SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Windsor Sunday

Thankfully racing at Windsor survived its 7.30 inspection, I think it was possibly overcautious rather than precautionary but still a relief it was on, writes SIMON NOTT.

The Star Sports contingent today were two-thirds changed, Kieran remained on the team from yesterday joined by Steve, our ex-head of on course but still keeping his toe in the door and Lofty who has been languishing at the dogs of late. It didn’t seem quite so cold today, the crowd was anticipated to be on the large side so all looked tee’d up to be a good final day of the Winter Million.

12:10 Hampton Novices’ Chase (Grade 2) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (5yo+) 3m (3m53y)

If there was going to be a lumpy bet today, it could well be in the opener where only three were to take part and the bet 4/9 Jingko Blue. There was nothing doing early on but there was a band in evidence. They were blasting out ‘Lip Up Fatty’, Lofty didn’t take offence, it did get us chatting about the glory days on summer Windsor Monday nights in the 1990’s though. A regular wandering steel band would regale the clients with their sunny tunes. Mind you, if they stood behind you playing their favourite ‘By The Rivers Of Babylon’ when you were trying to pencil bets in the ledger it could be jolly frustrating. There was no danger of that in this race sadly, bets totalled £711 with the jolly losing £135. ‘Good book’ was Lofty’s positive summing up of the race’s business.

The jolly won, though things might have been different had the runner-up Lowry’s Bar not made a horlicks of the second-last.

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12:45 Fitzdares Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4yo+)2m

The next race featured another odds-on favourite, Jubilee Alpha opened ‘up the arm on’ – 8/11 but it was Siog Geal that attracted the first decent bet, £1600 – £200 each-way. Business was steady but not large thereafter but the joint was visited by dog pro-punter Lester and horseracing pro Andrew Lowrie and sons, neither had a bet. As I was chatting, Lofty was busy tapping away into a book that at the off held just over £2000, ‘too good a book’ was Lofty’s summing up here. Siog Geal had attracted the biggest bet of the day and was the bogie for £140 and worse on the places of course. Jubilee Alpha won the race, the firm copped £150 on the race, it would have been better but they copped for a correct £30 forecast. Shortly after the race I had a text from a senior trader asking if it’s possible to get a short one beaten at Windsor, I didn’t like to tell him Star were winning, on course at least.

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1:20 Winter Million Novices’ Handicap Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 3) (4yo+ 0-125) 2m4f

Next up and a far more competitive race, on paper at least. There wasn’t a lot doing early on so I had a quick chat with punter and DJ Jonathan Henwood, son of ex-rails layer John. He’s a very nice chap and always good value for a catch up. Meanwhile, over on the rail, business had picked up to be steady once again, the only bet of note was £900 – £300 Onewaywest which at the off was the bogie for £1440 while Fasol also lost a round of drinks thanks to steady but modest money. The book held £1346 with everything else winning. Guard Duty did the business at 11/2 and copped £1200 which was one of the best potential winners in the book.

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1:55 Ftzdares Great Park Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 2) (5yo+) 2m (2m33y)

Matata opened 11/4 for another competitive looking heat. At this point I have a confession to make – please don’t tell the team freezing on the rails – but I nipped off. I’d been invited by the epitome of a gentleman that is Will Woodhams to partake in curry up at the sponsors Fitzdares’ club in the top of the old stand. The food was delicious and served in a room that Will told me was once the Queen Mum’s private viewing room. Very classy on both counts. Thank you Will, very kind and gratefully received.

I wolfed the curry down as quickly as was respectable and headed back down to the team, thankful I hadn’t missed much. Kieron, Steve and Lofty had taken less than a grand as the horses were going down. The biggest bet taken up until nearly the off had been £275 – £100 Matata, which was topped up very late with the biggest bet of the day so far of £1000 – £500, meaning he was a loser for £2010 as they set off.

It had been going well but the wheels fell off when Matata won unchallenged plunging the firm back into the red to the tune of £900 on the day.

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2:30 Weatherbys Racing Bank Handicap Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4yo+) 3m

Things got lively quickly in the next, bets laid were £2000 – £200 Push The Button and £4900 – £700 Jipcot. After he’d tapped in the last bet Lofty told me the wager then said ‘Don’t go into your fractions spiel’. I generally don’t like to upset Lofty but the fraction for 7/1 is 100/14, if the punter had called in £5000 – £700 he’d have got it and stood to win an extra £100 for his money, for free, if only he’d read my fractions blog. Come racing, it’s great value, especially the fractions. After the two larger bets business reverted to modest but steady, the favourite Gwennie May Boy had been well backed, 3/1 into 5/2 in the overall market but there were no bets of note with Star. At the off Jipcot was losing over £4000 and Push The Button £600. The race was a tremendous one but nerve-wracking too because both bogies were in contention at the business end of the race, it took a photo to verify that the firm got away with it, Titan Discovery had beaten Push The Button to cop a grand rather than lose £600, back in front, just.

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3:05 Fitzdares Fleur De Lys Chase (GBB Race) (Class 2) (5yo+) 2m6f (2m6f41y)

Next up, a bagman bet £2000 – £500 Ahoy Senor to give the team something to bet up to. Money for the favourite Djelo was forthcoming but hardly a deluge but a couple of £250 bets at 7/4 nudged that one into the red alongside Ahoy Senor and the rag Tommie Beau which attracted a couple of fivers at 100/1. As the tape was being drawn across the course prior to the start it dawned on me that today has never actually got light, just gloomy grey all day which can get a bit miserable. Talking of which, Lofty informed me that at the off, the book held £1843 with Ahoy Senor the bogie for £1547. Protektorat made all and ran them into the ground to eventually win unchallenged returning 10/3 and winning the good guys £1200 lifting the gloom, at least around the Star Sports pitch.

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3:40 Fitzdares Windsor Stayers Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 3) (5yo+ 0-125) 3m4½f (3m4f162y)

Next, the penultimate and it was all going fairly quietly until a punter had £1000 each-way From The Ashes at 7/1 which immediately made that one bogie and unlikely to relinquish that title. There had previously been steady cash for the favourite Fortunate Man making that one a loser too. At the off those two were the losers in the book with From The Ashes the absolute bogie. Three out the firm feared the worst as the absolute looked to be going very well but flattered to deceive allowing Christian Williams’ Planned Paradise to land a 25/1 result for the books with Fortunate Man back in second and From The Ashes just chinned for third. At least that’s how it looked, the photo revealed he’d held by a nose to land the place money for the grand each-way punter, the book still copped a grand even after that very expensive nostril.

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4:10 Fitzdares Berkshire Winter Million Open National Hunt Flat Race (Category 1 Elimination) (GBB Race) (Class 2) (4-6yo) 3m4½f (3m4f162y)

The penultimate was the last jumps race here until the 23rd of November, but there was still the concluding bumper to go to end Windsor’s jump season. There was still money about, a bagman bet a £2100 – £300 Gnomon early. Sustained money for Sinnatra made that was a loser but the public money had dried up a little, the old eighth race syndrome. As the horses set off, Lofty said we’d be winning on the day whatever happens, winning £2500 with Gnomon losing £1346 and Sinnatra £763. Understandably keen to get out of the cold, the well oiled machine that is the Star Sports team had most of the gear down before the horses had reached the far side of the course. The Aye Aye from Lofty looking into the computer screen mid packing when Idaho Sun quickened clear told the story – the booked copped £930 over the 7/2 winner boosting to cop on the day nicely concluding a fun, but nippy third day on the Berkshire turf.

We’re back for Sandown and Cheltenham Friday and Saturday next weekend. Thanks for reading.

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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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