MONEY WAS DOWN BUT SO WAS THE CROWD

Simon Nott recounts his betting ring tales from the Epsom Derby meeting

- Simon Nott

Oaks Day

I had been looking forward to my couple of days at Epsom with Star Sports, they had just increased their pitch number from two on the rails to three, with the purchase of late Barry Dennis’ Tatts pitch.

The weather forecast looked iffy but the betting action promised to be lively.

The first team to take the sort of bet that this column likes was on that new pitch in Tatts, who laid £3,333.33 - £1,000 each-way Formal. That bet was dwarfed by £22,500 - £10,000 on Diego Ventura on the same pitch. ‘We'll bet up to it’ was Kaan’s ever-optimistic response looking at the book for the opening Nyetimber Surrey Stakes.

On the rail, they’d had hardly set the world alight, fielding a grand across both pitches. At the off Formal was a 9/4 chance, they knew, she bolted up. The rails book did £1,015, by the time I got to the Tatts pitch to find out they'd won £5,380 they'd laid £15,000 at 11/8 on Herja over at Bangor. Yes, it appeared that it might be a lively old day.

Harja was beaten at Bangor after looking like winning, which was handy. It had started to liven up though so worth it, Barry Dennis’ old Tatts pitch that Star Sports had bought and were betting in for the first time today laid £2,400 - £1,600 and £6,000 - £4,000 Maximized in the Betfred British EBF Woodcote Stakes while the rails laid £3000 - £2,000 and £500 - £400 the same horse which was showing 6/5 on the big screen by the time the horses went to post. It was still 11/8 when Kaan on Barry’s old pitch laid £10,000 very late, then a bet of £20,000 at 11/10 Baskerville over at Bangor right in the hole. It was all go, and they were off. Out on the Epsom turf, it was another case of ‘they knew’ - Maximized obliged, the Tatts pitch lost £23,597 and the rails £3,500.