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.

Majborough is beaten!

Jango Baie comes from nowhere to win the My Pension Expert Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices' Chase 😳#ITVRacing | #CheltenhamFestival | @NdeBoinville | @sevenbarrows pic.twitter.com/GabuyShUlC
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) March 11, 2025

GettyJango Baie came from nowhere to win the Arkle and save the bookies from a £50million day one bloodbath[/caption]

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.

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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 in the final leg, but she infamously fell at the last when clear under legendary jockey Ruby Walsh.

Majborough’s loss wasn’t quite so devastating but still punters felt it in their wallets.

One said: “Just like that, the four fold is in the bin. Majborough’s mistake at the second last fence will give me nightmares tonight.”

But it was delight for iconic Brit trainer Hendo, who admitted he had no idea his horse could go that fast.

He said: “Luckily it looked as if he flew the last and landed absolutely full of running and all of sudden the gap was going down rapidly. I didn’t know he could go that fast I must admit.

“From where I was it looked like it was going to be too late, but it was an incredible pace he was nailing them with.”