SIMON NOTT: Betting ring at sunny Bath

SIMON NOTT reports from the betting ring at a sun-drenched Bath on Friday for their busy eight-race card.

---

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]oday’s visit was the first time I’d been to Bath since I’d last worked on the rails here for Ivor Perry back in the summer of 2007. In that time they’ve managed to build a brand new stand. There were plenty of familiar faces cooking slowly in the glorious sunshine though.

The Pickwick side of the Pickwick-Bevan (est 2014) organisation were handling business on the rails and in Tattersalls. No doubt the Bevan team, formerly known as ‘Ivor Biggun’ were over at Goodwood. As betting got underway for the TMGroup Who Cares Wins Handicap I was having a chat with Pickwick boss Paul on the rails, OK distracting him, when I saw a well-known punter saunter in for a £500-£60 something, that’s 8/1 with the fractions. Oh dear, caught napping due to me. I thought it was time to make a hasty exit and scampered off. I knew that the punter hadn’t backed all the rage Bahamian Sunrise which had tumbled from 9/2 into 3/1. The trouble was the race went to 7/1 shot Powerful Dream after a short-head photo, it could easily have been that one.

I glanced over towards Paul as they started betting on the first division EBF Stallions Fillies’ Novice Stakes, he didn’t look too exasperated but I still didn’t fancy double-checking. There was a very respectable crowd enjoying the sun keeping the bookies busy. The trouble was all the money in the second heat was for Richard Hannon’s Campion, backed from 11/8 into 8/13. The filly won as she liked only having to be kept up to her work. I asked a layer if there had been any lumps, there hadn’t, at least not with him, but he then went on to describe the result as a ‘disaster’.

The second leg of the EBF Stallions Fillies’ Novice Stakes saw people falling over themselves to lay original market-leader Axe Cap who virtually bolted to the start – subsequently drifting from 9/4 to 5/1. Those that went down the book with the filly did right as she ran no sort of race beating just one home. It has to be noted that as the market readjusted virtually everything else in the race shortened so appeared to be backed. Heartache won with some ease though the market move from 6/1 into 7/2 could be misleading.

Prior to racing there had been a strong tip from various sources both form-based and shrewd ear to the ground for Roger Charlton’s Cribbs Causeway in the C W Accountancy Services Handicap. That given it was alarming for anyone that backed the filly to see her friendless in the on-course market drifting from an opening 7/2 to 13/2. As is often the case when that happens she ran about as fast as M5 traffic does past her namesake on a bank holiday lunchtime. Mark Usher’s Bayston Hill won the race at 9/1, a middle pin for the layers.

There was a romantic interlude between races when a young couple got engaged, prompted over the PA. Luckily she said yes because as soon as the ring was slipped on her finger the blushing newly engaged couple were whisked into the paddock to judge best-turned out for the British Stallion Studs EBF Novice Stakes. Such was the haste nay-sayers bemoaned the whole thing a crooked heat! The blissful couple topically picked Sunbreak but it was more aptly named, at least for the bookmakers, Prince Of The Dark the 7/4 favourite who won the race. There had been drama at the start when 12/1 City Gent took a dislike to the stalls and made a break for it, resulting in a 5p Rule 4. The colt was still running about loose after the race, over-keen.

Given the glorious weather, I decided to wear my panama hat to the races today, I was taken to task by a couple of follically-challenged racecourse regulars for doing so. Working for the Gentleman’s Bookmaker I do like to get things right so if anyone can verify or deny I made a massive rick please advise me.

Back to the serious business of the betting ring, well I let them get on with it and went down to the furlong pole to see the start of the E&H Drylining Handicap (see start below). It’s not often you get so close up you can hear the jockeys. While it was fun for me, it wasn’t a lot of fun for the layers when Adam Kirby bagged himself a treble on 5/1 winner and joint favourite Gambol, those poor bookies.

There wasn’t a lot of chance of a bookmaker get out in the three-runner penultimate M J Church Handicap with only the three runners and even less that it went to the 8/11 favourite Wapping.

Luckily the last was a lot more competitive with 10 going to post for the Happy 65th Birthday Brian Perry Handicap. It may have been more competitive on the turf but in the ring the layers appeared to be wilting under the sun. They had their prices up but there was nobody holding court to call the punters in. If someone had had a go they might have got a fair whack back as Hollie Doyle and first time blinkered Mamnoon provided the betting ring with a 14/1 result, their best result of the day.

An excellent return to Bath, next stop for this blog, Epsom the Oaks and Derby, Star Sports betting on the rail. Come and see us.

Simon Nott