SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: York Saturday

Here we are, Saturday already. I’ve missed being up with the team and I’m already looking forward to Fontwell on Friday night. Anyway, the proper jump racing can wait, we’ve got the last day of York’s Ebor meeting to go, where it’s going to be packed, writes SIMON NOTT.

The team remains unchanged, Hannah, Nick and Laughing Boy taking the bets. Hannah sent me her summing up for the week from her perspective telling me, ‘To conclude the week at York it’s fair to say the Yorkshire wind takes no prisoners.

“We had decent bets and the punters are always so nice and friendly – definitely a meeting that should be on the racegoer bucket list. I particularly enjoyed punters faces when Arabian Angel was announced as a NR and Nick told punters when they asked what happens to their bet ‘it goes towards our Christmas party!’ Lofty and I spent the four days repeating the phrase ‘laverly’ when things were great… I learnt the phrase is from a Philadelphia advert. A joy to meet the team at New Beginnings – Goldream the York equine ambassador was on track today to meet racegoers. A great initiative for those to meet and touch a former racehorse!”

“As for the betting ring atmosphere – from a perspective of someone who’s only been involved in the oncourse bookmaking malarkey on and off for the last three years, the jungle of the betting ring really is something special. Seeing the excitement from winners, anticipation, bartering of prices is a great watch and the camaraderie between punter and on course bookmaker is nothing short of understanding and positivity. It was nice to meet ladies who wanted to learn more about betting (how it works) and they were pleased to hear simplified explanations, two ladies were particularly pleased as they’d been told at Ripon to ‘just pick a number’ and all they wanted to do was learn! It really is anyone’s game and in order to grow the sport and appeal to a wider audience, education is key. Another good time on course.”

On-course a punter had already bet £2000 worth of bets on the football and done the lot thanks to Brighton taking the lead against Manchester United before the first. Off course, the betting shop estate had taken a £10,000 double which had also bitten the dust before the opener at York thanks to Evening Saigon being beaten at Newmarket, the second leg was on this meeting’s banker Audience for those who are interested. They’ve also taken a £3000 bet on Enfjaar in the first here. The office had also been busy and were fashionably vague again, they told me ‘We taken some decent stuff already. Decent support for Audience in 3.00 to be expected with several four figure bets. In Ebor the have seen four figure bets on Queenstown and Burdett Road to make them early losers in the big one.’

1:50 – Sky Bet Strensall Stakes (Group 3) 1m 1f

Back on course and betting on the opener, the betting was tepid, total business amounted to just £2352 including the places which included the biggest bet of the race £3750 – £500 Alyanaabi. The favourite See The Fire won and lost £1650 in the book, it was probably a good race for the jolly to win given the level of money bet on it, as we all know, a favourite winning can cost Star Sports on course five or even six figures to looking on for the silver lining, it could have been a lot worse.

The Hove HQ got away with it, they finished the race straight across. Meanwhile, one of the betting shops had laid a bet of £6000 at 11/8 Poker Face in the 2.40 over at Goodwood where it was hoofing it down.

2:25 – Sky Bet Melrose Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) 1m 6f

Next up and they bet 6/1 the field so huge bets weren’t expected but the trade did pop up with a bet of £3000 – £500 each-way Dramatic. The rest of the bets taken were public money, little fish are sweeter as a very wise man used to say. You’ve got more chance of beating the public than some of the trade and that £3845 in the book was mostly public money.

So it proved when 12/1 chance Tabletalk won the race, the book copped nicely, £2464 to be exact. Nick is nothing if not exact, he added that they’d also copped a fiver on the aways at Goodwood, the betting shop empire did a little better than that copping the £6000 I mentioned earlier when Poker Face had to settle for runner-up spot behind 5/1 winner Ice Max.

The office came on and told me ‘Winner in the book couple of £500 at 6/1 Reaching High main bets on race’

3:00 – Sky Bet City Of York Stakes (Group 2) 7f

Between races Matt Chapman managed to get an interview with former #BettingPeople interviewee and top man Patrick Veitch which was nice to see. Oli Bell was also down in the ring, the bookmakers were no doubt pleased to see Patrick in the paddock and not down amongst them which would have got them ruffled.

Sadly, there was little ruffling going on down in the ring at all. The books would have been hoping for lumps flying about over the hotpot Audience, but no, there was hardly a dinar for the jolly. The book held just £1604, at the off the favourite and just one other horse in the field was winning in the race. The old rule used to be get the short one in first, but if nobody wants to back them what do you do?

The only other winner in the book was Breege which won at 33/1. Nick always was a lucky clerk. The book had to give back all the money they’d taken on the withdrawn horse, and if you’ve nobody to pay the 20p rule 4 doesn’t help. The meagre £1078 winnings over a 33/1 ‘result’ was reduced to £650, still, it was a winning race.

