Navan Troytown Meeting - with AK Bets. 27/11/22

It was a buzz to be at Navan today, my first visit care of AK bets. It's what I’d describe as a proper country jump racing track, friendly as you like. The betting ring is set up in a horseshoe fashion with the books all looking at each other’s prices, just like Exeter used to be back in the day. AK had three pitches, Tony, AK and I on the main one with our backs to the parade ring with Dave up in corporate hospitality and Graham on the pitch across from the one I was on, Graham and Dave were both working alone, troopers and professionals in equal measure. The last time I took any bets was at Laytown with AK back in September, so I needed a quick refresher on tapping them on the keypad at the front of the joint before we got to work on what promised to be a busy day judging by the size of the crowd.

The first race, the Bar One Racing 3-Y-O Maiden Hurdle featured a short one in Tekao which opened even money but went odds-on after sustained support. There were no lumps, at least not offered to the AK Bets pitches, just good, steady money, hardly any fivers, but punters wanted scores and bigger on. The lack of big money for the jolly may have been ominous, favourite punters left it behind when 7/2 second-in Comfort Zone won the race from Jazzy Matty, with the jolly back in third. The firm copped €600 over the three pitches, which was a good enough start.

There were shrewdies tipping up the jolly Grangeclare West this morning at a shade over evens for the second heat here, the 23-runner Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden Hurdle. Anyone that took those skinny odds might have been a bit anxious to see Willie Mullins’ charge drift out to a bottle on course. This time, the market knew nothing, the favourite absolutely bolted up. AK laid the winner at the shorter prices but still did a grand on the race.  Bets were brisk with plenty of €50 and €100 bets in the mix but still no lumps. Mind you, about half of field were priced 100/1 or bigger of which there was probably unsurprising not a copper coin of support between them.

The field size in these types of races can be deceptive as far as the competitive nature of the race goes, only a small percentage of the field are layable. A lady came to the pitch to draw her winnings and said she never seen it so busy and was quite surprised when I said I had never been here before. I imagine I was in the minority in that respect it appeared to be a proper locals track.

In contrast to the previous race, just four went to post for the third, the John Lynch Carpets & Flooring Monksfield Novice Hurdle in which American Mike opened a 1/4 shot. It was 3/10 hawking at the off but no takers. You can't make the punters bet so when they set off, the jolly was winning €900 in the book. There was drama at the last, the favourite appeared to be in trouble when the likely looking winner and 4/1 second-in Affordable Fury fell. That gave the jolly and the book another chance, but 10/1 Dawn Rising came to ruin what would have been a fortunate party for favourite backers. There doesn’t need to be much money at the price to knock a book that’s not laid the jolly, bandy, it was a bad result, blowing £2000 in the AK ledger in what looked like a good race for the bookies.

The next heat, the Bar One Racing Price Boosts Everyday Handicap Hurdle tempted the punters to come out of the bars, at least the smaller backers did. The third AK pitch was inside upstairs in a restaurant where Dave took the biggest bet of the meeting so far. £4500 - £1000 Tony Martin’s charge Rebellious Gale. Those connections are to be respected; those odds tumbled to 7/2 at the off, the team feared the worst, its liabilities were sticking out from anything else. The gamble ran well but was this time thwarted, run out of the race close home. The bogie eventually finished out of the places in fifth behind the winner, original jolly and 4/1 chance Jungle Prose. Gordon Elliot's winner copped a round of drinks in the win book, but the places were very bad, another €600 down.

As is the right and proper manner, the feature race the Bar One Racing Troytown Handicap Chase came to life in the ring. The team fielded plenty of decent bets including €7000 - €1000 Velvet Elvis, and €250 each-way Rambranlt'jac at 22/1 while Frontal Assault was the weight of money public horse everyone wanted to be on. Sent off at 3/1 favourite, the latter was hampered at the first and never really got into it there after. At the business end of the race, 8/1 chance Lifetime Ambition was still just in front jumping the last and got the book little short of the crown jewels but was collared on the run-in by 11/1 hope The Big Dog. Tony and I thought Peter Fahey's victorious charge was also a decent winner with the bogies beat and each-way nasty out of the frame. But no, it was a winner but only for another round of drinks, a couple of  €50 and €100 bets each-way at 11/1 took a chunk out of the book and was very disappointing for AK. But to be fair, it's not easy to tell if he's won or lost. He was £1900 down on the day with two races to go and the feature behind us.

The biggest bet in the penultimate Boardsmill Stud Irish EBF Beginners Chase was a monkey on Saint Roi at 15/8 in another race that enjoyed a lively betting heat. Fil Dor was the 10/11 favourite but at the off the only loser in the book was Saint Roi losing €4600 including plenty of bookmaker's hedge money. It looked like AK had a lean-up the jolly. My question of 'Was it the way it came in, or by design?’ was greeted with a wry smile from our man who said, 'Let's just say I'm happy with the book'. It was a brave move and one that paid off, but it wasn’t over until the jolly pulled away after the last. The leaned up favourite winning put the firm bang back in the game and all to play for with one race to run. 

The first bet in the book in the concluding Coolmore N.H. Sires In Swoop Irish EBF Mares Flat Race was a monkey on Willie Mullins' Williamstowndancer at 9/4. That bet was funded on a card, which was rare today, cash was king with the Navan faithful. The betting was once again very brisk, punters keen to get stuck in for a final time. The bet to take out the biggest amount of money was from a punter who had €5000 - €100 Stormalong which was made us jump a bit. At the off, the book was a bit more conventional, as in Williamstow was the bogie, hardly surprising as she'd been backed into 6/4. All was not quite how it seemed though, a man that can never be described as entirely conventional. AK, beavering away behind the joint tapping away had been having another crafty lean-up. That lean was for 5/1 chance Jetara which had been much bigger in the morning, he’d ducked the 6/1 and 11/2 on course too so was highly delighted when she ran on to win the race and cop €6000 in the book. That was approximately a €10,000 turnaround in fortunes in the last two heats, some feat when one of them was an odds-on favourite, even when the bookie is also a professional punter. A cracking end to a hugely enjoyable day concluding with, 'Not Willies' in the bumper'.

The final word has to go to Dave up in the hospitality pitch. His book was linked to those in Tatts so no flimping his customers. The reason nobody had heard much from him was that he'd been head down under the cosh the whole afternoon. Punters had been piling in with their wagers non-stop. When the numbers were crunched, he'd taken more bets than the two Tatts pitches combined. Some man. Let's hear it for Dave, the hitherto unsung hero of the day. Well, he's sung now! AK has talked about getting me over for some dates in the diary for 2023, can't wait. So, I'll hopefully be back in Irish betting rings before too long, they are wonderful places to be. In the meantime, if you are in the Irish Betting Ring, bet AK, bucking convention for some time now!

Simon Nott