The Biggest Upsets in Cheltenham Festival History
Cheltenham races that upset the bookies!
With the Cheltenham Festival just around the corner, many will be busy studying the form of participating horses/jockeys and looking for inspiration and tips regarding their upcoming Cheltenham bets! With the festival steeped in history, most will be eager to learn of past performances, especially racing upsets! This is because, in some cases, racing upsets will cost the bookies considerable amounts - which is every bettors's dream outcome.
So, here at betting.bet, we have put together a list of some of the biggest Cheltenham upsets in history!
Kirriemuir – 1965
In 1965, this was one of the biggest shocks to hit the world.
At the time, Kirriemuir's 50-1 odds were the highest ever for the Champion Hurdle. It's easy to see why, given that it was competing against legends like National Spirit, Hatton's Grace, and Sir Ken. Even his trainer, Fulke Walwyn, was caught off guard!
Cue Card – 2010
The fact that Cue Card won the Champion Bumper in 2010 is not surprising in light of what we know about him now.
The fact that he did it at 40-1 is surprising, though. On his first outing, the horse trained by Colin Tizzard was largely overlooked, including by the oddsmakers. Since then, Cue Card has amassed nine Grade 1 victories and developed into something of a legend at The Festival.
Arctic Kinsman – 1994
The tension at Cheltenham usually rises steadily until just before Friday's Gold Cup. However, the events of 1994 demonstrated that The Festival is an event not to be missed, not even the first race.
Unbeknownst to the gamblers, this 50-1 long shot won the Supreme Novice by eight lengths.
Observers Corps - 1989
The fact that Observer Corps entered the 1989 Cathcart at 66-1 was just one of the many surprising aspects of this result.
He hadn't raced in over a year, and the eight-year-old trained by John Edwards hadn't even come close to winning any of his four previous starts. His eight-length victory over the rest of the field had to leave everyone in shock.
Norton's Coin – 1990
The next day, the Racing Post's headline read "Shock of the Century," and they weren't kidding.
Now, Norton's Coin's record as the most expensive Cheltenham winner still stands. Sirrell Griffiths, who handled his training, only had a few horses under his care and treated the job as a hobby.
It wasn't some weird coincidence, either. Up the hill, Norton's Coin faced off against the likes of the betting favourite and defending Gold Cup champion Desert Orchid, as well as Jenny Pitman's Toby Tobias.
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