A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Kid Cassidy's luck may run out in Grand Annual Chase
KID Cassidy may not win today's Grand Annual but he is already the luckiest horse in Cheltenham. The JP McManus-owned runner was one of those horses electrocuted by a live underground cable in the Newbury parade ring last year. He staggered but regained the safety of the ring's rubber walkway before absorbing the full effect.
And last November he took a fall at Lingfield that left him winded and unable to stand. After being taken to veterinary hospital he was so shaken he remained on the danger list for several hours.
“Three hours after the fall his pulse dropped to zero and the vet said he had a minute to live if he didn’t pull round,” trainer Nicky Henderson said later.
Festival punters 'flush' with winners
WHOEVER would have thought going to the toilet could be so profitable? Well, punters going to the Cheltenham Festival this week have been treated to some amazing tips.
OLBG.com, sponsors of the mares' hurdle won by Willie Mullins's Quevega on the opening day, placed ads in the toilets with tips from members from their website and, as of this morning, these tips are eight from eight producing a quite astonishing combined profit at odds of 48,030 to 1, leaving Cheltenham punters feeling rather "flush".
The toilet tips were Sprinter Sacre (8/11), Rock On Ruby (11/1), Balthazar King (11/2), Quevega (4/7), Bobs Worth (9/2), Finian's Rainbow (4/1), Riverside Theatre (7/2) and Big Buck's (5/6). In the hot seat today are Midnight Chase and Chapoturgeon.
Power lose out in Big Buck's stakes
Big Buck's was described as a "four-legged cashpoint machine" by Paddy Power after his Ladbrokes World Hurdle victory.
"It's been a dark day for us with a bad result in the opener with an Irish-trained horse, the Pertemps provided some respite, but then Riverside was a very well-backed favourite and then the bogey result with Big Buck's going off at 5 to 6 after being really well supported," Power said. "We are considerably down on the day, but somehow we have still got our noses ahead over the three days."
Pot of gold
BBC presenter Clare Balding tweeted this news yesterday: "The lad who looks after Finian's Rainbow had a 5-timer on Nicky Henderson winners & has won £1 million! Says he'll still be at work tomorrow."
Best of Times for owner Stewart
OWNER Andy Stewart thinks a bit of his star horse, Big Buck's. "The horse is such fun. They all went out there to try and get him beat and he shrugs it off," he said. "Tomorrow he'll be doing the Times crossword!" More likely is that Big Buck's will be tearing around his stable. The French-bred is a manic box-walker and frets if he isn't the first horse fed in the yard.
