LUCKY PUNTER SCOOPS €108K
gary picks five winners and is one away from landing €1m
A LUCKY Irish punter was celebrating on the double at Cheltenham yesterday after scooping an incredible €108,000.
Gary Brennan, 47, backed five of the seven winners at Prestbury Park on Thursday and was at Prestbury Park courtesy of his friend winning an all-expenses paid trip with Paddy Power.
He backed 6/1 shot Shattered Love, 10/1 chance Delta Work, Balko Des Flos at 14/1, 12/1 shot Penhill and The Storyteller at 7/1. His final selection, Squouateur finished third.
Had the last horse won his 50c each-way Lucky 63 – which cost €63 – he would have banked almost €1million.
Gary, from Trim, Co Meath, said: “When Davy Russell crossed the line on The Storyteller after giving him an unbelievable ride, I fell to my knees. I couldn’t draw a breath. I was thinking of my daughters Olivia and Ella and my wife Ciara and what this would mean to them. This doesn’t happen to people like me. I only place small bets for fun.
“But the pub went crazy, it was like Italia 90 all over again.
“Then I went down to my local Paddy Power shop in Trim, where I’ve been a customer for 25 years, because I knew I had one more horse left to run and that I was in for a potential life-changing sum.
“I was walking down the street and the butcher came out of his shop, cars were beeping and people were stopping me. It’s a small town and everyone knows each other so good news travels fast.
“I went straight to Anne, the shop manager, and she took me by both hands and congratulated me. In the last race of course Squouateur didn’t quite get there, but I didn’t mind. All
happen to people like me. I only do small bets for fun GARY BRENNAN CHELTENHAM YESTERDAY
I was concerned about at that point was the fact that I was supposed to be at home making the dinner and I had no idea how to tell my wife – about the dinner, or the win!
“The kids knew the other horses had won, so when I walked in fell on my knees in the kitchen. I told them I’d look after them.”
Gary was at the races with friends Kevin Clancy, Adrian O’halloran and Billy Mcevoy, who won the competition on the Ryan Tubridy Show.
Amazingly another punter also scooped more than €100,000 in the same shop on Thursday, after placing a €5 each-way accumulator.
The first race of Friday went the way of Ireland with Jack Kennedy, 18, who rode Farclas to victory for trainer Gordon Elliott and Michael O’leary’s Gigginstown House Stud.
Elliott and O’leary were back in the winner’s enclosure when Kilkenny jockey Donagh Meyler, 22, rode Blow By Blow to victory in the Martin Pipe.
The results saw Elliott crowned top trainer with eight wins, one ahead of Willie Mullins, while Davy Russell won the top jockey award and O’leary’s Gigginstown was the top owner.
Meath trainer Gordon said: “We had an unbelievable week.
“I keep saying it but the staff I have, the owners and the horses – it is unbelievable and thanks to everyone.”
Ryanair boss O’leary added: “There is so much talent in Ireland. Davy Russell demonstrated yesterday what he can do at the age of 38 and Jack is clearly one of a group of new, young jockeys coming through.
“A lot of the best horses are now being kept in Ireland by Rich Ricci, Jp[mcmanus], myself and others.
“It’s a golden era in Irish racing that we have most of the best horses with very good jockeys. “I remember 15 years ago we could only get one winner here.”
It was a mixed day for punters with some huge priced winners, but Gold Cup winner Native River got a lot of them out of jail on the betting front.
Nicola Mcgeady of Ladbrokes said: “Punters across the country are celebrating Gold Cup hero Native River.
“Might Bite was the nightmare result, but Native River wasn’t kind to us either.
“It was a much-needed result for punters who got off to a terrible start with all three favourites beaten.”
The incredible week for the Irish ended with Ken Doherty lifting the Betbright Prestbury Cup as former cricketer Phil Tufnell looked on.
And former world champ Ken has backed us to beat England again in the rugby today.
He said: “The Betbright Cup is a great novelty, it’s a fun event but it just shows you how far Irish horse racing has come in the last few years.
“Tuffers has gone back with his tail between his legs and I hope after what Eddie Jones said about the Irish that he’ll be going back to Australia with his tail between his legs too.”