Cheltenham Diary
"The most money I've ever made in a day at the races" was how the big bookmaker and Channel 4 betting pundit Barry Dennis gleefully summed up a disastrous day for punters.
All six favourites on the Festival's third-day card lost, most notably Baracouda after starting the shortest-priced "jolly" of the meeting so far at 6-5. The French-bred veteran sank the day's biggest bet of £200,000 when finishing second in the long-distance World Hurdle.
His owner, the famed Irish investor and punter JP McManus, was active in the ring but things went from bad to worse with his well supported Keepatem managing only eighth in the amateurs' chase, won by the 40-1 shot Another Rum with the 150-1 rank outsider Caislean Ui Cuain in second.
·No surprises then that the Tote Jackpot (requiring punters to pick all six winners) was not won for the third day. Expect syndicates to make big multiple-entry tilts at today's likely pool of £500,000.
·Channel 4 has covered this Festival more extensively than ever before but their cameras are not certain to be back next year as the broadcasters argue that racecourses should pay for the privilege of terrestrial coverage. Heavy negotiations are ongoing and the Channel 4 spokeswoman Hannah Walker said yesterday: "We anticipate making an announcement in May."
·As the Men Behaving Badly star Martin Clunes will be here early for today's opener to cheer on Waltzing Beau, owned by his wife Philippa, those jokers Paddy Power have framed a Horse Behaving Badly market quoting Waltzing Beau at 25-1 to unseat rider Joe Tizzard and 50-1 to refuse.
·At one stage yesterday it was odds-on Cheltenham would have its first-ever birth after one heavily pregnant woman's waters broke in all the excitement. But, as the course's managing director Edward Gillespie later announced: "Fortunately we managed to get her to hospital in time - and are delighted to announce she has given birth to a baby daughter."
·Everyone knows that punters get blinkered vision once they hit the track, but it seems a film set created on course is just a little too realistic for some here. The set includes an authentic Cotswolds Post Office - with Easter eggs in the window - but the door is locked with a note in the window reading "Closed - gone racing, back Monday". One racegoer passing by was heard to complain yesterday: "That's bloody ridiculous - they're hardly going to be busy come Monday."
·The force is surely with the Howard Johnson-trained Akilak in today's Triumph Hurdle given that part-owner Alan Shearer scored twice for Newcastle on Wednesday and the in-form stable have Graham Lee to ride. Hill's went 14-1 against Shearer and Akilak both scoring but Lee is now odds-on to end up as top jockey.