SIMON NOTT BETTING BLOG: York Wednesday

My first visit to York, everyone told me it was a cracking course and they weren’t wrong.

It’s very impressive when you first walk out to the course and super friendly too. The northern team consisted of stalwarts Inlike Flynn and Lofty with Nick and Eddie bolstering the line-up.

1:50 – Sky Bet And Symphony Group Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) (3YO plus) 5½f

With an 8/1 the field heritage handicap to contend with, as an opener to the meeting, it was surprising that the punters stood back a bit. The field money was just over a grand. 22/1 winner Bergerac won a couple of hundred quid in the book. Though Inlike and Co had fielded double the take money on the first with a bet of £10,000 – £2000 Soapy Stevens in the Sky Bet Stayers due to run at 4.10.

That on top of an even fiver that one of the parachutists would fall over as he landed. That miserable punter underestimated the skill of the sky divers and did his fiver. You get the gist that a racecourse is different class when they dig out the theme tune of the winner’s namesake TV show to play as Kevin Ryan’s gelding entered the parade ring.

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2:25 – Tattersalls Acomb Stakes (Group 3) (Class 1) (2YO only) 7f

‘Still not great but better’ was Lofty’s summing up of the next with £3500 in the hod, £1200 of that made up with the biggest bet taken at 15/2 Oviedo. Chaldean had been backed from 5/1 into 7/2 and landed the gamble, the only other loser in the book. A losing race despite a losing favourite.

Between races, a well-respected racecourse regular told me that he’d heard superstar entry of the day Baaeed had turned up with ringworm. I’m not sure if it’s a negative for a horse’s performance, or even if it’s true, but that was the rumour.

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3:00 – Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes (Group 2) (Class 1) (3YO only) 1m 4f

I do still feel a little bit bad offering my non-racing Army mates two beers to their one if Reference Point got beaten in the 1987 Great Voltigeur. They tasted nice in the NAAFI bar that night but I might not have been popular with my squaddie pals had they know what a winning SP of 1/14 meant.

Today’s renewal was more competitive with Aikhal the only loser for £1900 in a book that held £100 less.

The bogie was the jolly for most of the race but was flip-flopped by well supported late on Deauville Legend. That money was the inspired stuff, Deauville Legend bolted in, the money missed Star on the rails, the 5/2 winner copped a grand.

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3:35 – Juddmonte International Stakes (Group 1) (British Champions Series) (Class 1) (3YO plus) 1m 2½f

The rumours of ring worm didn’t appear to worry the punters, or they might not have heard, but either way bets of £3000, £5000 and another £3000 came in for Baaeed at 4/9 then a bet of £4000 – £5000 Mishriff was struck without the favourite.

Well, what can you say, nothing can stop Baaeed, ringworm, not having ringworm, extra two furlong distance, nothing. A misty-eyed Yorkshireman came up to me and just said ‘What a performance, better than Frankel’. I’m sure the jury would be out about the latter but the 2/5 favourite won in such scintillating style, unless you were half in Star Sports’ book would have brought a smile to any racing fan’s face. A bookmaker came up after the first and said he should go home because he’d won it it. He wasn’t winning now.

Believe it or not, the most memorable part of the day so far was yet to come. I don’t think anyone would argue that Matt Chapman gave his presentation to winning connections his absolute all. A performance to match that on the turf!

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4:10 – Sky Bet Stayers Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (Class 2) (3YO plus) 2m ½f

The £10,000 – £2000 bet Soapy Stevens laid before the first had set the scene for this race before the penultimate and was never going to be bet up to so just needed getting beaten. Alfred Boucher won the race at a well-backed 5/1 and did the business for the book. Well, you’d think so wouldn’t you? The guys in the rails only took an extra £1000 on the race, much of it for the winner, it copped a carpet in the win book but after the places had been calculated the race was a loser for £50, which was no doubt a bit annoying for Inlike and Co.

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4:45 – Celebrate ITM’s 200th Ire Voucher Winner Fillies’ Handicap (Class 2) (3YO plus) 5f

With just two races to go, the winning run that had stretched back to the first day of Glorious Goodwood looked long odds-on to come to an end with a handicap and nursery to conclude. The atmosphere around the course was fantastic though, it’s easy to see why people rave about it.

Pretty much to a person, anyone I told that I’d never been here before looked at me as if I’d just said I never heard a book, or worst still, didn’t like Elvis. The brass band played some Proclaimers tunes and got people dancing like nobody was watching, great stuff.

Next up and a fair betting heat given that it was a competitive handicap. This time it went the way of the first copping £2000 when 14/1 chance Designer won quite impressively for John Butler under David Egan. The winner had been 18/1 on course.

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5:20 – Sky Bet Nursery (Class 2) (2YO only) 6f

During betting for the lucky last a punter asked me if York was better than Newton Abbot, I am very loyal to the UK’s most southerly course but have to say after today, it runs it close. As they loaded the stalls, the book was losing £7000 and holding £3000 so a losing day was assured. The biggest bets a monkey win on Mr USA at 9/2 and £600 each-way Streets Of Gold at 7/2 everything else winners.

Oh well, if you are going to lose you might as well do a proper job on it. Streets Of Gold won impressively and the book did a couple of grand and just under £10,000 in total. Still, a winning run of nine days wasn’t bad, it’s only day one of the four-day meeting. Star Sports are back tomorrow and I’ll be tagging along to write about it too and very much looking forward to it already.

SIMON NOTT

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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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