Dublin Racing Festival With AK Bets 01/02/26

After the disappointment of yesterday’s cancellation the AK teams were buoyed up for what promised to be a frenetic day’s punting on the bumper eight race card. Most of the guys had enjoyed a curry in the company of Harry Findlay last night who didn’t disappoint, always great value. He was a guest in AK’s box today, my only worry was if the room was large enough for such a big personality. As well as guests in the box there were plenty of people from the UK down in the ring, many from the bookmaking fraternity including Westcountry stalwarts Q and Perm and my old pal Lofty. Andy Henderson also came to say hello, it’s always great to see Andy who pops up everywhere. The AK teams today were Des and Joe on the middle pitch in the main ring with Tony and Tidler on the front with AK at the helm behind the joint.

The racecourse was heaving by the time the field set off for the first, The Irish Stallion Farms EBF Paddy and Maureen Mullins Mares’ Handicap Hurdle. There were no lumps but steady money for True Testimony backed into favourite from 15/2 which resulted in her losing the thick end of £5000 in AK’s book at the off. A roar went up when she was mentioned but appeared to get stuck in the bottomless going, there were plenty cheering for the 13/2 winner Cousin Kate, including AK, metaphorically that is, he doesn’t do much cheering, he appeared to have had a lean up, the book copped £2500 which would have been more had he not fallen into a couple of bad places.

A well connected bookmaker had £7000 - £4000 Marine Nationale with AK for the 2.10 which hopefully would open the floodgates for lumpy money-buying bets in the next, a Novice Chase where Final Demand headed the market over the quartet of runners at carpet-on 1/3. Sadly, that didn’t transpire, the biggest bet on the jolly was a grand at the price, some punters had other ideas as bets of €7000 -€1000 and €5000 - €1000 Kaid D ‘authie will testify. AK also laid plenty of smaller bets on 12/1 chance Western Fold making those two the bogies at the off. They knew, Kaid D’authie’s inspired backers got the lot, the 5/1 second-in did the business, the book knocked out €9788 which was nasty.

There was a real groan of disbelief from the section of the crowd that had backed Ballyfad in the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle. I thought the 7/2 chance had won when I watched the race live, I thought he’d won it when they showed the replay, I still thought he’d won when they showed the replay after they called the result and displayed the photo confirming that the 3/1 jolly Talk The Talk had won. Of course the section of the crowd that had backed the favourite were delighted. I asked AK’s dad how the book went, he said he was too scared to ask. Luckily, it had gone the firm’s way, in fact the result of the photo was a €5000 swing in favour of AK Bets, the book copped €7200 which was compensation of sorts for getting it horribly wrong in the previous race.

Marine Nationale had as already reported attracted early money, then another €5000 at 13/8 in the live market. AK asked me to try and hedge at the price but that price was but a memory in the blink of an eye, I was a bit disappointed, I used to love having hedge bets back in the day. Not as disappointed as AK though having laid 7/4 and 13/8 a now 11/8 chance. Walking up to AK’s box on the top floor a security lady collared me, not as I feared to inspect my non-existent badge, but to tidy my hood, she said she’d seen me pass twice and couldn’t let me pass again without straightening my skew-whiff attire, that’s Ireland for you, everything with a smile. Meanwhile back down in the ring money came in for Majborough including a couple of grands and monkeys plus weight of public money mostly at 9/4, so much so the book was up the front two. Near the death AK laid a trade bet of €2000 - €240 Energumene but sadly it was not prophetic. Majborough absolutely bolted up to the roar of an appreciative crowd, I knew the book had done its bollocks but this time it was me that thought I’d leave it a minute to ask. 

The book blew €8000 on the previous race, AK told me with a grin, i don't know what Tony senior was worried about. Next up The O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey Handicap Chase, an impossible looking race where they bet 6/1 the field, rather the punters than me trying to solve that beauty. As expected business was steady and small, the 14/1 winner Backmersakme was a cop in the book for €2500 which was slightly surprising given the number of punters from across the Irish Sea and that Emmet Mullins had booked the services of Sean Bowen to ride him.

The race before the penultimate, The Timeless Sash Windows Irish Champion hurdle worth €112,000 to the winner featured Lossiemouth at the head of the market hovering a shade of odds on 5/6 and 9/10 depending where you looked, but the first decent bet in the AK Bets book was €3000 - €1000 Brighterdaysahead. After that bet was struck I met a delightful Irish gent who told me his claim to fame was being banned from Newcastle for getting Thommo in a headlock, all in good natured jest I’m sure, mind you he was a sturdy lad fuelled on Guinness, the punter that is not Thommo. Meanwhile, good head locker or not AK wasn’t laying him evens the by that time generally 8/11 Lossiemouth though did lay another grand on Brighterdaysahead this time at 7/2. There had been steady money for Lossiemouth with AK, two pitches linked including a trio of grand bets which brought the front two up as losers in the book. As the horses went to post there was a cheer for Lossiemouth as she went to post that would put many a finish to shame, evidently if she won my watch would be warning me of a noisy environment, sadly for her supporters we never got to find out. Brighterdaysahead won, returning 11/4, once again, they knew.

I Started A Joke was a solid 15/8 favourite for the penultimate Padel At Leopardstown Golf Launching Spring 2026 Handicap Hurdle. The biggest bet AK Bets laid was €3000 on the favourite in a book with plenty of decent though not huge bets on several horses Murcia being the one not the jolly most popular with the punters, at the off those two were the bogies in the race. I was confused when AK was telling me that Bowen was on fire, Sean Bowen was on the runner-up jolly, it shows how much homework I’d done, that was the name of the 10/1 winning horse, trained by Gordon Elliot and ridden by Jack Kennedy Bowensonfire, which copped €6000 in the book, happy days.

The drama of the day was saved for the lucky last when Royal Hillsborough was well backed, tipped up by a respected judge early, returned 9/1, was home and hosed trading at 1.01 in running then for some inexplicable reason her jockey stopped riding allowing 20/1 chance Moonverrin to get back up in the last stride. Cobblers were done and won in-running while there was uproar on course. AK sat there quietly smirking, both horses had been winners but the 20/1 chance was a cracking result unexpectedly turning an almost surefire losing day into a modest four-figure winning one. Aye Aye, not so Aye Aye was that I’m off back to the Shire, but what a cracking day’s racing, excellent company and respect to those bleary eyed stalwarts who spent all day on the booze, topped up at the dogs and tortured their hangovers today, you’re better men than me!

Simon Nott

AK Bets - NOW FREE OF PREVIOUS ACCOUNT OPENING RESTRICTIONS. AK Bet were founded by a professional punter Anthony Kaminskas who started his bookmaking business by buying pitches on Irish racecourses where he now has a big presence in betting rings all over the Emerald Isle. Being a smart punter that has taken on and beaten other bookmakers on sports as well as horseracing , he's gathered a top team around him and is confident in the prices that they post. If you are a golf, football, darts, snooker etc punter AK Bets will take you on offering big prices and big limits. Click below for an exclusive sign up deal. SIGN UP HERE

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