SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Shergar Cup 2024

People do like to have a moan about the Shergar Cup, but I for one am very grateful for it, writes SIMON NOTT.

In 2017 I’d been on the books with Star Sports since May but things weren’t going well, my days looked numbered. Salvation came when I got a press invitation to go to the Sydney Arms in Chelsea to interview some of the jockeys taking part in the Shergar Cup. Ben suggested going, but video record the interviews on my phone rather than write it all down. Those interviews, including with Hayley Turner were done with me just holding the phone and pointing it at the interviewee as they talked. If anyone is interested they are still out there somewhere.

While those interviews didn’t set the world alight they sparked something in Ben who dispatched me to point the camera, now with the aid of a newly purchased tripod, at Neil Channing. That interview was very well received and was the catalyst for what has become the #BettingPeople series and kept me in work since. So thanks Shergar Cup and Haley Turner for being such a sport back in 2017 at the Sydney Arms.

1:35 – Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Dash (Handicap) (Class 2) 5f

As you’d expect on Shergar Cup day, the racecourse was heaving, not just with punters but bookies too, it looked like a full house Royal Ascot contingent. Even Ben turned up, with side-kick Jerry Croxford, I spent much of the betting on the first race recording people’s top 10 questions instead of earwigging bets, but there weren’t many. Nobody was expecting big money but lots of little money and the little money was adding up. The biggest bet taken on the rails pitch was £90 with the fractions at 11/2 to win £500 on Desert Cop until a £1000 – £200 the same horse late on.

I did spot a bag man in the ring but he didn’t appear too busy. The rails pitch today was Steve, Amberley and Lofty, with secret weapon Ben. Over on the Tatts pitch Nick and Kieran were holding the fort. The biggest bet on their pitch on the first was a pony each-way but both teams held well over a grand. Holkham Bay won the race returning 4/1 favourite although there was 9/2 on course and had been 5/1. He won £700 in the rails book and £572 in Tatts, a good start.

2:10 – Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Stayers (Handicap) (Class 2) 2m

Next up and it was a problem to get from the rails to the Tatts pitch, that’s how busy it was. The punters might have only been having small bets, but at least they were down in the betting ring having bets with the bookmakers, showing an interest in the horse racing before what they really come for and just having fun. Ideal, what’s not to like. Spirit Mixer was 5/1 favourite in this race where the teams were braced for more of the same.

The majority of the crowd made me feel especially old but it was good to see so many young people at the races, suited and booted and in their finery. Ben and Amberley on the rails pitch were keeping Steve busy tapping away. Lofty had gone to front the Tatts pitch, they fielded £1500, the Rails pitch £1100, all in small denomination bets, including I’m told some moody scores, though not with Star. It’s the first time I’d heard of new moody notes.

Ranch Hand won the race under Haley Turner, the rails pitch managed to cop £55, Tatts did better winning £360, that made it two winning races from two so far all good in the hood.

I managed to cop a look at a forged score, Lofty wasn’t impressed, to be honest you’d need a well known high street optician if you let one slip through.

2:45 – Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Challenge (Handicap) (Class 2) 1m 4f

Next up and a danananananana bagman pounced betting £400 at 7/1 Cracksking which was by far the biggest bet of the day I’d heard of so far, not just on the Star Sports pitch but anywhere. The racegoers were making up for the lack of lumps and as I said, those little bets were adding up. The Tatts pitch passed the grand mark for the third race in a row as did the Rails aided by the rouf bet. Over on the Tatts pitch things hotted up they laid the trade £2000 – £140 each-way Good Too. When I got back to the rail they’d laid the same horse £5000 – £400 each-way, also trade, someone somewhere appeared to have lumped on. Armaloft Alex was working today in the front row with a top book, he was under the cosh but managed to pass on that ‘The place is full of people that got rejected for Love Island’ which I though was a bit mean, but when you are under the cosh, grumpy is excusable.

