SIMON NOTT: Royal Ascot Thursday Trading Report

The big punters clobbered the firm on Tuesday, then a punter poleaxed the trading room with some big-priced doubles and trebles yesterday. Today with the rain softened ground, a change in luck was hoped for.

1:15 – Golden Gates Handicap (Class 2)

The opener attracted a bet of £100,000 – £25,000 each-way Global Storm which ensured that one went off the bogey in the race. Others to attract support were Maori Knight £14,300 – £2600 and £4500 – £1000, both each-way, Cephus £20,000 – £1000 each-way and Hypothetical £7500 – £1500 each-way. Getting them all out of the frame behind 20/1 result Highland Chief was a tremendous start, just the sort the bookies were looking for.

…and if you followed the tips on this site you were on very good terms with yourself. Highland Chief tipped up by both City AM’s Bill Esdaile in the Zoom Room and William Kedjanyi in his Thursday Preview.

1:50 – Wolferton Stakes (Listed) (Class 1)

The next was a very lively betting heat. Bets struck included; Fox Tal £1500 each-way at 11/4, £2750-£1000 and £75,000-£25,000 each-way, King Ottokar £13500 – £1500 each-way, £24,000 – £2000 each-way, Sir Dragonet £2000 – £1000, £4000 – £2000, £6750- £3000 which all copped for the book. A punter did back the winner, Mountain Angel (below left) to the tune of £9000 -£800 each-way which, took the gloss off but certainly didn’t ruin, another winning book enormously boosted by getting Fox Tal out of the places.

2:25 – Jersey Stakes (Group 3) (Class 1)

As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, not all punters want their bets, even listed anonymously, mentioned in these blogs. This race saw the biggest liability of the day with King Leonidas losing £300,000 in the win book, bets included £4125 – £1500, £2750 – £1000, £2500 – £1000, £5000 – £2000, Monarch Of Egypt £8000 – £2000 each-way, Final Song £14,000 – £2000 and the winner Molatham £11000 – £2000. Needless to say getting the bogey beat was all the book needed for three winning races out of three.

3:00 – Chesham Stakes (Listed) (Class 1)

The bets continued to come in thick and fast including Modern News £100,000 – £25,000 Golden Flame £40,000 £10,000 each-way £6000-£1500 each way, First Prophet £5250 – £1500, £7000 – £2000, £30,000 – £4250, the downside were bets Bright Devil £10,500 – £1500, £26,250 – £5250 and March Law £20000-£1000. This was a race where the 11/4 favourite Battleground winning with March Law runner-up was still a comfortable winning heat copping nicely in the book. Sometimes, it’s just how it comes in and this time the big players got it wrong.

3:35 – Gold Cup (Group 1) (British Champions Series) (Class 1)

The Gold Cup became the biggest betting heat for some time, a punter had £55,000 on Stradivarius at 10/11 early in the betting. Another came on for £5000 each-way Withhold at 40/1, plus money for Moonlight Spirit £25,000 – £2500 and £10,000-£1000 both each-way. I have to be vague about the biggest bet, but a monster wager of untold bundles came in for the jolly, dwarfing all that had been laid already. It’s a shame we can’t disclose the exact size of the bet because the poor bookies never had a chance. Frankie looking around for dangers way out before just scything past them all and scooting clear would have been awesome to watch had it not cost the firm a colossal amount of money. A devastating blow, the flying dismount, the rubdown. The big players got it right this time.

4:10 – Britannia Stakes (Heritage Handicap) (Str) (Class 2)

The punters with bookies blood in their nostrils were back in for the kill despite the handicap looking a very tricky heat. One bet of £260,000 – £40,000 each-way Enemy was topped up with £33,000 – £1000 each-way Sun Power, then Great Ambassador £11,000 – £1000 and £10,000- £1000 both each-way, £4125 – £1500 Finest Sound and Verboten £6000 – £1000 each-way. The 9/2 winner Khaloosy was a good cop in the book despite being only 9/2 – Enemy squeezing into fourth dented it though. In the bigger scheme of things it was only a small shovel full to start fill the financial chasm left by Stradivarius but you have to begin somewhere.

4:40 – Sandringham Stakes (Fillies’ Handicap) (Str) (Class 2)

The office came thorough to say that Declared Interest was a ‘sizeable bogey’ in the last, each-way too. That was nerve wracking enough, but the real tension was whether the race would go off before ITV Racing came off air. Luckily they did get off in time after bets of £50000 – £20000, £5000- £2000 and £6000-£2000 African Dream, £66,000 – £1000 each-way Separate and £20,000 – £1000 each-way Al Rasmah. Charlie Fellowes Onassis winning at 33/1 under Hayley Turner with the bogeys out of the frame was the perfect end to the day for the firm. The bookies on course would be shouting ‘Pay Pay’ as they packed up knowing they had no bugger to pay, a skinner in the book.

Spare a thought for the ITV7 player who just needed 4/1 chance runner-up Waliyak to cop £150,000 for his bet to nothing. They go along nicely all afternoon then someone from ITV tells the world and puts the mockers on!

It’s been traumatic but we go again tomorrow.

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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 CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

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