SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Royal Ascot Wednesday

It was a very special day in the betting ring today, writes SIMON NOTT.

The legend that is Armaloft Alex is 50 today, ‘Stewards’ Enquiry’ OK maybe that’s a slightly rounded down figure, but what’s three years among friends. Happy birthday Armaloft!

The teams at Royal Ascot today were unchanged from yesterday. Ben on the stool in Tatts, head of on course Kaan at the helm with Nick, Tony and Emily. Down on the lower Tatts rail MD Inlike Flynn, Lofty and Ricky who has a big birthday coming up on Friday, though at his age, you can never count your chickens.

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🎩 2:30 – Queen Mary Stakes (Group 2) (Fillies) (Class 1) (2yo) 5f

Betting on the opening race appeared a little slower than yesterday. As the field went to post, there was less than £2000 in the hod, that despite True Love having been bet from 11/4 into 5/2 though not to bets of any size, at least not with Star.

As they were going into the stalls the jolly was a 9/4 chance, a punter asked for £10,000 at 5/2, he got offered half at 5/2 and half at 9/4 but declined, saying it was 5/2 on the machine, which is where I’m guessing he got his £10,000 on, maybe.

Meanwhile, a punter down on the rail wanted £20,000 on the favourite but his card kept failing so no bet. Sometimes things just go your way, don’t they? True Love bolted up and returned 9/4, OK both teams lost, £2942 in Tatts and £400 on the rail, but do the sums, it could have been a massive losing start to Wednesday.

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🎩 3:05 – Queen’s Vase (Group 2) (Class 1) (3yo) 1m6f (1m6f34y)

I had a call from Flynn, I was needed down on the lower rail to help out as they were under the cosh. I jumped up on the stool and the old nonsense sayings just started rolling out, though card machines hadn’t been invented when I last took bets in the UK back in 2007.

It was good fun, especially working with Ricky and Lofty in smily chatty mode. The bets were small, though, plenty of £2.50 each-way from well-dressed ladies. It was that sort of race, though, where they bet 4/1 the field with Asmarani heading the market and Shackleton and Carmers snapping at his heels. Up on the Tatts pitch, Kaan messaged to say they had laid £10,000 – £2000 each-way Shackleton and not much else.

Luckily, that selection finished fourth in the race won by Carmers at 9/2. The Tatts pitch copped £800 thanks to the each way, the rail lost £800, straight across.

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🎩 3:40 – (Rnd) Duke Of Cambridge Stakes (Group 2) (Fillies & Mares) (Class 1) (4yo+) 1m (7f213y)

Next up and £13,000 was bet on Cinderella’s Dream at 6/4 followed by a trade bet of £10,000 at 11/8. Meanwhile, previous #BettingPeople interviewee Australian professional punter Paul Daily came to say hello, I didn’t connect to name to his face at first, I blame this morning dress we are all wearing rather than cognitive issues on my part! We had an excellent chat, it lovely to meet him, you can check out his interview by clicking here.

Another racecourse face arrived at the joint, bearing gifts, Andy Henderson had an ice lolly in each pocket and presented them to Ben and I. Very nice it was too Andy, but a little melted.

Meanwhile, what’s all this then, a result Crimson Advocate winning at 15/2 was an excellent result in the book, the Tatts pitch copped £26,050 and the rail got £3500 from their disappointing £4500 book. Still, it was a shot in the arm for the firm and betting ring in general, time to kick on.

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🎩 4:20 – Prince Of Wales’s Stakes (Group 1) (Class 1) (4yo+) 1m2f (1m1f212y)

Next up and the feature where it has to be said, business was poor. A big hitter did come to the joint but all he wanted was a photo with Ben and to introduce him to his lady companion, no lumping on done. Los Angeles was friendless in the ring, nobody wanted it despite being lively on the machine. It was a bet of £16,000 – £4000 bookie’s hedging money on See The Fire that made the race interesting up in Tatts.