The betting shops fared better, they laid a £5000 bet on Audience at the off, the Hove HQ were like Canines with two appendages, their message read ‘Nothing much needs to be said there, apart from Aye Aye’

3:35 – Sky Bet Ebor Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) 1m 6f

The next message was ominous, yes it was from Lofty and read ‘I’m on the computer now, which tells you all you need to know’. Oh dear, the negativity just permeates doesn’t it. I always thought a shop steward was supposed to be forthright and confident, come on Loft, lift the team.

Despite the foreboding of doom from behind the joint the team up front grafted and managed to take £3200 on the race before Magical Zoe the well-backed jolly absolutely bolted up in what was supposed to be a handicap. Lofty might have had a point, had the book not copped a grand with the places, Aye Aye Lofty, I had faith in you. Incidentally, Star Sports had 13/2 hawking the winner at the off but she returned 11/2, come racing.

The office didn’t come to any harm, their message read ‘Straight across, Queenstown early support just about covered the places also not bad so covered any losses on win side.’

4:10 – Sky Bet Constantine Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) 6f

Next up and before the team got stuck into the race before the penultimate they laid a bet of £8000 – £2000 Maglaahk over at Goodwood and were no doubt highly delighted to see that one beaten. That bet was quickly followed by a wager of £4000 – £2000 on Vadream over at Newmarket, they got that one beaten too despite having been backed into 7/4. I make that £5000 to the good since Lofty took over tapping.

They fielded a couple of decent bets, £5600 – £200 each-way Albasheer which was trade money and a bet off the floor £7000 – £1000 Dare To Hope. Those messages apart from a photo from Hannah showing how busy it was were last I heard from the big fella for some time. Even from 300 miles away I didn’t dare ask him to keep me updated too many times, like any good gambling story, patience was the key and the ideal tactic for a cowardly custard such as I.

One guess was that the shop steward had declared a work to rule on the firm, I doubt many other clerks had to type their business to anyone so why should he. On the other hand, it looked very busy, Hannah told me that Lofty had retired to the rear from the front lines after the third heat leaving Nick and her to fend off the assault of punters – Nick didn’t let me down all week. It was a mystery.

A frantic message came through from Lofty via Hannah, thousands of messages were stuck in cyberspace and would be unleashed as wi-fi allowed. Hang in there big man, hang in there.

Then as promised, the rest of the news arrived in one long slew. Back to the racing and specifically the 4.10. Elmojed winning at 7/2 and sent off favourite hadn’t been the favourite of the punters on course. After the numbers had been crunched and the places taken into account the intrepid trio copped £2500 on the race. Lofty swore he didn’t go for it, the Saturday punters just left him out.

4:45 – Julia Graves Roses Stakes (Listed Race) 5f

Despite Hannah’s photos of a team holding back a tidal wave of punters having it on, Lofty’s message about the penultimate was that the only decent bet they took on the race was £4000 – £200 Ardennes which finished nearer last than first. The punters once again left them out so they managed to trouser another £1000 on the race despite Tropical Storm winning by a neck at 5/2, he didn’t go for that one either, I’d take it if I was him, but Lofty isn’t one for blowing his own trumpet.

Then the team hit a reversal, they laid a bet of £5000 – £2000 Easy Fella to the away punter in the 4.50 at Killarney, that selection won, so £5000 was done back to level things up for that little tussle. Star Sports are always happy to take your away business large or small at the races, though ideally they’d like it if you don’t win.

5:20 – Sky Bet Finale Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) 1m 2½f

Going into the stalls of the finale and I was back in the dark. It must have been like Cheltenham in the old days there, maybe Lofty was having to scribble the bets down on the back on an envelope or something. All I could do was sit here and guess, it was like when the lunar module goes out of radio contact, just more nerve wracking, pray for Lofty.

To be fair, the team must have worked hard to take nearly £3000 in small money on the lucky last. This time the favourite Ron O was a loser for £2300. They got it beaten enjoying a 14/1 result with Sir Busker getting his head in front to win the getting out stakes. The book kept £1792 of what they’d taken on the race. Lofty added that there was little to report apart from the fact that they’d been taking on a typical Saturday crowd.

Well, they took them on and beat them, copping £6800 on the day adding to a very respectable winning meeting up at York. This was the only point of the week I was glad I wasn’t there, the long drive back to the Shire not something I’d relish after a hard week. Thanks to everyone for reading, commenting and sharing all week, of course thanks to the on-course team for enabling me to write these blogs sat on my backside at home. Safe journey home Hannah, Nick and Lofty.

As mentioned at the beginning of the blog, I’ll be back on the turn on Friday evening reporting from the Star Sports pitch at Fontwell. See you on the turf.

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

Simon Nott is author of: Skint Mob! Tales from the Betting Ring
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