SIMON NOTT BETTING REPORT: Shergar Cup Ascot
I haven’t got loads of old Shergar Cup stories from years gone by but do hold it close to my heart as the meeting is the origin of the #BettingPeople series. Back in 2017, Ben was kind enough to give me a job, with no idea what I was going to do. That was in May, by August I was under pressure to define a role. I got an invitation to interview some jockeys taking part in the meeting at the Sydney Arms in Chelsea, I ran it by Ben who suggested I film the interviewees on my phone rather than just write about them.
I did just that, the first person I spoke to was Hayley Turner, I didn’t even have a tripod so just held the phone in front of her. The results were pretty good if amateurish from my end. It got Ben thinking though, I was given a budget for a tripod and was dispatched to interview professional punter Neil Channing shortly after, it took off from there, the #BettingPeople title for the series took a little longer but that’s what it became. Four years later I’m back freelancing again but the series marches on towards 200 interviews of which I’m still very much involved and immensely proud of.
Back to this year and Lofty and Flynn outlined their thoughts ahead of racing ….
12:50 – Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Dash (Handicap) (Class 2) (3YO plus) 5f
The Shergar Cup is the meeting some of racing’s aficionados like to dismiss every year but it’s carved a niche since its inception. There’s definitely a different and relaxed feel about it. It’s marketing to attract people as a day of entertainment including racing which is no bad thing. Judging on the betting, it’s that, not the team racing theme that gets them in. There were lots of people betting but the team betting only attracted a solitary tenner. Regardless if casual racegoers understand the concept they are very keen to engage in the racing. You’ve have a job to beat the opening race as an exciting spectacle, the width of the track and a trio of short heads separated the first three home. Tis Marvellous one of the 9/2 joint favourites won the race, celebrated by a fanfare of audio razzmatazz. That, following Matt Chapman’s spirited and enthusiastic build-up was enough to get Lofty’s Grump-O-Meter ticking over but only ticking. The book lost £100 on course.
1:25 – Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Stayers (Handicap) (Class 2) (4YO plus) 2m
The second race on the card resulted in double the field money all taken in stakes that didn’t exceed a single bet of £30. The extremely vocal crowd roared their fancies home and were treated to a scintillating finish where the good £600 winner in the book Just Hubert beat the £600 bogie Call My Bluff by a short head, a £1200 turnaround in favour of the book. The resulting celebratory booming of ‘Sisters doing it for themselves’ didn’t even register on Lofty’s Grump-O-Meter, only winning races will do this!
2:00 – Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Challenge (Handicap) (Class 3) (4YO plus) 1m 4f
Bet money in similar stakes held up in the next too. It seems that not everyone was enamoured with the business. Fellow bookmaker and previous #BettingPeople interviewee Paul Gold came over to tell us that his pitch was a waste of time and he wished he was where he normal is for this meeting namely Sardinia! One thing I do know is that Paul wouldn’t have lost over 18/1 shot Graphite though. Star Sports on course did, I was up in the queue for Lofty and Flynn’s burgers, and there was me thinking I did my apprenticeship in the 1990’s!
2:35 – Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Mile (Handicap) (Rnd) (Class 2) (4YO plus) 1m
I don’t know how popular Roger is as a boy’s name these days but it was certainly popular with the ladies in the betting ring when prefixed dashing. The William Stone trained Dashing Roger one of the 5/1 joint favourites won under Cieren Fallon. His winning distance of 1 3/4 lengths was the longest of the meeting so far. Lofty had a handful of losers in the book all for a round of drinks and predictably this winner was one of them, the winnings from the second heat were dwindling.
3:10 – Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Classic (Handicap) (Class 3) (3YO only) 1m 4f
There was a late strong word for the 10/3 favourite Star Caliber in the penultimate. I imagine those that got involved my have been tempted to give it the Aye Aye when James Doyle kicked the colt about 12 lengths clear with around half a mile to go. Those cheers would have been stifled when it became evident it wasn’t a breather turning for home but the realisation the field were closing rapidly. To his credit the jolly didn’t totally capitulate but had shot his bolt nevertheless ultimately finishing third behind 9/2 chance State of Bliss under Nicola Currie. That win put the Ladies team back in front of the team competition.
3:45 – Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Sprint (Handicap) (Class 2) (3YO only) 6f
Regular readers may wonder where the big bets, the lumps, the monsters or as some like to call them, the whoppers were today. Simple fact is the usual channels were open to the office but the bigger punters were ignoring this meeting and betting elsewhere. It’s not all bad though, the on-course was the exes plus a well worth coming few quid on top up. With no big money in the ring either there was no way Lofty and Inlike were going to go home losing.
At the off they had three losing a fish supper. The final heat, what used to be known as the ‘Getting Out Stakes’ was another that had to be decided by a photograph. The judge called it. 17/2 shot Mitrosonfire under Joe Fanning the winner by a neck. It wasn’t one of the losing three in the book so smiles all round at a very cheerful and relaxed Star Sports pitch. So that was it for another Shergar Cup. The excellently behaved crowd were off to the enjoy the post-race music and the bookies would mostly be counting the few quid that they were up. It was one of those very enjoyable afternoons. There was a lack of dyed in the wool racing fans and punters but what there were was a plethora of people who had come racing, really engaged in it and enjoyed the action.
I’m guessing plenty will be back for more conventional meetings. If ever an Aye Aye was warranted it’s for that. The Ladies Team won the team competition for those that were wondering. The only bet taken on that Star Special was a patriotic tenner on the team Great Britain, always nice to end the day on a skinner! We’re back for Champions Day.
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
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