It’s worth a gamble
£70m bet spree as Cheltenham crowds defy virus
RACE fans coughed up £70million in bets yesterday as Cheltenham refused to hold its horses over coronavirus fears.
A defiant 60,664 turned out for the iconic meet’s first day, compared with the record 67,934 crowd last year.
Jockey Club Racecourses regional director Ian Renton said: “We are very happy with the crowd considering the uncertainty of the last fortnight.”
Bookies expected £35,000 to be wagered per second and look set to sweep £300m – with £30m being bet on Friday’s prestigious Gold Cup.
Measures to put fans at ease amid the Covid-19 scare included a pop-up pharmacy, hand sanitising points and more staff to clean the 2,200 toilets.
Celebs horsing around included Zara Phillips, Carol Vorderman and Jack Whitehall. And the Queen’s grandson, Peter Phillips, 42, roared on a winner with estranged wife Autumn, 41. The pair, who split last month, looked happy as they arrived at Prestbury Park.
The course is near Gatcombe
Park, the Gloucestershire estate of Peter’s mum, Princess Anne, where they still live.
In yesterday’s action, Rachael Blackmore, tipped to be the first female to win top jockey, started badly with a fall in the first of her four races. She rallied to win the third, only to come well behind in her final ride.
But she could still pull off the feat in the week’s remaining races.
Today, Decor Irlandais, bought for just £1,000, will bid for a fairytale win in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle. And the crowd will wow too as awards are dished out for the fillies with the finest fashion form during Ladies’ Day.