Newton Abbot 20/05/24

Newton Abbot have suffered a torrid time of late, they lost the first three meetings of this season and 35 year Managing Director Pat Masterson has announced his retirement. It was all looking good today though, the course was blessed with glorious sunshine and a large crowd. The first race, the newtonabbotracing.com Novices' Hurdle boasted 12 runners but the market centred around Jimmy Frost's Pirates Tale and Christian Williams' Fortified Fortune which opened at 6/4 and 9/4 respectively. I walked along the bookmakers and struggled to find a bet amongst them apart from an early monkey on the original jolly, though a couple did report £200 a late move for Fortified Fortune which saw the gelding flip-flop with Pirate's Tale, they set off as 6/4 and 15/8. The market proved insightful, the £115,000 Irish point to point recruit Fortified Fortune took command after the last to win by a length and a quarter from Pirates Tale landing some decent bets. 

Next up and the 15 Years At The Par Inn Handicap Chase which saw livelier business in the ring. There were a couple of decent bets over Robbie Llewellyn's No Tackle which included £800 and £300 at 10/3 plus £1200 - £400 Puddlesinthepark. That money stayed with the bookmakers, Susan Gardner's 6/1 chance Lightonthewing won nicely from Puddlesinthepark which returned 3/1 favourite. 

The bookmakers had it spark off again in the next, there had been a smattering of decent money on course for David Pipe's Bashful Boy in the Eddie Fullalove Celebration Handicap Hurdle. Bets included £1600 - £500, £600 - £200, £550 - £200 and £600 - £300 but as I've already spoilt the suspense you'll have guessed that the gelding didn't win. The race went to Michael Blake's 17/2 chance Clearance under Tom Cannon from 18/1 and friendless in the market Songo. The winner is owned by the 'Racing For A Cause' syndicate, who were there on mass in the winners enclosure and quite rightly delighted with their day in the sun. One bookmaker had it more spark off than the rest having fancied the winner and gone all out for it in the book, Aye Aye. 

Next up was the Happy 60th Birthday Danny Kane Handicap Chase. Nigel Hawke's Exmoor Forest was tipped up by a hugely respected advisory service in the morning but was a declared a non-runner after the first. There didn't appear to be anything else strongly fancied in the race. One lady bookmaker told me that she'd seen several hundred pound bets for a number of horses, but nothing big. In fact, the biggest bet I did see was a £1400 - £200 over Time To Bite. As often happens when there has been one half decent bet, the horse runs very well. Time To Bite ran better than very well, he won nicely for Chris Honour under Bryan Carver, a jockey who is as good a rider as he is personable, very. As the 8/1 chance romped to victory from 13/2 American Gerry a huge roar went up from I presume the massed members of the Chris Honour Racing Club. They were a very vocal bunch, the decibel levels continued in the winners enclosure. It's excellent to see a racing club having such a great time, it's the way forward. Duke Of Luckley was sent off 4/1 favourite but was a well-beaten sixth. 

The race before the penultimate was the Racing Partnership Novices' Handicap Hurdle. I had a quick chat with veteran bookmaker Steve Noyce, affectionately known as 'Rucker' betting on the rails. He told me that it was a lovely day but the punters didn't appear to have a score between them. Maybe he was betting in the wrong place, there was decent, if not huge money elsewhere. Martin Keighley's Lost In The Mist attracted a bet of £2250 - £500 while a brace of punters waded into Harry Fry's Winterwatch with £560 - £320 a piece. It was the intrepid duo that copped, though may have been a bit hasty getting stuck in at 7/4. The gelding won easily under Megan Bevan and returned 2/1, only the second market leader of the day to oblige.

The penultimate, the Totnes And Bridgetown Steeplechase Company Open Hunters' Chase saw some early support for Nicky Williams'. Christian's brother's, charge Kalooki, one bookmaker laid a bet of £3000 - £400, though there was money for other horses too. There was £600 - £500 for Paul Nicholls' Switch Hitter, £800 - £320 Young Buck, and £150 each-way at 7/1 Len Brennan so a tidy spread of bets should a bookmaker be able to laid them all. The money for Kalooki wasn't inspired never really getting into the race at all, the writing was on the wall for Switch Hitter backers early, he made a series of mistakes before dropping away before the business end of the race. At the sharp end it was Darren Edwards on board Young Buck that landed the money. Now, I'm sure when the bookmaker took the each-way bet in the six horse race where the punter didn't ask for fractions he had a little smile to himself. He wasn't so smug when Len Brennan held onto second by a short head to get the place money. The winner returned 2/1 after opening at 5/2 so wouldn't have been a great result in a race where the jolly had been weak all morning. 

The lucky last, the concluding bumper, the getting out stakes or to give its official title Sky Sports Racing Sky 415 Mares' Open NH Flat Race was run in blazing sunshine. The bigger punters didn't appear to fancy it and stayed in the shade, there were no big bets reported from the ring. However, Fergal O'Brien's Railway Bell had been as big as 10/3 this morning but was sent off the 2/1 favourite. So somebody fancied it, they were right to, the mare won nicely under Jonathan Burke and levelled the score a bit for the punters who like to back short ones. That concluded the day's racing, on the turf at least, as I left the Chris Honour Racing Club were still celebrating hard outside the Owners' bar. Not part of that happy clan but happy none the less was my old mate Harvey, he beamed as he told me he'd had it spark off on a great day. You love to see it. 

If you've not been to Newton Abbot, ever or for a while, put a visit in your diary, on a day like today, forget Goodwood, it's glorious here. 

Simon Nott 

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