SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Sandown Saturday

Kaan will be pleased to know that I’m not delving into the mists of time to set the premise for the seven races we had in store at Sandown Park today, writes SIMON NOTT.

Having been at Exeter yesterday, I was just grateful that there was no rain when I arrived. Today’s team were Kaan at the helm, Tony and Keiran.

There looked to be a huge crowd here with streams of people heading into the racecourse from both directions, road and rail many keen to don the sponsor’s yellow scarves.

Once all into the racecourse, the crowd was indeed very large looking and keen to get stuck in. They were of typical Saturday variety, that is enthusiastic and relatively modest staking.

Before getting into all that, I bumped into Stephen Darbyshire before racing. He was looking better than the last time I saw him on Monday, sharp and ready to take on the ring.

Armaloft Alex, working on the rail, had just about dried out from Exeter yesterday where he’d suffered the ignominy of a snapped mush thanks to Haldon Hill’s 40 mile an hour wind gusts, they are a tough breed these on-course bookies.

Talk over the racecourse was the media revelations concerning one of the UK’s most celebrated gamblers, um gambling.

12:10 – Betfair Exchange Claremont Novices’ Hurdle (Listed) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 2m

Talking of which, Star’s trio were tapping away fielding a multitude of bets in the opener. They didn’t want to be on the weak jolly Sober Glory but had apparently focused on Hurricane Pat, mostly small bets but also included a monkey at 10/3 but still lost £6529 at the off with £3210 in the hod.

Bloody hell, they knew, seemingly every punter on the track was on, Hurricane Pat won with insulting ease, while Sober Glory was an obvious also ran with a fair way to go, the drift was prophetic on this occasion.

‘That’s how he won three times yesterday’ spat Kaan with the distaste that comes of bringing back bad financial memories, he being the ‘they’ of trainers Gary and Josh Moore and jockey Caoilin Quinn.

The plus side, and there’s always one, Star Sports did the biggest bet of their business under the 7/2 SP. File under ‘bad start’.

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12:43 – Betfair Supports Racing With Pride Mares’ Handicap Hurdle (Class 3) (3YO plus) 2m 4f

Next up, and what we’ve all been waiting for SD in ITV racing with Richie Persad. Let’s hope it’s not the last time, it’s excellent to have a proper character highlighting the betting ring.

Meanwhile, back at the Star Sports pitch Tony and Keiran were earning their wages, the bets were firing in. When I say firing in, £14,779 worth by the off though that number does include £7500 – £5000 Sunset Marquesa, £11,125 – £5000 and £1100 – £400 Crazierthandaisy, and £2400 – £600 Dramatic Encore.

The jolly Sunset Marquesa had been a 15/8 early but the SP of 11/8 flashed up on the big screen as she sauntered home unchallenged under Brendan Powell for Joe Tizzard. Luckily for Star Sports, despite being the subject of a five grand bet, the winner copped £1127 in the book, which sort of made up for the reversal in the opener.

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1:20 – Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4YO plus) 2m 7½f

Next up and joint jollies to kick the betting off Kikijo and Turndlightsdownlow opening at 9/4 though the latter not long after eased to 5/2 with that little worm catching a bet of £15,000 – £6000, near the off a bet of £9000 – £4500 Kikijo levelled the figures, those two bets bookended total field-money £14,392.

It comes to something when you settle for the horse that lost £2000 winning, not quite so something when you take into account that the runner up to the winner Kikijo which looked like winning for most of the finish was a loser for £9000.

The pair returned 9/4 each of two, once again the book had value laying the winner at 2/1 but still did their dough.

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1:50 – Betfair Henry VIII Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 1m 7½f

Talking of doing dough, Kaan, Keiran and Tony did the firm’s in style in the next. A bet of £8000 – £18,000 Lulamba probably seemed like a good one to lay before the race, and even when he made a small rick at the first, but a circuit later didn’t appear quite so clever.

Nicky Henderson’s gelding put his three rivals to the sword with a fair though not faultless round of jumping which cost the Three Amigos a further £6192. It was all adding up, though a losing £2500 bet on Kilbarry Hill at Wetherby and £1800 Margaret’s Legacy at Aintree had eased the blow during the afternoon.

‘We’re only losing £9168.65 and it could have been a lot worse’ beamed Kaan as I made way for a couple of bagmen fast approaching, it appeared it wasn’t over yet.

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2:25 – Bet At Your Best With Betfair Handicap Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 2) (3YO plus) 2m

It certainly wasn’t, £7000 and £2000 Knickerbockerglory at 11/4 and £22,000 – £10,000 Glynn Brae in the race before the penultimate and feature confirmed that.

Then it started to rain, it didn’t stop the punters though, another monkey at Knickerbockerglory at 5/2, £20,000 – £2000 and £5000 – £500 Goshen, two monkeys Glynn Brae, and £18,000 – £3000 and six monkeys Go Dante were requested and struck, the lads were working their fingers to the bone in the heavy shower that persisted throughout betting on the heat, putting two card machines out of business in the process.

It was particularly galling for the team to blow £6242 when 11/2 Go Dante won the race. Most of the ring were celebrating getting a few quid, Star were doing their money and getting damp as an added bonus.

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🏆 3:00 – Betfair Tingle Creek Chase (Grade 1) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 1m 7½f

It had stopped raining by the time betting got going in the Tingle Creek. Once again, it got going in the right and proper manner.

Trade bets of £8000 – £10,000 and £1600 – £2000 Il Etait Temps kicked things off, followed by £15,000 – £5000 Jonbon and £2000 at 10/3 L’Eau Du Sud brought up the rear, then the artillery lobbed in £17,000 on the jolly at 4/5 with a grand at the price on top, the final bet on the favourite was £180 at 4/6, the price on the board was 8/11 but the punter requested 4/6 and was obliged.

I know, that Kaan is a rascal but the customer is always right, right? The last punter might not have known his odds, but he certainly knew his horses, Il Etait Temps veritably bolted up. While it’s nice to see quality horses running you’d rather all the well backed ones didn’t win when you are writing for and being paid by a bookmaker.

Sadly, that’s the way the mop sometimes flops, the book held £40,710, the fun boy three had to pay all that back out plus the £14,349 they knocked out, it’s handy the big money is digital these days.

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3:35 – Betfair Exchange London National Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 2) (5YO plus) 3m 4½f

Going into the last, the firm were losing £40,000 then promptly took a bet of £13,000 – £2000 over Tanganyika in a £6600 book. Meanwhile, certain elements in the crowd were acting more like a football crowd than national hunt aficionados, it was probably just as well this was the lucky last.

There wasn’t a lump for anything else in the race, so at the off, there was no getting out on the day for Star Sports and they stood to lose another £17,000 should the bogie win, with everything else a winner for four figures.

Handily, and against the grey for the day, the bogie was beaten six out which left the team the pleasure of watching the race and cheering them all on. O’Connell got the Aye Aye winning and at least ensuring £3158 back for the good guys.

We’re back at Cheltenham on Friday.

SIMON NOTT

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Views of authors do not necessarily represent views of Star Sports Bookmakers.

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