RETURN OF THE JUMPS!

AUTHOR: Star Sports Content

SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: Windsor Sunday

The return of jump racing at Windsor has been eagerly anticipated by horseracing aficionados for months now, finally the day’s arrived, writes SIMON NOTT.

The racecourse had really made an effort to make the day a special one with plenty of festive cheer laid on for the 5000-plus people expected to attend. One of the first people I saw was gentleman of the turf Michael Fletcher who shouted me a burger, sorry Lofty you missed out this time, and the always affable Luke Harvey rushing around filming but also having time to reminisce about his riding days here. There was certainly a buzz about the place, the car parks were filling up a good two hours before the first.

Star Sports were betting number six on the rail, a rail that was hosting a full complement of bookmakers. The team today were Kieran, Lofty and Kaan complimented by Ben who hopped onto the stool with 10 minutes to bet on the first. I was chatting to a couple of bagmen before Ben’s arrival but they didn’t appear to be confident of doing much business, the rails certainly weren’t. On the plus side, Star Sports had 140 odd mince pies to give away so hopefully their pitch would be popular.

12:12 – Fitzdares Welcomes Jumping Back At Royal Windsor EBF ‘National Hunt’ Novices’ Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 4) (4YO to 6YO) 2m 4f

The crowd was certainly here and they did start to bet late on, but it wasn’t the Cheltenham Gold Cup day crush some appeared to have expected. To be fair the first heat wasn’t that inspiring with four runners and odds-on favourite in Excello so some racegoers may have decided to explore rather than bet. Star Sports did lay £1000 the jolly at 8/15 in a book that held £1802. As the field set off, it was lovely to hear John Hunt’s voice calling the first jumps race here in two decades. There was a sort of turn up in it too, the favourite was turned over by the 15/8 second-in Ma Shantou. The book copped £580 after having to pay out over an accountant’s bet on the winner £400 – £200 each-way. Pub quizzers, put it in your memory banks, the first winner of the new jumps era at Windsor was trained by Emma Lavelle and ridden by Harry Cobden.

12:45 – Fitzdares Royal Windsor Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase (GBB Race) (Class 3) (5YO plus) 2m

Next up and a five-runner race where they bet 10/11 ‘tips-on’ Helnwein. One punter was fast out of the traps to have a grand on at the price. That was it though and the firm were probably lucky to lay it as he was very hard to get thereafter. Very lucky, especially lucky as the market was correct, the jolly finished third behind 9/2 chance Vincenzo. The book copped £1600 which was pretty much what they took bar a couple or three small bets. It was a good cop on another rather disappointing race business-wise.

1:20 – Fitzdares Royal Windsor Racecourse Maiden Hurdle (GBB Race) (Class 4) (3YO plus) 2m

I had to give Ben a stern talking to between races, he was stood on the pitch with a sad face rueing that the big punters hadn’t turned up shovelling it on. Bookmakers! There was still hope that might happen, but when the big backers do open their shoulders the subject of their bets often run better than the first two odds-on jollies had this afternoon. The third race featured another odds-on chance at the head of the market, Le Pinsonniere which opened at 8/11. There were 10 other runners so the hope was the punters would get more involved in this heat. I spotted former #BettingPeople interviewee Simon Prout prowling the ring.

Quite rightly he didn’t let me know his fancy but he wasn’t hard to spot, he’s one of racing’s great characters. Then things came alive, a punter bet £30,000 – £4200 7/1 with the fractions so 100/14 French Emperor, Ben instantly cheered up. Just as I was typing this a nice chap named Gavin came up to say he likes the blogs, thanks Gavin. I told him about the big bet, I’m not sure if he’d like the blog better if it won or lost, but I know the answer for most readers! As they got ready to set off the field money was £5200 so a fairly lopsided book, the one bogie bad for £30,090 the rest good winners! The anticipation was extended for a few extra minutes as the first attempt at starting the race was a false one. The race was a dramatic one with a horse running through the wings at the second last which left the gamble still in contention but looking unlikely to win. The race went to 4/1 second-in Starcrossed Lover thwarting the third odds on favourite in a row back in second. The day’s sponsors Fitzdares were certainly getting some great result value for their money.

