SIMON NOTT BETTING REPORT: Glorious Goodwood Tuesday

I’ve been going to Glorious Goodwood since the early 1990s, Jack Lynn and Dave Phillips both bet there. With Jack it was a long old week, up and back every day from Devon. Dave on the other hand used to dig into his pocket for exes. I’m ashamed to say that I remember more about the digs than the racing. One year we stayed in a guest house in Worthing. It was one of those old-fashioned landlady type places. I had to share with clerk PB, when we got to our room it was so small that our two top and tailing single beds touched at the corners. There was a TV in the room, but coin operated, you had to drop a quid in the slot to watch it. I’ve never seen that before or again.

The other memory of that B&B was that the elderly lady loved cats. So much so that when she brought a tray of tea in for breakfast in doing so, she inadvertently deposited a ball of cat fur on my freshly buttered toast from the bottom of it. Ahh, all that glorious racing and all I can remember about that year is pulling buttered sodden ball of cat hair from my toast. As I said, I should be ashamed! On the plus side, it’s lucky we didn’t ever catch glimpse of the apparently kitty infested kitchen.

1:50 – Unibet ‘you’re On’ Chesterfield Cup Handicap (Class 2) (4YO plus) 1m 2f

The first couple of days on course at Glorious Goodwood always used to be a little slow, progressing in business as the week goes on. That was certainly true in the office in the opener, it generally doesn’t suit bookies when favourites win but given the size of the bets the office can take five bets of a ‘bottle’ £200 at 5/2 the winner Migration was getting away with it. Other bets of note included £7000 – £1000 each-way Lucander and £5500 – £500 Carodoc. On course Inlike Flynn and his team in Tatts reported losing on the race though it was a bit soon to be calling the most beautiful track in the country ‘Badwood’. Lofty on the rails was cheerful, yes, Lofty, he and his team copped on the race. The morning betting market had been hit by a slew of non-runners because of the rain. That change in going would possibly have affected punters betting confidence too. It certainly did John Gosden’s, he withdrew Stradivarius from the Goodwood Cup after the first.

2:25 – Unibet Vintage Stakes (Group 2) (Class 1) (2YO only) 7f

Angel Bleu winning the second was a bit of a punt, there was an overnight move from 14/1 into around 13/2 then the second favourite was withdrawn compounding his price. Luckily, punters largely missed Star Sports out, the biggest price they laid was 11/1 which will be subject to a hefty Rule 4. They filled them in on the jolly Berkshire Shadow though. Bets included £20,000 at 13/8, the biggest single wager on the winner was a grand at 11/4. Lofty on the rail had been holding out on us, they were doing a lot more business than Flynn’s team in Tatts who reported a small winning race. Better late than never Lofty told me they laid a bet of £7000 – £500 Sky Defender and £4000 – £500 Johnny Drama in the opener and £2500 at 13/8 Berkshire Shadow here so a decent result in the office and on-course.

3:00 – Unibet Lennox Stakes (Group 2) (Class 1) (3YO plus) 7f

The decent on-course bets continued, a punter bet a £2200 – £800 Space Blues on the rail with Lofty for the next, that was the only loser for Flynn in Tatts too, but not to any lumps with Safe Voyage the late mover. Those punters that came in late did their money at the start when their fancy pre-empted the start thus missed it altogether. The office reported that all the money was for Space Blues too, that included bets of £19250 – £7000 and £6000 – £2000. All that stayed in the hod when Kinross prevailed at 6/1 with 2/1 favourite Creative Force back in second. Space Blues finished fourth while Safe Voyage finished last.

3:35 – Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup Stakes (Group 1) (British Champions Series) (Class 1) (3YO plus) 2m

Well, it took four races but the bigger punters came out of the woodwork for this one. First up a bet of £500,000 – £100,000 each-way Sir Ron Priestley, £400,000 – £40,000 each-way Serpentine as well as a couple of even £5000 bets on the winning favourite Trueshan which bolted up under Hollie Doyle. Sir Ron Priestley finished third so bets were straight across. Serpentine was out of the frame so that £80,000 stayed with the book. Flynn said that he’d struggled to lay the favourite. Lofty, on the other hand said the winning 6/5 jolly was a small loser but added that ‘He didn’t really want it’. That translates to, Lofty, that well-known judge had decided that the jolly that drifted from odds on to odds against in a Group 1 race at a festival meeting was one to ‘go for’. ‘Go For’ meaning he’d go against all the recognised rules of bookmaking and have the favourite winning in his book, or in his case, not losing too much. He got it right so was like a dog with two dicks, apparently dictating, excuse the pun, where the team would dine and wine that evening. His choice, a gaff called Muchos Nachos, somewhere I think Ben must have missed for his fine-dining vlogs, who were offering 2 for 1 cocktails. OK some marks for thinking of the exes, which happened to be a five minute walk from his digs, he’s not daft that Lofty. Flynn was lodging an objection at time of writing, as he’s the boss of on-course and holds the staff welfare kitty it’s a shade of odds-on he’ll get the final call, watch this space.

4:10 – Back To Goodwood Handicap (Class 2) (4YO plus) 5f

Hollie Doyle made it a double in the day when Lord Riddiford won the race before the race before the penultimate at 13/2. Lofty and Flynn reported a small winning race. It was the other way around in the Star Sports’ Office. They laid bets which included £6000 – £1000 El Astronaute, £10,000 – £1000 each-way Blue De Vega, £5000 – £1000 King of Stars and £5500 – £1000 Lord Riddiford which added up to a small staking, small losing race.

4:45 – British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Stakes (GBB Race) (Class 2) (2YO only) 6f

JB in the Star Sports office told me that things had got a lot quieter in the race before the penultimate, the only bet of note being £10,000 – £1000 each-way Monet Sunrise. Flynn and team had laid a £1200 – £400 Scattering which made that one their only loser. Lofty told me ‘Nothing here, not a great book, but nothing for much.’ Hollie Doyle landed her treble in the race on board 13/2 chance Sisters In The Sky. The biggest bet the office saw the winner was £150 each-way at 15/2 so it appeared all the good guys, that’s the bookies, got a few quid.

5:20 – Unibet Fillies’ Handicap (Class 3) (3YO plus) 1m

Anghaam won the actual penultimate of the eight-race card at 7/2 from 12/1 chance Zwelela. Lofty had laid a bet of £1500 – £500 third placed Nebulosa which ensured that the result was the right side of his ledger. JB in the office told me that the winner was a modest cop in a small book, Flynn had gone quiet on me, I’m guessing far too busy booking a table at a gaff within walking distance to his digs. It’s a fair bet that Flynn would be staying a fair away from Lofty and gang in the hope that he’d not clock how much more luxurious pad was compared to the staff lodgings.

5.50 – World Pool Ebf Fillies’ Handicap (Class 3) (3YO plus) 6f

The betting in the office on the lucky last revolved around Gellhorn which saw bets of £5000 – £2000 and £1875 – £1000 and Lovely Breeze the subject of a wager of £11,000 – £4000. The latter won with some ease and returned 3/1. The book got value but as the old saying goes, you can’t eat it. JB reported it had been a winning start to the week despite the fear that some punters might have been put off by the going and plethora of non-runners.

There was no word from Lofty or Inlike on-course, let’s hope that they were busy packing up after skinners and not having a toe to toe about tonight’s grub plans. We’re back tomorrow.

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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