Tony McFadden reflects on a recent spell notable for big-price shocks.
It may have been a race comprised of old favourites but, in keeping with the theme of late, there was a big-price shock in the Veterans' Final at Sandown on Saturday.
Wishing And Hoping, one of four teenagers in the line-up, was a 50/1 shot and a shorter price than only one of his 17 rivals, but he rolled back the years to register a two-and-a-quarter-length success.
That was a surprise result, though there had been an even bigger one at Taunton eight days earlier as Inspiratrice joined a select club of 200/1 winners when landing the juvenile hurdle. No horse in Britain this century has won at a longer price (though Equinoctal won at 250/1 in 1990).
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The 200/1 club
*In Britain this century
- Beechy Bank - Warwick, 21 August, 2002
- Arctic Blue - Chepstow, 23 March, 2005
- Maoi Chinn Tire - Wetherby, 29 October, 2010
- Lights of Broadway - Taunton, 9 January, 2012
- Dandy Flame - Wolverhampton, 25 July, 2016
- Intercessor - Newbury, 13 June, 2020
- Runninwild - Redcar, 31 May, 2021
- Astapor - Hamilton, 2 June, 2022
- Inspiratrice - Taunton, 30 December 2022
It's also unsurprisingly rare for horses to win at 100/1 or bigger, and Inspiratrice, who struck the day before New Year's Eve, was only the 13th horse in Britain to win at a three-figure price in 2022.
Remarkably, there were a couple of winners at a three-figure price on the same card at Newcastle just five days later as Endofastorm (125/1) and Notimeforanother (100/1) both sprang a huge surprise.
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Discover Sporting Life Plus BenefitsThat was the only time this century in Britain or Ireland that there have been two winners at 100/1 or bigger on the same card - and, to think, things had started so well for the majority of punters with a couple of short-price favourites winning the first two races!
There have, of course, been plenty of other meetings with winners that were extraordinarily difficult to find, including Grand National day in 2009.
Had you failed to find a winner before the National it's likely your tally for the card remained on zero as the big one was won by Mon Mome at 100/1 and the following two contests were won by 66/1 shots.
Results at Newbury's meeting on 10 December 2003 were more friendly for favourite backers as the biggest winning starting price from the first six contests was 6/4 - you'd imagine the bookies were extremely relieved when a 100/1 shot foiled the 5/4 market leader in the bumper.
The biggest winning starting price in Ireland this century, incidentally, stands at 300/1. Two horses have won at that price - He Knows No Fear in a mile maiden at Leopardstown in August 2020 and Sawbuck in a maiden hurdle at Punchestown in May 2022.
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