SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: York Thursday

The team remained unchanged on-course, Hannah, Steve and Lofty with super-sub-Eddie waiting in the wings in case they were under the cosh.

The firm enjoyed a day of bookie-friendly results yesterday and copped accordingly.

Needless to say they ate well last night, I was told I’d missed a good meal and that the ice cream was gorgeous, but a bit too cold! Yes, I know, 2023 staff welfare problems right there.

Of course, I’d have skipped the ice cream anyway, not in case it was too cold, but do you know how many calories lurk in those suckers!

1:50 – Sky Bet Lowther Stakes (Fillies’ Group 2) (Class 1) (2YO only) 6f

Betting on the opening race was busier than yesterday and a steady betting heat. Cherry Blossom was popular in the early skirmishes, Lofty told me that they’d taken plenty of small money at 4/1.

The biggest bet didn’t for the horse didn’t come in until the best prices were gone, £700 at 7/2 was struck. At the off the book held £2700, with just the one loser. The punters’ choice ran well but was ultimately no match for the 2/1 favourite Relief Rally who came with a late run under Tom Marquand to win going away.

If you are a favourite backer, well done you copped, backing all the favourites is of course the financial slow death but as I’m paid by Star Sports, I wouldn’t put you off the strategy.

Meanwhile, the rails team copped a carpet, that’s £300 on the race. Nice work guys, did Lofty have a lean for the winner?

Over at the Star Sports Hove HQ they told me, ‘It was a quieter start to day two for us but a good start for the punters too’. There was a £1000 bet laid over the winner in one the betting shops, though the punter took slightly under the odds 15/8. Every cloud, every cloud.

---

2:25 – Goffs UK Harry Beeby Premier Yearling Stakes (GBB Race) (Class 2) (2YO only) 6f

The next race didn’t see any big money on course, Lofty’s message was that there was nothing of note, just plenty of darts in a big field with lots of rags losing in the book, many of them backed each-way. The total field money was £2000 which would have been a lot of hard work to take. The race itself was all about one horse, Dragon Leader under Ryan Moore who had it sewn up from a long way out. The combination beat Ziggy’s Condor, both returned 7/2. A bookie’s nightmare. Well, you’d think so wouldn’t you.

Lofty was cock-a-hoop after the race, telling me ‘Good these sales races, the favourites always win’. That dear reader translates to, no not ‘Sales races by the bollocks’ but, ‘I went for the winner in the book’ and indeed he had, the firmed copped a monkey over the joint jolly. Aye Aye, well played Lofty. It looked like the firm had been lucky, not just having Lofty having another lean, but a bag man was spotted drawing heavily from several books over the winner. He must have left Star Sports out. So far so good.

It wasn’t just Steve, Lofty and Hannah that copped on the race, the Hove office told me, ‘It was a small winning race for the company, with Ryan Moore riding a winning favourite too. It feels like we dodged one.’

There was an interesting little tale from the last race, a punter came to the joint before the first and asked for £300 each-way Angel Of England at 28/1. He was accommodated, he’d got the bet but then decided he didn’t want it when he was told he was only on standard place terms. A couple of hours later a punter walked into one the betting shops and had £200 each-way at 14/1.

Edward Bethall’s charge ultimately finished 11th at 12/1 but it appeared was fancied to run a lot better.

---

3:00 – Clipper Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) (3YO plus) 1m

Ropey Guest sprang a 40/1 surprise in the next under Tom Queally for George Margarson. Given all the ‘going for’ that had been going on in the previous races today I was a little concerned that Steve, Hannah and Lofty might have run into the winner. Especially as there had been radio silence from the team. But no, they had been waiting for me.

The good news was that they had won £2000 in what Lofty described as a ‘quiet book’. Ropey Guest was a good old fashioned ‘skinner’ in the win book and despite size of bets more modest they were taking more of them, the punters were finding the bookmakers, always great to hear.

Over in the Hove office, they were happy too, they told me: “We enjoyed a great spread of business, we laid a few big prices including £25,000 – £1000 Eilean Dubh and £32,000 – £2000 Spirit Catcher but not much on the winner so a very good result”

The betting shops had laid a few decent bets too, £3750 – £150 each-way Escobar, £3300 – £300 each-way Orbaan and £1400 – £200 each-way Akhu Najla, all out of the frame.

