A CHELTENHAM punter saw a £10,000 winner go up in flames before the first race – but still walked away a grand up thanks to a savvy cash out.
The awesome four-fold, which included 10-1 and 6-1 winners at last November’s Breeders’ Cup, had Gaelic Warrior in the Ryanair as the final leg.
This was the awesome four-fold that relied on Gaelic Warrior winning the Ryanair Chase… but the horse won’t run
Last year’s Arkle winner has had a shocking season but hopes were high the Willie Mullins-trained superstar could find his mojo again back at Cheltenham.
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The £7.13 bet had a cash out offering of over £1,000 last November and it looked like having a right chance when Gaelic Warrior wasn’t declared for the Champion Chase.
But heartbreaker Mullins did not declare him for Thursday’s Grade 1 Ryanair either, meaning the last leg was a loser.
Only, it wasn’t quite.
Shrewd punter Bo McGrail said he cashed out when the value hit £1,500, ensuring a nice return from his small stake.
He told Sun Racing: “It was a simple decision to cash out.
“I was away on business and the time zones weren’t favourable.
“I was getting messages from sources I trust saying he wasn’t right and the Betfair Exchange was matching what I was told.
“It was sensible to cash out, which meant I’ve broken even for the Festival before the week has even started!
“Now I’ve got lots of bets running for free… nearly!
“I wouldn’t usually cash but this was the exception to the rule.”
Mullins’ decision to scrap Gaelic Warrior from the Festival altogether paves a way for stablemate Fact To File in the 2m4f Ryanair.
He has tried to take on odds-on Gold Cup chance Galopin Des Champs over three miles twice this season and failed.
But he was brilliant when winning the John Durkan Chase before that over the Ryanair trip.
He’ll be up against the likes of French raider Il Est Francais and Sir Alex Ferguson’s defending champ Protektorat.
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