Tag: outsiders

Which are the biggest outsiders to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup?

Unlike, say, the Grand National, which has been a handicap for most of its existence, the Cheltenham Gold Cup is a conditions, or weight-for-age, steeplechase. Horses aged six years and upwards carry 11st 10lb, five-year-olds carry 11st 8lb and mares receive a 7lb allowance so, as might be expected, the ‘Blue Riband’ event of the British National Hunt calendar is rarely won by an outsider.

Far and away the biggest outsider to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup since it was first run, as a steeplechase, in 1924, was Norton’s Coin, who defied odds of 100/1 when defeating Toby Tobias and Desert Orchid by three-quarters of a length and four lengths in 1990. Owned and trained by Sirrell Griffiths, a dairy farmer and permit-holder based in Nantgaredig in Carmarthenshire, South West Wales, Norton’s Coin was described, justifiably, as the ‘Shock of the Century’ on the front page of the ‘Racing Post’ the following day.

Indeed, in the entire history of the Cheltenham Gold Cup no other horse has won at odds longer than 33/1; the two 33/1 winners were Gay Donald, trained by Jim Ford, in 1955 and L’Escargot, trained by Dan Moore, in 1970. Cool Ground, trained by Toby Balding, prevailed at odds of 25/1 in 1992, as Cool Dawn, trained by Robert Alner, in 1998, but the only other winners that could be classified as ‘outsiders’ were the 20/1 winners Mr.

Mulligan in 1997 and Lord Windermere in 2014.

Which horse is the biggest priced winner in Royal Ascot history?

Royal Ascot, running for five days in mid June of each year (Tuesday 16th June – Saturday 20th June in 2020), is one of the most highly anticipated events in UK racing. With its royal connections and history dating back to 1911, it’s one to watch for all ardent horse racing fans.

As is the nature of racing, it’s impossible to totally rule out big raced winners, and over the years outsiders have won even the most prestigious of Royal Ascot races. I recall Arcadian Heights winning the 1994 Gold Cup on his third attempt as outsider at 20-1.

2020 was no exception for big priced winners. There were several horses winning at big odds with bookmakers over the five days (Onassis and Scarlett Dragon both won as 33-1 outsiders). As often happens though, racing saves the best for last. On the final day not only did Frankie Dettori pull off an impressive treble (which as an accumulator would have been 150-1), but it also brought us the biggest odds winner in Royal Ascot history, co-incidentally also 150-1, Nando Parrado.

Coming in at only fifth on his Newmarket debut earlier this month, Nando Parrado simply wasn’t on the radar, and left punters and bookmakers stunned with a performance that earned him the title of biggest price Royal Ascot winner in modern times. He looked to have serious ambitions as he started the Coventry Stakes, featuring prominently. Qaader put down a challenge but there was only one winner on the day, Nando Parrado, ridden by Jockey Adam Kirby. Prior to this the longest-priced outsider winner in Royal Ascot’s history was Flashmans Papers in the 2008 Windsor Castle and Fox Chapel in the 1990 Britannia Stakes.

After the victory Trainer Clive Cox was more inclined to say he was shocked by the 150-1 price, rather than the win, “I was just saying it is not a shock. The price was a shock. He is a proper horse and we loved him from the start. It was always the plan to come here, it was just a sideways step on his first run.”. Before 2020, the biggest priced winner(s) in the Coventry Stakes was just 20-1 (Chief Singer (1983), Landseer (2001), War Command (2013)). At 150-1 with bookmakers – and much bigger on the exchanges – Nando Parrado has set a Royal Ascot record that’s going to be hard to top.

 

Which rank outsider finished second, at 500/1, in the Derby?

In the long, illustrious history of the Derby, which was inaugurated in 1780, three horses – Jeddah (1898), Signorinetta (1908) and Aboyeur (1913) – have won at odds of 100/1. However, the horse that came closest to becoming the longest-priced winner in the history of British racing, never mind the Derby, was Terimon in 1989. Trained by Clive Brittain and ridden by Michael Roberts, the grey son of Bustino lined up at Epsom with just a lowly maiden race win to his name and was, justifiably, sent off at 500/1 rank outsider of the twelve runners, behind 5/4 favourite Nashwan.

While ultimately no match for Nashwan, who pulled clear in the closing stages to win, easily, by 5 lengths, Terimon nevertheless belied his eye-watering starting price; he made steady late headway to deprive 3/1 second favourite Cacoethes of second place close home amd thus become the longest-priced placed horse in the history of the Epsom Classic. A colourful character, with a reputation for ’tilting at windmills’, Brittain had apparently told owner Lady Beaverbrook beforehand that Terimon would be placed.

Why are odds of 33/1 known as ‘double carpet’?

In the heyday of the on-course betting ring, the job of the tic-tac was to convey information to his, or her, bookmaker, by means of a series of coded arm movements. Odds of 33/1 were conveyed by crossing the arms and placing the hands flat on the chest. Verbally, odds of 33/1 were and, in some cases, still are, called out as ‘double carpet’, which, like the arm movements, was intended to keep the information secret from anyone not ‘in the know’.

Betting ring vernacular often draws on sayings and slang including, but not limited to, backslang and Cockney rhyming slang, for its inspiration and ‘double carpet’ is no exception. In criminal, or prison, slang dating from the nineteenth century, the term ‘carpet stretch’ meant three months’ imprisonment; three months was reputedly the length of time required by an inmate to to weave a carpet or mat for his cell in the prison workshop. Thus, in the betting ring, odds of 3/1 became known as ‘carpet’ and, naturally enough, odds of 33/1 became known as ‘double carpet’.

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