“A very good result” surprise as Paddy Power boosted by Galopin Des Champs win.
An all-too-predictable Willie Mullins big-race double ought to have turned the tide firmly against the layers on the final day of the meeting if an unpredictable Thursday had allowed bookmakers to draw back to about the same level as Cheltenham Festival punters.
However, established businesses’ responses were somewhat more mixed. Paddy Power depicted the triumph of Galopin Des Champions in the Boodles Gold Cup as “an excellent outcome,” while William Slope portrayed the 7-5 victor as “not unreasonably solid.” Coral described the festival as “one to remember for many punters” at the conclusion of the final day.
In the betting for the JCB Triumph Hurdle, Mullins had the first three horses, and earlier in the week, Blood Destiny had overtaken Lossiemouth as the market leader. Lossiemouth went into the day as a 13-8 favorite, and the crowd barely wavered in their support for Paul Townend’s horse, who was roared home at 11-8.
Before Mullins and Townend made no mistake with the classy Galopin Des Champs, bookmakers received some respite with 33-1 winners of the County Hurdle and 18-1 winners of the Albert Bartlett, respectively.
Coral’s David Stevens: “Lossiemouth gave favourite backers the perfect start to the busiest betting day of the festival and while the next two winners, Faivoir and Stay Away Fay, were much harder to find, Galopin Des Champs’ many backers had plenty of time to cheer the seven-year-old home as he went clear up the famous hill.
“A winning favourite in the second biggest betting race of the entire year is never going to be a good result for the bookmakers and the Lossiemouth-Galopin Des Champs double was also extremely popular, ensuring this year’s festival will be one to remember for many punters.”
Constitution Hill, the shortest-priced winner in the history of the Champion Hurdle, won the National Hunt Chase and the championship races on Tuesday and Wednesday, while El Fabiolo, trained by Mullins, justified his 11-10 odds in the Arkle.
The losses of Powerful Potter and Shishkin on Thursday provided the challenge with some similarity to value, before Friday by and by turned reasonably definitively for supporters.
Given that the well-backed 15-8 second favorite Impervious defeated the Mullins and Townend favorite Allegorie De Vassy in the Mrs. Paddy Power Mares’ Chase, even the defeat of Allegorie De Vassy provided little comfort to bookmakers. However, William Hill and Paddy Power reported surprising victories on the day.
Paddy Power spokesman Paul Binfield said: “Irish eyes must have been smiling on the bookies all right in the Gold Cup as despite the winner being favourite, amazingly it was a very good result for us, although some shrewd punters did have some ante-post run-ups on him.”
William Hill’s Lee Phelps was of a similar sentiment, saying: “Favourite Galopin Des Champs winning the Gold Cup wasn’t a bad result at all. He was wrapped up in a few costly multiples, but in the race itself he wasn’t overly strong.
“It was a tricky day for punters, with turn-ups in the Albert Bartlett, County and Hunter Chase, and we’ve ended the festival in front. The costliest thing for us this year has been long-standing ante-post multiples. We’ve seen a number of punters pocketing tens and even hundreds of thousands of pounds thanks to some well-judged accumulators and that has taken the gloss off what has been a solid week.”
Among the organisations costlier liabilities was a six-figure payout thanks to two long-range wagers that happened as expected on Friday for a similar foresighted client.
The client received £26,520 from a £10 each-way double placed on Christmas Eve 2021 with Constitution Hill at 25-1 and Galopin Des Champs at 33-1. The client also received £74,722 from a £10 four-fold placed in March on the same two horses and Desert Crown to win the Derby and Tuesday in the Oaks.
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