SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: York Thursday

Anyone who read yesterday’s blog will be no doubt pleased to read that the £1000 bet at Kempton last night was beaten, so the final tally for Wednesday for the on-course team was blowing £657.58, writes SIMON NOTT.

I asked the team if there were any wild night stories, Hannah told me she was so tired after yesterday’s grafting she had an early night.

Lofty on the other hand was silent, though Nick did point out that the gaff provided for the staying over part of the team boasted a jacuzzi. My mind wasn’t really prepared for the image that conjured up.

1:50 – Sky Bet Lowther Stakes (Group 2) 6f

Meanwhile, across the firm, the betting shops had once again taken a Trixie, this time for £1000 stakes over Heaven’s Gate at 2/1 in the opener, Arizona Blaze at 11/8 in the 2.25 and Delicacy at 7/4 in the 2.35 at Lingfield. They’d also taken a bet of £6000 on Delicacy, though that punter was later to the party but still happy to take 11/8. They also reported a bet of £12,000 – £6000 Heaven’s Gate in the first at York.

Early business in the Hove HQ was thin on the ground, they reported £3500 – £2000 Heaven’s Gate plus later on the card £1750 – £1000 Arizona Blaze and £5000 – £5000 – £1500 Content.

On course the team of Hannah, Nick and Martin ‘Your name’s not down you’re not coming in’ Chapman, aka Lofty were kept busy. They laid bets of £2000 – £1000 Heaven’s Gate, £2000 – £160 Time For Sandals (that’s 12/1 with the fractions) and £1600 – £500 Leovanni.

There was decent public money too, at the off the book held over £4200 which wasn’t bad for an opening race. Even better was that the 13/2 winner Celandine was a winner for £1213 starting the day off very nicely.

The office got in touch, but weren’t overly colourful in choice of language, but it was good news telling me: ‘Great start in the office’.

2:25 – Harry’s Half Million By Goffs Premier Yearling Stakes (GBB/IRE Incentive Race) (Class 2) 6f

Next up and Arizona was popular with the punters on the rail including a bet of £6000 at 7/4 though wasn’t the only one backed. Lofty, Nick and Hannah laid bets of £33,000 – £1000 each-way and £6600 – £200 each-way Bueno Nacho. If they’d clubbed together they could have had the fractions, anyway those bets plus £5000 – £500 Territorial Knight. At the off the book held £11,434 with Arizona losing £8661 and Bueno Nacho £32,088, the rest decent winners.

Arizona’s backers must have been counting their money during the race, though in-running backers were busy doing theirs with I’m told business done at 1/50 over the going well jolly.

Of course, where there’s a winner there’s a loser but Betfair always get their cut. I’ve no idea what price 22/1 winner Diligently went in running but by getting up to win by a head he turned the day around for the firm, the rails book won £11,027. The betting shops got the money too when Arizona was beaten plus the cherry on top when Delicacy was toppled by Brazilian Rose over at leafy Lingers.

The office got in touch and were more chatty, they told me: ‘It was nice to get that one chinned on the line, there were no bets of note but in plenty of multi’s etc’

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

The punters were keen to get stuck into the third heat on the card with the rails team. Bets included £9000 – £3000 and £3500 – £1000 Elnajmm, £6600 – £200 Stone Soldier and £8000 – £1000 Holloway Boy in a good betting race. Field money was over £8000 with Elnajmm losing £11,500 and Holloway Boy £3500 at the off.

Thunder Run winning at 6/1 and second favourite wouldn’t have been a great result for many of the ring but it went Star’s way on the rails, copping nearly £7000 in the win book.

Meanwhile, I was getting a bit worried about Lofty, he looked happy enough, for him, in the team photo, but I hadn’t heard a word from him, troubling.

The office were still happy, they told me ‘That was a decent result for us though there nothing of major bets to note, there were a few monkey and grand bets on Elnajmm so good to get beat.’

