SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: York Thursday

Last night was a bit of a shock to the system…

Buoyed with the success of the day, us three likely lads ( Nick was a non runner ) stepped out of our digs with a good feed on our minds, cheerfully wearing our summer clobber. Imagine our chagrin, it was piddling down. We dashed to the cover of a tree, but it didn’t help much, especially poor old Lofty whose head was poking above the foliage.

There was nothing for it, we made the decision to dash to the nearest pub, it had closed down. It was going well. Then things got better, the next port of call was a restaurant that was open, and after a 10-minute wait had a table for us. Food scoffed and a couple of pints done, we were back at the digs and in bed by News At 10 – no party animals here!

1:50 – Lindum York Handicap (Class 2) (4YO plus) 5f

During betting for the first, admittedly a 4/1 the field race, it appeared there were no punters here either. During the lull, professional punter and former #BettingPeople interviewee Adam Norman came up for a chat, he’s a paddock judge and has been doing well so far this season. It was nice to see him as always. Until a bet of £700 – £200 the shortening jolly, Designer, bets had been very small, and a bottle would rarely make the blog either.

At least it nudged the field money to £1300 all in denominations that kept the unchanged team of Nick, Steve and Lofty busy. At the off, there were three losers, the favourite, Illusionist and Copper Knight. The 5/1 winner Regional had been 15/2, but the biggest bet on it had been £30. The book won £750 over a second-in which was a great start. Today did feel busier people wise so hopefully business was going to step up a notch after the often slow first heat. It’s worth pointing out that the winner was at least 11/2 on course.

2:25 – Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Middleton Fillies’ Stakes (Fillies’ And Mares’ Group 2) (Class 1) (4YO plus) 1m 2½f

Next up and Free Wind opened the 11/10 favourite. Star’s book on the race started yesterday. One of the bigger punters had asked for £400 at 11/8 and was gladly accommodated, if it win he’d be back, wouldn’t he? Given the business today so far, it wasn’t certain that bet would be topped, it certainly wouldn’t at the price. That thought was soon dispelled when a punter came in for £3500 the jolly at 11/10 then returned for £2200 – £400 Aristia as a saver. Another punter came in for £440 – £400 just as Mike Cattermole was telling everyone it was even money.

It was 11/10 everywhere on course, come racing. As they loaded the jolly drifted to 5/4, those that hadn’t laid it were screaming the price. So much so that Lofty said they’d need Strepsils ( other throat sweets are available ). Once the race was underway those that hadn’t managed to lay the jolly were probably screaming it home even louder.

Dettori was hard at work on the jolly when 20/1 chance Rogue Millennium came to challenge but kept finding more. The book lost £4800, the team were just starting to pay out when the Steward’s Enquiry bing-bong went. The winner returned 6/5, the off course bookies should beware, they hung Dick Turpin here. There appeared to be very little need for an enquiry from what we could see in the big screen. It took longer than it should but as expected the result stood.

That was a reversal, not just for Star but Henry on the Mick Walsh joint too, he had so many winning punters to pay out that he press ganged fellow betting ring reporter Lynn Garritty to help him dish out their winnings.

3:00 – Sky Bet Hambleton Handicap (Class 2) (4YO plus) 1m

Almost the first bet in the next was £2000 – £100 each-way Astro King and soon after that a bet of £2400 – £120 Blue For You. Those were a nice couple of bets to lay but in a race like this where they bet 7/2 the field there was no guarantee that they’d bet up to it. Down at the start, as they were being loaded the favourite Assessment got rid of Ryan Moore and shot off at full pace, it was hardly a surprise that he was withdrawn before he did a full circuit.

The Rule 4 was 20p which would have to be explained to any winning punters. The race went to a photo which went to 7/1 chance Croupier which won about £200, ‘a non event’ was Lofty’s summing up.

One lovely feature of York is that they play a topical tune as they lead in each winner. Assuming they chose them before the race I wonder whose job that is, in this case, it was Kenny Rogers ‘The Gambler.’

3:35 – Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante Stakes (Group 2) (Class 1) (3YO only) 1m 2½f

Word got to me that it could have been a lot worse, a punter bet £17,000 – £2000 the winner with Macbet, better then than Star. Next up and another competitive race with decent but fairly modest business. The biggest bet laid by Star as they were going down was £4000 – £720 Canberra Legend, that’s 11/2 with the fractions. The one the public wanted to be on was Passenger backed from 8/1 in 11/2 making it the bogie along with Canberra Legend for a couple of grand apiece while Epictetus and White Birch lost £600 and £400 respectively with £3000 taken.

I bumped into another #BettingPeople interviewee Simon Holden who had offered to lend me a tie. He’s a nice chap as well as a good judge. Back to this race, any regular readers will know that if the clerk fancies one, they have to power to have a lean. Lofty had a lean, for The Foxes, it won under Oisín Murphy, the book copped £2000, our hero Lofty had backed it too and was looking as proud as a dog with two John Thomas’. If Lofty with two appendages wasn’t bad enough he then went in to say that he’d been tipped the winner by a reliable but anonymous source. He didn’t tell any of us, cheers Lofty!

4:10 – British EBF 40th Anniversary Westow Stakes (Listed) (Class 1) (3YO only) 5f

The race before the penultimate was a very slow betting heat. I did see Adam Norman come charging into the ring though, something must have looked good in the paddock but it would have been rude to ask.

Great State won the race at 13/2, a double for Oisin Murphy. They didn’t back it with Star, their book kept pretty much what it took and won £750.

4:45 – Frank Whittle Partnership ebfstallions.com Maiden Stakes (GBB Race) (Class 2) (2YO only) 6f

The penultimate itself was another race that didn’t really come alive.

Steve and Co did lay £2000 – £200 each-way Master Franca. The favourite was Cuban Thunder, you could have what you liked on course at 6/4 while those betting the industry prices had to take 5/4. Where do they get them from? There appeared to be a few horses fancied as they were nibbled in the market, but I mean nibbled.

The jolly shortened on the machine as they were loaded but was still a winner in the book for £850 at the off. It won, Aye Aye.

Not so cheerful was the firm we’re doing £350 going into the last. A good betting heat and a bookie-friendly result was all that was required to make it two winning days from two.

5:20 – Collective Green Energy Handicap (Class 3) (3YO only) 1m 4f

At first glance, it looked as if Lofty was trying to ‘box them up’ for the 7/2 the field lucky last. But no, he assured me the book looked that tidy only because the money had dried up. It did appear that the punters had started to dwindle away prematurely.

A punter that had been betting with the firm all day had £250 each-way at 6/1 Baltic Voyage which at least ensured there was a few quid in the book. The guys tapped away so resiliently that by the off the held a grand with Chesspiece the jolly losing £756, Baltic Voyage a grand, then right in the hole a punter had a monkey on the favourite at 11/4 which made it a loser for £2100 with Baltic Voyage and Latin Verse doing £500 each.

Any horse bar those three and it’s a winning day. Chesspiece shattered any winning daydreams by bolting up at 3/1. This time the SP beat Star’s last price laid. The punters got some back, but with the big day to come and the firm still well in front over the two days, it’s all to play for.