Simon Nott spends an eventful day at Sandown Park
Simon Nott spends Betfred Day at Sandown Park
There’s always something a bit special about Sandown Park for me. I first went there as a 20-year-old squaddie. The first thing I remember about it was the look on the guys in the guardrooms’ faces as I left the camp for my first visit to the Esher course.
I had all the gear, camel coat purchased on the never-never from my Nan’s club book, trilby and bins. Needless to say when I strode purposefully toward the exit of Prince Phillip Barracks in Bordon, from a distance I looked like a ‘Rupert’. A ‘Rupert’ was a generic name we used to call the officers, behind their backs of course. The guys on guard initially stiffened ready to give the guy with the Queen’s commission his due respect, then burst into fits of laughter doubling up when then realised it was just Craftsman Nott in ‘fancy dress’.
I didn’t let it bother me though, I quite enjoyed being a bit different from your average squaddie. I certainly was as far as interest in racing went, none of whom wanted to join me on my Saturday travels to Mecca Bookmakers Day on Saturday 30th November 1985.
They missed out big style, a six-yearold named Desert Orchid won the opening Novices’ Chase at 4/11, backed by me, then a three-year-old named That’s Your Lot won the next hurdle at 25/1, unbacked by me, giving a certain John Francome his first winner as a trainer. I also got my racecard signed by John McCririck after being ‘one of those idiots’ stood behind him as he broadcast on Channel 4.
It was also a day I distinctly remember looking around the bookies and up at the stands thinking ‘This is where I want to be’. The trouble was I was only eight months into the six years I’d signed up for in the REME. Oh well. For consolation I bought Alex Bird’s book Life And Secrets Of A Professional Punter from the course shop with my meagre winnings on the day. I wasted no time starting to read it and dream of my on-course future on the train home to Army life back in Bordon.
Stood in that same spot today looking around at the stands and the bookies little did I really think that over 30 years later my dream really would have come true. I’ve
spent the majority of my working life on racecourses in one guise or another. I may not have become a professional punter but I am a lucky man. The reason I’m waxing lyrical about that meeting was I just found the race card from 1985 complete with celebrity signature and diligently filled in with results, prices and distances.
Back to 2016 and it’s another bookie, this time Betfred, sponsoring all seven events on the cards. The weather had been atrocious driving up from Devon, terrible wind and rain but Sandown was relatively calm in comparison.The opening Betfred ‘Home Of Goals Galore’ Juvenile Hurdle saw five runners go to post. The market was focused around David Pipe’s Fingertips backed from a general 2/1 into 5/4 while David Dennis’ Seven Kingdom took a bit of a walk from 11/10 out to 6/4.
One major rails firm had stuck their necks out laying a £4,500-£2,000 the jolly and would have been a bit nervous given the money was for a horse from a shrewd yard. The gelding was still second when coming down at the last but was arguably already beaten when falling as Akavit was three lengths clear and over safely showing no signs of stopping. The winner was returned 10/1 and an absolutely cracking start for the layers who would have gone ‘up the front two’ at about 1/5 coupled.
Of course being the first heat, and bookies being bookies there were some who said they ‘didn’t get their whack on the race’, well it wouldn’t be the same if they didn’t would it?
The moans from some quarters continued into betting for the next, the four-runner Betfred Racing ‘Follow Us On Twitter’ Contenders Hurdle (Listed). Peace And Co was backed from 4/6 to 4/7, but some couldn’t field what they wanted to.
“I’ve laid a £400-£600 and if it gets beat I’m starting the car,” bemoaned one, while another compared business to an allweather meeting. Maybe those two should have adopted whatever it was tactic that attracted a cash punter to the Tattersalls bookmaker who laid a £4,000£6,000 in readies.The roar really went up from that joint when Paul Nicholls’ 7/1 charge Connetable won the race.On congratulating the bookmaker in question he came back with the regulation “I well-laid the winner”. Over on the rails there was no sign of anyone starting cars either though there was just the glimmer of a smile.
Just the four went to post for the Betfred ‘Treble Odds On Lucky 15’s’ Handicap Chase in which Arthur’s Oak was supported from 15/8 into 6/4. As they were off my old mate and long-time resident of this column, Armaloft Alex, came bounding up to tell me that he’d heard that
Nicholls’ Ulck Du Lin was‘ well-fancied ’in this race too. Yes, cheers Armaloft, they were off so none of that 7/1 was available. I don’t know where he gets to hear such snippets of information but this one seemed to be about to bear fruit (for those who actually got on) when the gelding looked to have the measure of the jolly after the last.
