining, Princess Zoe didn’t win.

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5:00 – Britannia Stakes (Heritage Handicap) (Str) (Class 2) (3YO only) 1m

As expected the next was quiet, the bets were small and not too plentiful. I nipped off for an ablutions break. There were sniffer dogs outside the gents, they no doubt ensured there were none of the sometimes seen men queuing in pairs for the cubicles at other courses.

It didn’t stop them from being invaded by desperate women happy to brave the chap’s loos and even stop to do their make-up in the mirrors. You couldn’t really blame them given the wait for the ladies’ lavs. On my return, nothing had happened.

Thesis winning at 14/1 was a fair result, probably not so popular in the Palace, the Queen’s Saga was just denied a fast finishing runner-up. Jimi Hendrix finished third which too the shine off the race, 60’s rock fans appeared to haves piled in each-way.

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5:35 – Hampton Court Stakes (Group 3) (Class 1) (3YO only) 1m 2f

Having already laid a £4000 – £9000 about Reach For The Moon early, Flynn and Lofty hadn’t anticipated another hefty bet, a punter bet £11,420 at 2/5. His lucky number maybe?

One of Lofty’s many fans came to the joint with four lovely ice creams for the staff. Yes Lofty, Flynn, Chip Shop Steve and Tony had an ice cream. Freelance writers not included. They did give me the rundown but I didn’t begrudge them, they’d been working hard. Steve had just bust through the 100 cancelled tickets barrier.

At the off the favourite was losing £8153.

Claymore won the race at 7/1 and the firm £19,000. It felt churlish to cheer the Queen’s horse being beaten so I didn’t. Lofty roared the winner home with no qualms. The rotter.

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6:10 – Buckingham Palace Stakes (Handicap) (Class 2) (3YO plus) 7f

The book laid a bet of £10,000 – £300 Path Of Thunder and a monkey at 25/1 Fastnet Crown which made those two the bogies in a race where there was little else of note tendered.

That is until a very late £10,500 – £3000 Montassib from another bookmaker right in the hole. Three bad losers against the field.

Inver Park won to the sort of silence that usually greets a 50/1 shot. Lofty scrolled down horses in liability order and was shocked to see the winner was only a 12/1 shot. The punters hadn’t latched on to it. The book won pretty much what it took.

Aye Aye, Lofty has booked a table tonight, we might even get a beer too. We’re back tomorrow.

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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