SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: York Friday

Trying to get any juicy information from either the Star Sports Hove HQ or their betting shops was proving almost fruitless this morning, writes SIMON NOTT.

The HQ’s first message was ‘Our biggest bet so far today is at Kilbeggan’ with no further info even on the identity of said horse. The offices, the source of some hefty multiples so far this week had a similar slow start message.

Their spokesman told me ‘The biggest bet so far has been £200 each-way on Euchen Glen in the first race at 14/1’.

Luckily, our Hannah was much more informative, though not regarding bets, she told me: ‘Yesterday morning on course the topic of conversation was how terrible the car park was leaving but last night it was far better. I’ve been told it’s one of the best racecourses for organisation of getting people out. Nighttime antics were led by the Star Sports food connoisseur Lofty who booked the Indian which was much better than the Italian, which was amazing the night before but gave us portions that were enough to feed the whole betting ring. We actually went back to the house with a borderline food coma. This morning was extremely windy on course and apparently, it’s set in for the day.’

She added that she was off to capture Lofty’s smiley photos and said that he was very much enjoying his role as her photographer this week. I can’t wait to see those ‘smiling’ photos.

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1:50 – Sky Bet Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) 1m 4f

Nearer the off time of the opening race, there was news from the rails pitch, which once again was staffed by the well-fed team of Lofty, Hannah and Nick. They’d laid a £4000 – £1000 Wafei to a bagman, a monkey each-way at 9/2 Insanity to the trade, and a £500 each-way double over All Agleam in the 2.45 at Newmarket and The Strikin Viking in the 3.00 at York. The team, working in what Hannah described as cold conditions in the wind, fielded a total of £2610 in their book, grafting.

Luckily, it came up for them and rewarded their hard work in the elements when Shadow Dance won the race at 6/1 with Insanity out of the frame, the book won £1414 so a good start missing a middle-pin winner in a modest staking race peppered with usually shrewd money.

The office copped, once again they were fashionably vague in sending me this good news message, ‘That was a really good result for us in the first despite laying the winner early doors.’

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2:25 – Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup Stakes (Group 2) 2m½f

Next up and the rails team took a total of £4399 on the race. Now, that might sound OK but when we take a deeper look into the figures it’s not so clever. They’d laid £4500 – £1000 to a bagman, and £4500 – £1000 each-way to the trade, the same horse.

It sounds even less clever when I tell you that both bets were on Vauban, and that Vauban won. The book lost £9000 which of course was very nasty indeed for the intrepid trio working away in the wind.

I imagine that if I was up there and said to Lofty that as the winner returned 11/2 at least they had the value, he’d give me a slap, and quite right too, so I won’t mention value or the fact you can’t eat it.

Luckily, the office were a bit more chatty, maybe that’s the by-product of getting a few quid, they told me, ‘Vauban was a small winner, we laid few four figure bets on that but also saw support for Gregory & Point Lonsdale throughout the day’

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3:00 – Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes (Group 2) 6f

Next up and a steady betting heat with plenty of horses backed, apart from a bet of £3500- £1000 each-way on the unplaced The Strikin Viking, there were no lumps.

The team enjoyed a bookmaker-friendly result when Cool Hoof Luke won at 8/1 copping £2200 in the win book and a decent cop place wise too, though the winner had been backed each-way by smaller punters, all of whom no doubt have a Luke that they are fond of.

Meanwhile, they got the double taken before racing beaten too, so fortunes had at least turned the way of the firm again.

The office got in touch, they enjoyed a skinner – PAY PAY!

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3:35 – Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes (Group 1) 5f

Meanwhile, on ITV Oli Bell was down in the betting ring, that’s three days in a row ITV have had some coverage from the beating heart of any racecourse which is great to see.

Sadly, they didn’t interview Lofty, Hannah or Nick, but it was still excellent the bookies were getting exposure, it didn’t really matter which ones. The Star Sports trio were too busy taking bets anyway, those included £14,000 – £1000 Washington Heights and a monkey at 7/4 Asfoora.

They were saying on the TV that Bradsell had been very well backed, it might well have been but not with Star Sports, which was lucky because the 10/3 second-in won the race and the book copped over £3000. That was certainly more than their whack which clawed back some more from the race where they had the value but did their cobblers.

The office told me: ‘Everyone wanted to be on the Aussie horse, that was another solid result for us, the favourite would have been the worse result of the day so far had she won.’

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4:10 – Assured Data Protection EBF Fillies’ Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) 1m 2½f’

Lofty took over from Nick doing the two finger typing in of bets so was liaising with me for the first time today. It wasn’t initially great news, the only bet of note in the race was £2500 – £500 each-way Power Of Destiny which accounted for a chunk of the £3200 odd that the team took on the race. Luckily, despite the easy-on-the-ear name if you were just pin sticking, not many punters backed the 25/1 winner Canoodled which got the thick end of a couple of grand in the book.

Lofty was chuffed and commented that they’d just hit the front and added that wasn’t bad going after doing £9000 in one race. I tend to agree, very well done the Star Sports’ rails team. Lofty went on to say that it was the first time that they’d won on the first race he’d taken over on and added that it was hard to lose when a 25/1 chance won. Noted Lofty.

The office came back on fairly quickly with good news and bad news, the good news was that they’d got the skinner double up, the bad news was that they hadn’t fielded any bets of note, or in all honestly many bets at all on the race, but at least they won.

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4:45 – British Stallion Studs EBF Convivial Maiden Stakes (GBB Race) (IRE Incentive Race) (Class 2) 7f

The penultimate was what Lofty described as a ‘Meh’ race, for anyone not down with the kids, that I’m told means rather uninteresting. To be fair, he had a point, the team despite their charisma and charm failed to field £3000 on the heat, then the 2/1 favourite Angelo Buonarrorti won. With a name like that a jolly not only plays havoc with your spell checker but also knocks your book about a bit too.

Ahh, well you’d think so wouldn’t you, but let’s not forget that the main man Lofty had been tickling the keypad, but you’d still be right, a late bet of £2700 – £1200 put the firm £800 behind again, otherwise known as tonight’s dinner and a hearty round of drinks.

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5:20 – Sky Bet Mile Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) 1m

Sadly, the business in the last race was very poor, the rails pitch only held £1479 and after Treasure Time won at 13/2, they had added a monkey and some shrapnel to the £800 they were already losing, ending up the day doing £1356.71. Still, as Lofty said, not bad after doing £9000 in one race on what has to be said was a disappointingly small staking day. I wonder where the big fella is taking the team tonight, so many great eateries in York to choose from…

The office? Good question, what ever happened to them? Let’s hope they were too busy counting it to message me.

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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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