Outrageous 300-1 no-hoper saves bookies £50million as punters see ‘banker’ four-fold foiled at Cheltenham Festival

AN outrageous 300-1 no-hoper saved the bookies £50million as punters saw their ‘banker’ four-fold foiled at Cheltenham Festival.

The layers were fearing a bloodbath after Willie Mullins’ odds-on jolly Kopek Des Bordes won the opening Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

And the same trainer’s Majborough was massive odds-on to make it two from two in the Arkle Chase next.

He blundered a couple of fences but looked to be in control turning in under Irish jockey Mark Walsh, with Nicky Henderson’s Jango Baie tailed off in last.

Even the TV cameraman had written off Nico de Boinville’s chances on the novice chaser, failing to show him in the coverage.

Jango Baie hit a massive 300-1 on the in-running Betfair Exchange having been sent off 5-1 – while Majborough went as low as 1-3.

But somehow De Boinville got him absolutely flying up the famous hill and he nabbed the £112,000 first-place prize on the line in a thrilling finish.

Majborough didn’t even place, with 25-1 Only By Night in second and Sir Alex Ferguson’s horse L’eau Du Sud in fourth.

Punters had piled into the four-fold they thought couldn’t lose, with the other legs being Lossiemouth in the Mares’ Hurdle and Constitution Hill in the Champion Hurdle at 3.20pm and 4.00pm respectively today.

Bookies said they were staring at losses totalling £50m had they all gone in – the same as they feared exactly ten years ago.

That day at Cheltenham it came down to Annie Power, but she infamously fell at the last when clear under legendary jockey Ruby Walsh.

More to follow.

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