SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Windsor Monday

I used to love coming to Windsor on Monday nights with Dave Phillips, there was competitive racing and good money flying about, with the added bonus of cash wages after an expensive weekend. We didn’t use to come to the first few though, Dave’s reasoning that they started too early and people couldn’t come writes SIMON NOTT.

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4:25 Thames Hospice Handicap (3yo only) 6f 12y

That 1990’s reasoning might still be true and the first race was very thin as far as bets went. Kaan and Sophie betting number six on the rail only managed to take £640 with the biggest bet the last in the book £100 on the 4/1 jolly Valsharah. The bogie was slowly away over the flying 6f and was never in it, apart from staying on late to finish third at 10/3.

To be honest, none of them saw which way the 11/1 winner Distant Rumble went – and he won convincingly. The book copped £486.

5:00 British Stallion Studs EBF Restricted Maiden Stakes (Horses In Bands B, C And D) (GBB Race) (Div I) Cl5 (3-5yo) 1m

The next race was a similar story, the book held just £534 despite a short one in 13/8 favourite Al Shababi. The punters didn’t want to know, despite there being a couple of lumpers in evidence. The jolly won, returned 5/4 and the book lost £78, like winning I imagine. After racing, I got talking to Mark from near Newmarket who likes to read the blogs, thanks Mark. Here we are, celebrating Star Sports only doing £78 on a 13/8 into 5/4 stick on.

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5:30 British Stallion Studs EBF Restricted Maiden Stakes (Horses In Bands B, C And D) (GBB Race) (Div II) Cl5 (3-5yo) 1m

Next up and things picked up, maybe Dave Phillips was on to something, people who wanted to be had started to appear. It wasn’t suddenly blinding, but the field money had passed the £1000 mark for the first time today.

Feature of the race was the weakness of Oisin Murphy’s Sea Founder, 5/4 out to 2/1 on course.

Whatever the reason was for the drift, it was unfounded and a bonus to BOG punters, well, should have been but returned 13/8f.

The book lost £867 which put the firm £400 behind. ‘Decent slippage though’ was Kaan’s ever-optimistic summing up of the race.

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6:00 Kovara Klassic Maiden Stakes (GBB Race) Cl5 (3yo+) 1m2f

Next up and the shortest market leader of the evening so far. Once again, it was Oisin Murphy on board the jolly, 4/7 chance Tycoon. A regular punter stepped in and bet a grand at the price, contributing into a book that held £1488 at the off and was the only bet of interest.

Just the one bet was interesting enough when it won though, the book blew £600 on the race, the winner returned 4/9. Come racing.

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6:30 Snap Fitness Monday Night Handicap (GBBPlus Race) Cl4 (4yo+ 0-85) 1m2f

The fifth race was the busiest so far with a fair spread of horses laid. It took a while for Kaan and Sophie to get the jolly Promethean into the book, though, try as they might, there were no takers.

Ultimately, a punter was tempted in by the 6/4 winking at him and bet £1200 – £800 as the horses were going in the stalls. At the off, the book held £1766, better still, the bogie was unplaced behind the 7/1 winner Expert Witness.

Aye Aye, well you’d expect so, wouldn’t you? Apart from it’s generally good to have the jolly in the frame for the place book, that was a great result. But no, a number of bets on the winner, headed in the pecking order by a wager £800- £100 each-way ensured that the ‘result’ was a loser for £783. Bugger.

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7:00 Fitzdares Fillies’ Handicap Cl5 (3yo+ 0-68) 1m3½f

Next up and the bet numbers continued to be OK but to small stakes, there was steady betting from the punters whilst never putting the dynamic duo of Sophie and Kaan under the cosh. The biggest bet in this race was a carpet £300 at 11/4 Kinetic where they struggled to field a grand, it was mostly small money, very very small. At the off, the grand hadn’t been topped, the hod held £972 with the jolly losing £906 and Queens Company £133.

Kinetic won in a photo with Dibble Dabble, the book lost £1200 with the places. It was shaping up to be a bad night, but not as bad as some in-running layers had been having, I’m told the winner traded at 540/1 in running. Now that would ruin your night.

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7:30 Get The Inside Track With raceday-ready.com Handicap Cl6 (3yo 0-60) 1m

Next up, the penultimate Oisin Murphy was on Paragon looking for a treble, the combination was supported from 6/4 into 11/8 but not to money, at least not with Star Sports. The biggest bets in a book that did exceed the grand mark were £100 each-way on a couple of middle pins, at 15/2 Mr Ubiquitous and Ceira G at 14/1 and a £700 – £100 Blue Train. Those bets wouldn’t have made the Racing Post 30 years ago but are the reality of tonight’s business.

At the off, the book held £1407 with several horses glowing red so it was sit tight and hope time. Mr Ubiquitous won the race by a nose from Blue Train, the winner was the lesser of the two losers involved in the finish, bad for £111 in the book.

Going into the last the firm were doing £3300 which given the business looked an insurmountable sum, but Sophie and Kaan were going to give it a go.

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8:05 Tips For Every Race At raceday-ready.com Handicap Cl5 (4yo+ 0-68) 5f

As the sun started to set on the meeting, it appeared that business had significantly dwindled though Kaan clung onto the hope that there might be a losing lump lurking to hopefully save the day. The bets were hardly pouring in but there was an interesting conversation taking place in front of the joint.

I won’t go into too much detail, but I just hope the chap getting a bit personal with the ladies wasn’t on a work’s do, or he could find himself cancelled in the morning.

‘What he didn’t see a problem with’ might be argued by the ladies, it’s not the 1990s anymore ha ha. There were a few bets, though not big one, £200 on Antiphon, £1500 – £150 each-way Secret Handsheikh and £1400 – £100 each-way Some Nightmare, at the off there was £1312 in the hod so a losing night was assured.

Bang On The Bell won the race at 9/2 copping £405 in the win book – Aye Aye, then the places were put in and that win was reduced to losing £113, boo. ‘Just one of those days’ was Kaan’s stoic response. It certainly had been, but if Dave Phillips’ reason was still correct, the business actually bode well for the forthcoming season here at Windsor.

I’m at Cheltenham on Friday for their best meeting of the season, arguably.

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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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