Cheltenham punter is Festival's biggest winner even after Envoi Allen's exit
The fall of hot favourite Envoi Allen at the fourth fence in the Marsh Novice Chase here on Thursday, bringing his 11-race unbeaten record to an end, was a disappointing way to start the Festival’s third day, but it did at least ensure that 40-year-old punter Paul Dean will finish the meeting feeling like its biggest winner.
Dean placed a five-leg, £5 accumulator last summer which would have paid out more than £500,000 had Envoi Allen, who set off as the 4-9 favourite, won. Prior to the race he declined an offer from Betfair, which laid the bet, to cash out for £275,000, but accepted a partial cash-out which left him winning £322,000 if Envoi Allen came home in front, and £250,000 if he did not.
As a result, he could watch without too many concerns, and knew that his chance to win an extra £72,000 had gone at an early stage.
Both Envoi Allen and Jack Kennedy, his jockey, were unhurt in the fall, and Nicky Henderson’s Chantry House, at 9-1, was the horse to benefit from the supposed banker bet of the meeting’s departure. If that seemed to mark a change of fortune for British stables, however, it proved a forlorn hope, as Irish-trained horses went through the rest of the card to finish the day on 17 over the three days, to just four wins for British yards.
Allaho, at 3-1, was an easy winner of the Grade One Ryanair Chase under a dominant front-running ride by Rachael Blackmore, while Flooring Porter, at 12-1, took the Stayers’ Hurdle, the day’s feature event, with Danny Mullins replacing Jonathan Moore in the saddle after his booked rider decided at the last minute that he had not recovered sufficiently from a fall last weekend.
The most remarkable performance of the day, however, came in the final race on the card, as Kennedy brought Mount Ida from an apparently hopeless position on the first circuit to win the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Chase.
Mount Ida was all but detached from the field in the early stages and was matched at the maximum price of 999-1 on the Betfair exchange, but made steady progress through the middle part of the race before arriving at the final fence still full of running on the way to a six-and-a-half length victory.
“It was a massive thrill, especially after the day I’d had,” Kennedy said, “probably one of the most satisfactory winners I’ve had.”