Brits take a bashing at bookies
THE punters took a battering yesterday as bookies enjoyed another day of shock results to top off their “dream week” at Cheltenham.
Outsider Sizing John won the Gold Cup earning bookies £20m.
CHELTENHAM Gold Cup day descended into a Guinness-soaked betting nightmare as the bookies celebrated a dream week.
They toasted the worst festival ever for punters, who suffered another series of shock results yesterday, including in the Gold Cup.
Sizing John’s surprise victory saved the bookmakers a cool £20million, according to Ladbrokes.
Spokeswoman Nicola McGeady said the firm was up £40m at the event – compared to £60m of losses last year.
But the Irish were still smiling as Britain’s favourite day of racing luckily fell on their favourite day of drinking.
The bars took millions as punters quaffed champagne, whisky, stout – and just about anything else that they could get their hands on.
More than 60,000 people had packed the Cotswolds racecourse for a raucous end to the annual flutterfest.
Hardened boozers are now set to continue the megasession into the weekend and beyond as the Irish sporting fun continues.
The Emerald Isle’s rugby team is the only opposition standing in the way of England’s Six Nation’s grand slam hopes this evening.
Sizing John’s win brought more Paddy’s Day joy for Irish owner Jessica Harrington and the jockey Robbie Power.
Jessica said it was the “jewel in the crown” to win a race she described as “the Olympics of racing”.
Toasting
And a spokesman for bookmaker Paddy Power said: “Punters rolled with the punches on days one and two of the 2017 Cheltenham Festival when results went against them.
“But their fortunes changed on day three when the imperious Willie Mullins got them out of jail, landing a four-timer with Paddy Power Ambassador Ruby Walsh in the plate for each of them.
“However, bookmakers were landing haymakers on day four.”
The course was crammed with thousands of Irish punters toasting their nation’s big day as they hit the course’s Guinness Village.
One Irish visitor said: “This is a huge day for us at the races.
“Cheltenham is the closest thing to Dublin outside Ireland on St Patrick’s Day.”
The Irish were joined by a host of top celebs for the festival’s greatest day of racing.
Hardy racegoer Zara Tindall arrived at the course with pals for a fourth day in a row.
And ex-glamour model Kate Price gave herself a special makeover for the big day.
But Ant and Dec suffered a dip in fortune as their horse Augusta Kate, which they own with football legend and TV pundit Alan Shearer and golf ace Lee Westwood, came nowhere in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.