1:55 – Fitzdares Thames Handicap Chase (Class 3) (4YO plus) 3m

The next race on the card featured another horse that opened a shade of odds on Tanganyika at 10/11. There were no lumpy takers for the jolly but the team did manage to field £1700 in what Lofty described as a ‘good book’ and ‘A race that never really got going’ by Kaan. Anyone that likes to bet odds-on would be questioning that policy after the fourth consecutive odds-on shot was beaten, this time a fair way out. The race went to 6/1 chance Ballycamus which copped £752 in the book adding to what was shaping up to be a good day.

2:30 – Fitzdares Windsor Castle Mares’ Handicap Hurdle (Class 4) (3YO plus) 2m

The race before the penultimate was the first where all the horses started odds against. The jolly was Bellbird which opened up at 11/8. A punter came into the joint and wanted £4000 on one, not the favourite, in fact nothing in this race at all but Individualiste at 10/11 over at Navan. It won, only just but win it did, bugger, but well done to the punter with baubles of steel. As the horses lined up Asian Spice the second-in was the only one that had attracted a bet of any note, £900 – £300 struck in a book that struggled to hold a grand. The bogie looked the first one beaten according to Lofty, that is before it found a second wind and outbattled the favourite in a photo. The book blew £2000, at it had been going so well. Ben had already left, maybe he’d taken the firm’s luck with him.

3:05 – Fitzdares Telephone Betting Handicap Chase (Class 4) (4YO plus) 2m 4f

I went for a stroll between races, had a quick chat with Bobby, Fitzdares’ charming PR man who appeared to be very pleased how their day was going and looked around the Christmas stalls and tents. There must have been a thousand people enjoying their day out there who would be unlikely to see a race live, but at least they were here. If anyone wants to employ me to do guided tours of the betting ring for the uninitiated or those just too embarrassed to ask, give me a shout! Meanwhile, out in that betting ring they bet 11/8 Hasthing. Lofty, Kaan and Kieran laid £1950 – £300 Duhallow Tommy. The rest of the money in the hod was just made up of modest bets which at the off amounted to just shy of £1600 with Duhallow Tommy a loser for £1650 Meanwhile another couple of punters stuck at Navan when Verdant Place obliged, luckily their cop of £270 wasn’t quite as painful but wanted to be in the blog! Favourite backers finally got some back, Kaan and the team joined them in cheering the 11/8 jolly Hasthing home as he battled off the bogie despite running all over the place. The book lost £200 ‘Which felt like winning’ according to Lofty. Going into the last including the away bets the team were £1000 in front before exes.

3:40 – Fitzdares Windsor Christmas Handicap Hurdle (Class 4) (3YO plus) 2m 4f

First up in the lucky last Dananana ‘Bagman’ action £1200 – £300 Old Time Chaser to get the ball rolling. The next decent bet £3000 – £2000 was for Kalypso’chance over at Navan. There was a £2500 – £100 each-way Calshot Spit just as the bet at Navan won like a good thing. Star Sports are keen to lay away bets but today they bit them on the backside. Betting was slow for a while and a bit demoralising for the team knowing they’d be unlikely to even take enough on the last to win on the day. You never know what’s going to come in though, the bet of £2750 – £500 each way Fourtowns was unexpected but welcome as the hope of getting out on the day was now alive again, of course, the flip side of the coin was sinking deeper into the red, the last roll of today’s dice. Those last roll stakes rose when the team laid £2500 Loverdose as the horses lined up with £3700 in the hod in what unexpectedly turned out to be the best betting race of the day. All that was needed was a result. It was not to be, Loverdose, the jolly won the race losing £1800 in the win book. The places helped but sealed a losing day fate for the team. And it had been going so well. We’re back at Ascot on Friday.

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

Simon Nott is author of: Skint Mob! Tales from the Betting Ring
available on Kindle CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

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