Ben was still on the joint, refreshed from Andy’s lolly and keen to take the punters on, but where were they? I don’t know, but if you see one can you send them over.

At the off, the book held £9500 with See The Fire losing £12,598. Ombudsman winning was a £7100.16 winning race in the Tatts book, the trouble was the jolly was winning about £2000 too, had they got the unplaced favourite in the book the team would have got their whack, but despite the race being a winning one, they surely didn’t.

Down on the lower rail, they took £5600 and kept £3600 of it. Fancy moaning about winning over £10,000, sickening isn’t it?

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🎩 5:00 – (Str) Royal Hunt Cup (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) (3yo+) 1m

The first decent bet in the race before the penultimate was £8000 – £2000 bookies hedge money My Cloud.

That turned out to be the only bet of any note in the race, at the off the book held £3735. The lack of business on the jolly at least was just as well, gamble landed, My Cloud won by 3/4 of a length despite having trouble in running lost £9278 in the Tatts book. Down on the rail, they copped a bottle, small mercies. Ben, had left the building, just like Elvis, but richer, one day.

Going into the penultimate, Tatts were winning £21,000 and the lower rail £6000. Does anyone remember the song ‘20 Flight Rock’ where Eddie Cochran is in bed with ‘aching feet’? It’s a cracker and what the team were suffering with already.

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🎩 5:35 – Kensington Palace Stakes (Fillies’ Handicap) (Class 2) (4yo+ 0-105) 1m (Str)

It was hedge money that set the target to aim for betting up to in the next to last, £20,000 – £1800 each-way that’s 11/1 with the fractions, Serialise. David Jennings from the Racing Post came over for a betting ring story, but probably didn’t get the one he expected, business being poor.

Sir Phillip Davies Star’s chairman came over just as Kaan laid a £10,000 double, Rainbow’s Edge at 4/1 here and Carlton at SP in the 5.40 at Worcester.

At the off the book held just over £16,000 including the hedge money and the double. Maybe the fact the King had stayed prompted the confidence in Rainbows Edge, an old bookie boss used to shout ‘He’s here’ when connections turned up, I didn’t mean much then and sadly for his Royal Highness didn’t today either.

11/1 chance Miss Information won the race copping £15,604 in the Tatts book, Serialise was unplaced which was also very handy. The Worcester leg of the double was beaten too, irrelevant but nice anyway. Down on the rail, they’d copped £3000.

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🎩 6:10 – Windsor Castle Stakes (Listed Race) (Class 1) (2yo) 5f

Just when it looked as if the lucky last was going to go out with a fizzle, a punter bet £25,000, not on a horse in the lucky last but the 6.15 at Lingfield Rory Rocket, the punter took 11/8. Then as the horses were going to post Kaan told me that the firm had yet to field a grand on the race.

Another old saying ‘Where do you think you are, Royal Ascot?’ You wouldn’t think so going by this heat, talking of which, the Sun had appeared over the stand and was baking down, how the boys in the back row coped all day in it I’ll never know, especially the professional drinking team!

But I spoke too soon, in the hole bets of £7500 on Old Is Gold at 9/2 and £7500 at 5/1 Rogue Legend made things very interesting to top the day off.

Down on the lower rail Lofty messaged to say Rogue Legend for £3500, Tatts had it for £31,051 and Old Is Gold for £27,169 with just over £16,000 in the hod. There was a sigh of relief from Kaan when Havana Hurricane won the finale at 7/1 after the bogie had been going a little too well for much of the race. There was a little present for the bookmakers when the judge called a dead heat for third, there’d be some explaining to do. The cop on the last in Tatts was £15,710 down on the rail they copped a grand.

Over at Lingfield the £25,000 bet was beaten too, after all the moaning it ended up being a £78,000 winning day for Star in Tatts. The rail won £10,070 on the day, ‘Where do you think you are?’ Royal Ascot!

We’re back tomorrow.

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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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