Good Too went off a loser in the rails book for £6700 and Cracksking £1300. Neither obliged, the race went to 9/2 chance Insanity which also lost £800 in the win book. Luckily the places went their way so they only lost a round of drinks once the numbers were crunched. The Tatts pitch fared worse with the places, a short head third going the way of the punters proved costly, they did a bottle on the heat.

3:20 – Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Sprint (Handicap) (Class 2) 6f

The ante-penultimate featured a short one in Jarraaf, the Tatts pitch laid £300 – £250 and £550 – £500 while the rails pitch saw a decent volume of bets on the jolly the biggest being £250 early. I made my way through the crowd to see the guys in Tatts, they’d taken over £2000 and were tap tap tapping away stoically, back on the rail they had just fielded an even grand the jolly in one hit. The money was out there and luckily it was finding Star. Apart from the short one, the other loser in the rails book was 16/1 chance Dapper Valley which despite the biggest bet on it being a bullseye each-way at 16/1 had been steadily popular with the crowd, mostly also dapper.

The favourite bolted up, the rails book lost £1370 with the places, Tatts fared better but still lost £497 the favourite was no good and the places didn’t go their way either. With two races to go all of a sudden there wasn’t a lot in the day again.

3:55 – Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Classic (Handicap) (Class 3) 1m 4f

I was called upon to take some bets on the penultimate as Amberley took a comfort break, as usual it was a pleasure to meet people at the sharp end. Business was brisk enough for me, though of course I’m quite ring rusty on the old calls of ‘Eachee Wayzee Win or Placee’ stolen from Alfie Edwards many moons ago. My stint didn’t last long but was fun while it did, I happily handed back over to Amberley the professional. Over in Tatts it was the same story, the lads were grafting and had taken £1500 in very small money. The rails pitch had fielded double that including a bet of £2000 – £200 Champagne Prince as well as getting a £450 bet on a horse at Haydock beaten. Star are always happy to take away bets on any event if you are at the races.

The penultimate went the way of the firm this time, the bogie in the race on the rail was Champagne Prince and with another couple of yards would surely have won. However, the winning post came in time for Going Remote which held on to land the spoils at 12/1. He won £1400 in the book whereas the runner up would have lost £1900. Over in Tatts they won £820. Getting from Tatts to the rails and back was like trying to navigate a nightclub, by the last I was beginning to agree with Armaloft.

4:30 – Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Mile (Handicap) (Class 2) 1m

Ben retreated with chauffeur Jerry, no doubt to dodge the traffic but in reality the only people leaving the course immediately after the racing would be bookmakers and members of the press. There was a flurry of bets as the prices went up so I hopped up for another five minute stint on the joint. There was nothing to make us jump though and business soon quietened down to the extent that Amberley and Steve could handle it with ease. Over on the Tatts pitch they’d laid £1200 – £400 New Image in a book that held over £2000 as the horses went to post with the bogie a 20/1 chance. Back over in the rail not to be outdone they’d laid £1500 – £500 New Image which made that one their bogie in its place as market leader. Going into the last the rails were £1100 in front on the day and Tatts £1200 so everything depended on the concluding heat. This has to have been the busiest Shergar Cup meeting I’ve known, and that with a lot of bookmakers betting here which was a very positive sign, people come racing for other reasons than the sport can and will engage.

Everyone got their money’s worth in the lucky last. It looked like 13/2 chance Yantarni had won the race and copped a winning day for the firm. As I looked into the rails book to see how much they’d won, a roar went up from the crowd as New Image found another gear to get up in the last stride to win by a short head. A £1280 win became a £1372 loss. ‘That’s your fault’ yelled Steve at yours truly and I guess he was right.

They had a very similar book over in Tatts except they won a monkey on the places. Whichever way you dress it up the cup was snatched from the firm’s lips and lost on the day. Still, it was busy and they had chances of getting a few quid.

That’s a hectic four days over, I’m on a sabbatical for a week, I’ll be back blogging from York. Thanks for reading