Armaloft swears he didn’t put that arm up in the air in premature celebration, but if he didn’t there must be another explanation for the favourite getting back up to win by a nose on the line in a desperate finish. Favourite backers were suddenly back in the game while certain layers started ruing the fact they didn’t fish out their car keys. Just then a distant alarm sounded with a public address announcement informing racegoers ‘Do Not Evacuate’ surely it wasn’t that bad just yet. Luckily calm was restored in no time at all.
There were just four runners again for the Betfred TV Scilly Isles Novices' Chase (Grade 1) worth £19,611 to the winner. Nigel Twiston-Davies’ Bristol De Mai hovered around the even money mark in the betting for much of the race before being clipped into 10/11. There were plenty of three and four-figure bets at evens before the ring capitulated. Nick Williams, the genius of George Nympton, sent Tea For Two up from Devon in the hope of providing his step-daughter Lizzie Kelly her second Grade 1 winner. The latter was ominously weak in the betting though drifting from 6/4 to 7/4 with none of the bigger-staking punters getting involved. The market proved correct, Bristol De Mai won the race with some ease with Paul Nicholls’ 10/1 As De Mee separating the jolly and Tea For Two back in third.
There was at least each-way betting on offer with the nine that went to post for the race before the penultimate, the Betfred Mobile Heroes Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3). The likely favourite Baywing had been a late non-runner so the betting was wide open, eventually settling with Yala Enki the 7/2 favourite.
Others backed in the race included the morning talking horse Anteros into 9/1 and Join The Clan sent off the same price having been 12/1 in early skirmishes.
The former was pulled up but the latter fared better finishing a ¾ length runnerup to solid 5/1 shot Saddler’s Encore. There were few, if any, lumpy bets in evi- dence but given that it was the first race where the Saturday punters could really get stuck in business was brisk. Needless to say the third-in wasn’t a great result for the bookies.
There was a similar story in the Betfred Masters Handicap Chase, eight went to post but with the betting centering around 4/1 from 9/2 favourite Le Reve the market was lively.
Mick Channon’s Knock House was the one aside from the jolly that they all wanted to be on.The fleet of foot got on at 6/1 while those who snoozed had to settle for lesser value, one punter waded in with a £3,000-£600 before the 5/1 evaporated into a starting price of 9/2. Venetia Williams’ Saroque was also a warm order, steady at 11/2 just behind Nicholls’ Black Thunder which bookies rarely offered bigger than its starting price of 5/1.
If you don’t like to think of those poor bookies losing you’d have to hope that despite their protestations they did get their whack in the result-strewn early races. My old mate Andrew Mount had tipped up Le Reve in his free GG.co.uk column in the morning.
I’m guessing Armaloft Alex must have read it and taken heed. I ’m hazarding that guess but he appeared to have backed it. As Le Reve passed the post in front he did an almighty run from down near the line up the back of the rails to the front row of Tattersalls with the much-maligned arm seemingly Viagra-fuelled in celebration. Credit where it’s due, for a man of a certain age carrying not a trifling amount of overweight he’s very fleet of foot. Unlike the bookies, who were now teetering on their back feet.
The lucky last the nine-runner Betfred ‘Download The App’ Novices Handicap Hurdle was another race where the punters really couldn’t decide. Birch Hill, Bon Enfant (9/2 into 7/2 including bets of £2,700-£600 and £1,400-£400) and Perceus (£2,000-£500) were all eventually sent off 7/2 co-favourites. The betting was tight but the race itself had reserved its own drama.
Tom Lacey’s Pinnacle Panda had also been quietly backed from 11/2 into 9/2, and his backers were feeling very good about themselves as he approached the last. They then had their hearts in their mouths as he made a rick at that obstacle.
The last which would have been the second last on any normal meeting not H20 challenged was a long way from home.
Pinnacle Panda was able to recover and soon regain command of the race despite edging worryingly right. Just in the shadow of the post as the outcome of the race looked a formality the gelding swerved violently left.
I’d image there’d have been some carnage littering the in-running market as any lesser jockey would have parted company. Lesser than champion jockey elect Richard Johnson that is, who somehow remained in the saddle and galvanized one last effort from his mount to win the race by half a length from runner-up Bon Enfant.
I had a quick glance around half expecting to see a sheepish-looking Armaloft clutching a winning ticket and holding his arm aloft. He wasn’t sighted but plenty of queues of winning punters thanking their lucky stars were beginning to form.The 7/2 co-favourites of three finished in the places and another excellent day’s racing at Sandown was over. No doubt one bookmaker on the rails had wished he’d stood by his word and started the car after the second. © Simon Nott