SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: York Friday

Despite losing yesterday, we did go out for a curry last night. My garlic chilli chicken was radioactive hot, but I struggled through.

The entertainment of the night was listening to the table of eight ladies adjacent to us dissecting the bill, even down to what price the Diet Coke was and how many poppadoms they’d each eaten. It was painful to listen to I tell you, painful, but funny at the same time.

We also met some dyed-in-the-wool racing guys, one of whom has a runner today, they were great fun. The worry was though, they said they don’t bet with racecourse bookies anymore because the Tote guarantees to match the SP. I was horrified, punters, listen up, yes they do match the SP on the win book but it’s not the bookmaker’s SP it’s industry, the best value is still in the betting ring.

1:50 – Clipper EBF Marygate Fillies’ Stakes (Listed) (Class 1) (2YO only) 5f

As if conspiring to highlight the point, the very first race was a prime example of what the difference is. As the horses were going down, the favourite Persian Dreamer was a 6/4 chance on the big screen industry show and 15/8 in the ring, yes 15/8! Sad but true. Also sad but true was that the biggest bet tendered by the unchanged team of Steve, Nick and Lofty was a carpet at 15/8 the jolly.

There was plenty of business but it was mostly modest. The one the public wanted to be on was Rod Millman’s Beenham 8/1 into 5/1. To illustrate how much busier things were, at the off, despite hardly taking a lump the book held just over £2000 with Persian Dreamer losing £400. The 5/2 second-in Got To Love A Grey won the race ( 11/4 on the board at the off ) and lost a score in the win side, but the places were bad making the total for the race a bottle bad in the book. Still not too bad from a tidy book.

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2:25 – Oaks Farm Stables Fillies’ Stakes (Listed) (Registered As The Michael Seely Memorial Fillies’ Stakes) (Class 1) (3YO only) 1m

I’d been tipped and backed Queen For You for this race on Tuesday. I did well to get on at 9/4 as she was soon 13/8. It was a bit surprising and perturbing at the same time that she opened at 4/1 today. Silver Lady and Stormy Sea were neck and neck for favouritism at 9/4 and 5/2 respectively.

Between races, a bag man very politely asked to bet the Oddschecker price a horse at Leopardstown tonight, Lofty asked how much and was told ‘as much as you’ll lay me’ he was even more politely declined. The betting on the actual race was very similar to the first, with lots of modest bets in a book that held £2500.

The race was a cracker but it didn’t go my way or the firm’s. Queen For You proved that the market knew nothing by quickening to lead inside the final furlong but got chinned a short-head on the line by 14/1 chance Sounds Of Heaven. The book lost a monkey, Lofty was gutted but what can you do, it’s just the way it came in.

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3:00 – Knights Solicitors Handicap (Class 2) (4YO plus) 1m 2½f

OK, I promise this isn’t to become a tale of woe, but as the horses passed the post the heavens opened sending punters scampering for cover. This was a race where they bet 9/2 the field with Nobel heading the market. A well-known face did liven things up a bit by betting a £5000 – £350, that’s 14/1 with the fractions Lightening Company.

The rain had stopped by then so it wasn’t all doom and gloom but it had slowed betting down a bit. At the off the book held £1850 of public money. We were treated to another cracking finish, 12/1 chance in the book, 10/1 SP Marhaba The Champ won the race and copped £1300 back for the firm. ‘Just back in front’ beamed Lofty.

‘Ebor Man’ Mike who we met in the blog on Tuesday came to the joint to unwittingly give me the rub-down, he’d backed Sounds Of Heaven with Star Sports. He was also here to introduce his ‘apprentice’, whose real name he neglected to mention, who’d also backed the same horse. Well done Mike, your man is learning from a master!

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3:35 – Boodles Yorkshire Cup Stakes (Group 2) (British Champions Series) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 1m 6f

Just six went to post for the fourth. When I peered into the computer with 10 minutes to go, Lofty informed me that they’d just backed the jolly Siskany and the rag, Get Shirty with the exception of anything else and to only small stakes. At the off the book held just shy of £2000 with Get Shirty losing £600 and Siskany £1200.

14/1 chance Giavellotto winning the race was the best possible result for the book. The was a bit of scrummaging close home so no real surprise that the bing-bong of a stewards enquiry sounded shortly after the race was won. As the two least-backed horses in the race were first and second there wasn’t going to be such an effect on the next race betting there could have been so the team got to work.

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4:10 – Darley Novice Stakes (GBB Race) (Class 2) (3YO plus) 1m

There were just six again in the race before the penultimate, once again, and it seemed today was destined to be very brisk but very small business. Steve and Nick did manage to lay a monkey off the floor the 13/8 market leader Kathab, which is handy when you are trying to make a blog about betting interesting when there are few biggish bets.

That was the only notable bet though, even so, the jolly was losing £1200 in a book that held £2600. That’s fair business considering the size of the bets. The race wasn’t really a race, 3/1 second-in Mostabshir just bolted up, never in any danger and the book copped £800.

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4:45 – Yorkshire Equine Practice Handicap (Class 4) (3YO plus) 7f

Somebody had it spark bang off when Eligible won the penultimate. Star Sports laid a score at 25/1, he returned 10/1. Wallop.

I don’t know how many on course bookmakers were clobbered but luckily they left Star Sports out. The book once again fielded £2000, it had four losers for just under a monkey a piece and copped a grand on the race. It’s nice to see an old fashioned gamble landed, especially when they leave you out! Aye Aye the Easterby team and connections.

Just as the team were getting ready to bet on the last a chap came in with £260 for an odds-on shot at Downpatrick.

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5:15 – Irish Champions Festival Handicap (Class 3) (3YO only) 5f

The Downpatrick horse won, but the team were too busy getting stuck into the lucky last to worry too much. It was a perfect race for the punters to try and ( responsibly ) get out on the day betting 9/2 the field.

Star Sports were going into the race £3500 up on the day and around £11,000 the week. ‘Bar an absolute meltdown we’re going home winning today’ Lofty pronounced rather confidently. There was enough money flying about to make a dent in the wad though. A bookmaker hedged £2500 – £100 each-way Northcliff while the jolly Spartan Arrow was understandably popular with the punters. The race was off a bit late but with 300 miles to push back to Devon tonight it wasn’t going to set me back that much. It was a fast five furlongs, blink and you miss it. 28/1 chance Kuwait City won the race, the book held £2000 and kept £1500 topping off a good winning and very enjoyable trip to York. We’re back here in August for the Ebor.

A final word has to go to our neighbours for the week Taylors Racing. Lofty has awarded them the much-missed Mike Burton Memorial Award for always being first off the track. Great work lads. As for us, Lofty and I will be at Towcester for the first day of the Greyhound Derby heats on Thursday night. Thanks for reading.

SIMON NOTT

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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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