Exeter 'The Season Opener' 10th October 2024

You know the national Hunt season is back in Devon when Exeter start racing again. The meeting was obviously anticipated by a large number of people as the crowd was very respectable. There was one major difference in the betting ring no Jack Bevan for the first time in what would probably be three centuries there’s not been a Jack Bevan in the ring at Exeter as they were established in 1897. Their place has been taken by Dragon Bet fronted by very amiable James Lovell and the two Johns, I wish them every success in their new pitch.

They got a short one beaten in the first, The Jumps Is Back With Rhino Bet Novices’ Handicap Hurdle. Mirabad was sent off the easy to back 6/5 favourite having been odds on for most of the morning. Sadly, for the bookies at least the best backed horse in the race won it. One firm laid £1400 - £400 about Kieran Burke’s eventual 5/2 winner Sam’s Amour which made most to win nicely. The jolly just managed to scramble second place.

The next race, The Follow Us On X At BetRhino Novices' Handicap Chase boasted just five runners but looked a tricky affair with Florencethemachine going off favourite trained by Paul Nichols and ridden by Harry Cobden the obvious choice. Down in the ring the bookmakers reported fairly modest business but one did manage to lay £500 -£400 the favourite late on which was the only bet I heard of. That bet proved to be very fortunate as early jumping errors made that victory look very unlikely and so it proved. The race went to Michael and Peter Bowen’s 11/2 chance A Definate Getaway winning under a great ride from James Bowen. The winner would have been a good result for most of the ring albeit to modest sums, you have to take it to win it. They say that the betting ring has changed, it certainly has. I dropped a fiver taking my phone out of my pocket. No less than three ladies called out to alert me to the fact. In the old days have a dozen floormen would have been scrabbling for it!

There was unusual betting in the third race the Rhino.Bet Proudly Sponsor Henry Brooke Mares' Maiden Hurdle, Roaring Home which had been around 6/4 all morning was totally friendless in the betting ring drifting to 11/4 and 3/1 in places. Meanwhile Mavis Pike was well backed from 9/2 into 9/4 including a bet of £1000 - £400. While the crowd looked very healthy the layers reported light business. One well loved face from the bookmaking fraternity was missing. Joe Oliver who trades as Dick Oliver alongside his son, and now boss Dax and trusty sidekick Q. Joe has been under the weather recently but messaged to ask me to tell you all that ‘Dick Oliver’ are sponsoring a race at Newton Abbot on 19th where there will be a collection in aid of a local Prostate Cancer charity. If you are going, please help fill the bucket.

I host boxes at Exeter, once again, the the third season in a row the racecourse bookmakers have agreed to give out a number free bets for me to dish out to hospitality clients to get them down to the ring. That’s the way Exeter bookies.

Onto this race the What Is Trending At Rhino.Bet Casino Handicap Chase well what does the market know? Bugger all in the case of this race. Roaring Home came late to collar likely looking winner Soleil D’Arizona and win nicely to defy her drift in the betting for Henry Daly under Harry Cobden. On course customers that weren’t put off by her price weakness got some great value while BOG customers off course received an unexpected bonus over what was expected to be a short priced jolly. The winner returned 11/4 second favourite, Mavis Pike was sent off 85/40 but had to settle for fifth after flattering to deceive.

Opening Bid won the next race, the What Is Trending At Rhino.Bet Casino Handicap Chase last year and was backed in the weak overnight markets to repeat the feat today and backed again this morning. The market certainly knew this time, the 7/1 snapped up by the shrewds this morning became 6/5 before Chris Down’s gelding made all not having seen another horse under Bryan Carver. Gamble landed. Bets on course included £350 - £200, £325 - £200 and £500 - £400.

Next up and a very tricky looking Blog.Rhino.Bet For Daily Racing Insight Handicap Hurdle where a case could be made for a virtually every runner in the race. I  wasn’t betting, it’s much easier writing about what’s happened. It appeared that the race wasn’t just too tricky for me to actually put money down but the punters in general who were showing very little of interest, though of course I had to come up with a couple for the box clients. At this point I’ll mention that I had a chat with veteran pro-punter Alan Francis, when I say chat, we just stood there lamenting the ‘good old days’ which is fun to do, in a mourning sort of way. I also saw Armaloft Alex before racing but he appeared to have vanished, can you appear to vanish? That’s probably an easier question to solve than this heat looked on paper.

I hope Chris Poole doesn’t read my blogs. I tipped up the first and second to the box clients, the winner Star Of Affinity thanks to my good friend Andrew Mount’s nudge about Joe Tizzard’s record of horses running after a wind op, and the runner-up Penna Rossa which looked set to land a new yard gamble, I’d been tipped up that the pros were on. I should’ve done the forecast by the absolute one twos! The winner returned 13/2 and the collared jolly, 10/3. It’s much easier advising bets in a casual run through the card when you don’t actually have your own money on.

Hands up, I tipped Begin The Luck in the penultimate Budges Farm Handicap Chase so any box clients thinking I was the new punting messiah would have done their money and brought back down to Earth, though it was a tentative selection. Down in the ring I only heard one bet of any sort of note, £1500 - £200 each-way Sherborne. I’d like to gently remind that punter the fractions for 15/2 are 100/13, always ask for them. As it turned out the punter still got the value but had to settle for place winnings only. Harry’s Hope the 11/10 favourite won the race for Ben Pauling under Ben Jones but had to work hard to deny the runner-up and 6/1 chance Sherborne half a length back in second.

The lucky last, the Haldon Hill Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle featured a short one In The Air, given the connections the bookies were keeping one eye on the sky in case money should pour into the ring to snap up the 4/7. No airborne punters arrived but landbound odds-on backers availed themselves to £572 - £1000, £450 - £900 and £250 - £500 the favourite. They knew, the jolly won, by less than a length but the result wasn't really ever in doubt. That concluded an excellent season opener at Haldon Hill whetting the appetite for an action packed season ahead. 

As DragonBet were packing up I asked James Lovell how he'd found not only his first day betting at Exeter but first ever visit. He said, 'I thoroughly enjoyed it, the racecourse is lovely, the people are friendly, the racing was excellent but the results, not so good.'

I thought it best not to mention the horizontal rain he's yet to enjoy.....

Simon Nott

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