---

3:35 – Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks (Fillies’ And Mares’ Group 1) (British Champions Series) (Class 1) (3YO plus) 1m 4f

Next up and the feature race where it became very busy down in the ring. Bets on the Star Sports pitch included £3500 – £1000 Savethelastdance, £20,000 – £5000 and £3500 – £700 Bluestocking, £3200 – £200 each-way Rosscarbery, and the last bet in the book £3000 – £300 Warm Heart. ‘A bit lively that’ was Lofty’s summing up.

The race lived up to the betting, a thrilling finish saw 9/1 winner Warm Heart hold off 5/1 chance Free Wind by a head under James Doyle for Aidan O’Brien. The book copped £5500 from field money of £9500. That last bet in the book a carpet at 10/1 was a shame, but they’d still take it. I make that four winning races from four.

The office were happy too, telling me: “That was a lively betting heat, where Al Husn was all the rage, including bets of £25,000 -£5000 and £12,000 – £2000 but Warm Heart was a great result”

The betting shops had also been busy, bets taken included £2000 – £500 Al Husn, £4250 – £500 Savethelastdance and £8400 – £600 each-way Stay Alert.

---

4:10 – British EBF & Sir Henry Cecil Galtres Stakes (Fillies’ And Mares’ Listed) (Class 1) (3YO plus) 1m 4f

One of the benefits of covering York from home, and there aren’t many, is that you get to see every race. Also you get the chance to enjoy the ITV coverage, whilst I think there should be more betting, the Henry Cecil tribute on the build up to the race before the penultimate was excellent. Up at York where Steve, Hannah and probably Lofty were working their socks off, but they only took £2000 on the race, disappointing compared to the feature. The one bet they laid worth mentioning was £1650 – £600 Sea Theme.

Sea Theme won under Tom Marquand for William Haggas, a double on the day for Tom. The book lost £1600 from field money of £2200. Lofty was stoic about the reversal reminding me that it had been their first losing race of the meeting.

It had gone a bit wrong for the Office too, their message was: “That was a poor result for us, with the well supported favourite Sea Theme getting up late landing bets of £9000 – £4000 and and £10,000 – £4000.”

---

4:45 – Or8Wellness EBF Stallions Nursery (Class 2) (2YO only) 7f

It’s a weird thing in the world of gambling, when it turns, it turns, ‘It’ being your luck. It doesn’t matter if you are a punter or a bookmaker. In this case it was the bookmaker, Star Sports to be exact. A punter wielding a debit card, bet £16,000 – £2000 each-way Gushing Gold with Steve, Hannah and Lofty on the rail.

That was by far the biggest bet on a race where the hod, virtual and otherwise held £6500. Gushing Gold won the race under a determined William Buick, SP 7/1. The book lost £18,000, which made it a £12,000 losing day going into the last, and it had been going so well. ‘Lofty’s message before I got the sums, ‘Ouch, we obviously didn’t win on that race’.

The office fared better, their swing the rails roundabout, telling me: “We enjoyed decent betting despite not being on ITV, and managed to dodge the well- backed winner. We’d laid Aragorn and Expert Choice, four figures on each.” Over in the betting shop estate, one of them laid a bet of £9000 – £500 each-way Gamraan which finished down the field at 14/1.

Over in the betting shop estate, one of them laid a bet of £9000 – £500 each-way Gamraan which finished down the field at 14/1.

---

5:20 – British EBF 40th Anniversary Fillies’ Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) (3YO plus) 7f

The punter that won big on the penultimate hinted that he might be having a spin up in the lucky last. Sadly, well that depends on what he intended backing, he didn’t return. Betting on the finale was described by Lofty as quiet, Star Sports took £1600 in total. Luckily, despite being just 5/1 the runaway winner Nigiri which bolted up under Hector Crouch wasn’t a popular choice with the punters. The rails team held on to half of it copping £800 on the race.

The final total for the day was a loss of £11,000. Still, they’re nicely up on the two days. One of Lofty’s last messages ended ‘Now big play’ I’m not sure what it means, I’m not down with the young ‘uns and their jive talk but I’m guessing it’s not good news for tonight’s staff welfare budget!

The punters had come out of the woodwork for the office, their final message was: “Good betting heat there, we laid £30,000 to £4000 Starlight, £10,500 to £3000 Unequal Love and unfortunately £18000 to £4000 Nigiri which resulted in a small losing race, but it’s still been a winning day at York…just”

Good luck to Lofty and all the people have a ‘big play’ up at York tonight. I’m back tomorrow with more of the same, hangover free!

SIMON NOTT

---

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

---

STAR PROMOTIONS