IT'S NIP & TUCK IN BOOKIES BATTLE

Simon Nott regales us with his recent trips to Wincanton and Exeter

- Simon Nott

WINCANTON, MARCH 7 

I WASN’T expecting a massive crowd at Wincanton but got a nice surprise to see plenty of people had turned out for the six-race card.

I’m told the good turn-out was due to coming together of various concessions and reciprocals, it just goes to show if you offer people value, they’ll come. Sadly, the first race, the Salisbury Hospice Novices’ Hurdle was a bit of non-event. There were just three runners of which Paul Nicholls’ Largy Poet the prohibitive 1/6 favourite duly sauntered home under Harry Cobden. To my surprise there was a bagman lurking in the betting ring but even he didn’t get involved. One bookmaker told me he’d taken £20 - £100 on the jolly while another said they fielded a fiver and tenner at 1/5. The bookies were taking the micky a bit, but the punters ended up with their with their money, so who were the the mugs in that transaction!

Next up and the Newt In Somerset Handicap Chase. There had been morning action for Inflexible and Gingerbred but on course whilst the bookmakers were being kept busy by the crowd there wasn’t any money of note. I did have high hopes when I spotted the bagman in conversation with a bookmaker he often does business with, but sadly for the purposes of this blog, there was nothing doing. Both Gingerbred and Inflexible were there with a chance at the last but had to settle for second and third respectively behind 13/2 chance No Hubs No Hoobs winning for Joe Tizzard under Brendan Powell.