3:35 – Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks (Group 1) 1m 4f

Next up and the big one, with some big money hoped for to do it justice. I asked after Lofty, Nick said that he was OK just busy taking bets, which was good to hear. Some of those bets included £5400 Queen Of The Pride at 10/3, £1600 You Got To Me at 4/1, £1000 Sea Theme at 10/1 and £1500 Emily UpJohn at 7/2.

You might have noticed that nobody stuck a lump on the 3/1 favourite Content, that turned out to be very handy indeed, because after she won and the dust had settled, the book showed a profit of £10,645 on the race. Normally when the firm win handsomely over a jolly I would have guessed that Lofty had a lean up, but no, Nick was on the computer, no it was just the was the punters came in. Aye Aye.

Before I got a chance to bask in the on-course team’s elation, the office came on to pour cold water on any profit-induced ardour telling me: ‘That was a very popular winner and our first losing race of the day.’

4:10 – British EBF & Sir Henry Cecil Galtres Stakes (Listed Race) 1m 4f

A bagman got involved in the next, betting £5000 – £500 Scenic and and £4250 – £500 Esmeray early, those bets were followed by £250 each-way Climate Friendly at 28/1 and £15,000 – £8000 and £700 – £400 Karmology. If the spread of bets was anything to go by, nobody really knew and it could be a competitive heat.

Meanwhile, a punter came in for £1000 on Soir de Gala at 6/4 in the 5pm down at Newton Abbot, followed by a more local £3500 – £2000 the jolly, and they were off. More importantly, Lofty was in touch and looking forward to getting onto the machine and sending me messages for the last couple of races, phew, the big man lives.

As does The Bagman, Scenic won the race at 8/1 from the jolly and bogie back in second. The winning punter’s identity didn’t escape Lofty who bounced in with his first message proper of the afternoon, assumedly now tapping in the bets with more time on his hands to converse with the home bound. He made me chuckle with a text saying ‘Early strike for Nanananana ten monkeys, but we got £7500 still’.

Evidently the office were either totally under the cosh or wrongly thinking that sending me messages was akin to doing so on a telegram of old and charged by the word. Mind you, the four they sent me said it all ‘Back in the game.’

4:45 – sensory-junction.co.uk Autism Awareness EBF Stallions Nursery Handicap (Class 2) 7f

The penultimate looked a tricky heat but the bets flew in thick and fast, Hannah and Nick were kept nicely busy out the front with Lofty doing the two-finger typing. Bets included £6400 – £800 Angel Hunter, £4000 – £400 Seagolazo, £3000 – £600 and £1800 – £400 Age Of Gold.

Those bets aside, wager denominations were generally smaller, at the off the book held £4700. Angel Hunter won, the book lost £7151 and Lofty was quick to blame himself, his message read ‘Stick me on and have the first losing race of the day.’

Well, nobody wanted to say what they were thinking Lofty but you articulated it very well.

It was still a case of less is more on the literary front from the office, but at least their message wasn’t as sad-face-inducing as Lofty’s, they told me ‘Nothing drastic, very small win, but we’ll take it’.

5:20 – British EBF Fillies’ Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) 7f

Going into the lucky last, the book on the rail was winning £30,000, make that £31,000 Soir de Gala was beaten out of the back of the TV over down at Newton Abbot. The punters on-course, albeit collectively beaten on the day unless something massive came in, appeared keen to make a dent in what was a good winning day so far. The bigger staking among them had bets which included £8000 – £1000 Elim, £5500 – £1000 Key To Cotai and £7700 – £700 Queen Of Mougins.

At the off, the book held £5737 and thanks to the short-head heroics of 17/2 winner Alfa Kellenic the book kept £4471.13 of it. Mind you, it would have been an £8500 swing had the runner-up Queen Of Mougins won. You see, sometimes it does go the way of the bookmakers.

Two days in and the firm are nicely in front copping £35,132.83 on the day, is there an ‘Ivy’ in York Lofty?

The office had the closing word and true to their form on the day kept it short, to the point and positive: ‘It’s been a solid day for us, we wouldn’t mind another couple of days like today.’

We’re back to wherever we reported from today, tomorrow. Well done the good guys.

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