Costly Pete feat!
Ex-Liverpool and Spurs striker Peter Crouch must pay out for 1000 pints of Guinness at Cheltenham after an Irish horse won the Stayers’ Hurdle.
Crouchy will need to fork out a whopping £7,800 after he lost his bet with Paddy Power.
Speaking to ITV, the former England striker explained: “That’s outrageous really! I don’t know loads about horse racing.
“I woke up, I had a look at it and I was like we haven’t got any chance! And now he’s [Paddy Power] upped it!”
Lavender hopes to get back in the pink
Cheltenham Festival chiefs claim they are doing all they can to reverse falling crowds.
Racecourse chief executive Guy Lavender told the BBC: “The decline is not catastrophic but nor are we seeing growing attendances
“We’ve invested a lot in car parking, in entertainment and how people go about the racecourse.
“It’s all about delivery and we’re doing that really well this year.
“We’ve removed some of the restrictions on how alcohol can be moved around… I’ve got the sense that customers have loved it.
“The racing has been dramatic and it’s been incredible.”
Festival crowd smallest for 32 years
Cheltenham Festival is smarting from fast-reducing crowds.
Yesterday drew 41,949 spectators – the lowest figure since 1993 and down 5,000 on last year.
Tuesday had seen a similar fall from 2024 – 60,181 to 55,498.
It all meant a big dop in fans watching yesterday’s Queen Mother Champion Chase
Horse-racing enthusiasts who ducked this year’s Festival have blamed rising costs.
That includes the tickets themselves but also accommodation, travel, food and drink.
The BBC say thousands went instead to sunny Spanish resorts like Benidorm and Tenerife – to view the racing on big screens.
De Bromhead hails ‘brilliant’ Blackmore win
Rachael Blackmore completed a ”Grand Slam’ of Cheltenham’s big races.
She steered Bob Olinger to victory in the Stayers’ Hurdle – the only of the Festival ‘Big Five’ she had not previously won.
And she had to see off favourite and defending champion Teahupoo – who, like Bob Olinger, is owned by Brian Acheson.
Blakckmore’s mount was cut from 20/1 to 8/1 after huge back earlier today.
And trainer Henry de Bromhead said: “Rachael was brilliant on him.
“We said, if you’re going to get beaten, get beaten for coming too late.
“He’s an incredible horse, he had such a reputation a few years ago, things didn’t work out as well as we thought.
“But to see him come back and do that is amazing.”
It gave Blackmore a 152-1 Thursday double after triumphing on Air Of Entitlement in the Mares’ Novice Hurdle.
Dettori says bankruptcy will ‘affect me for many years’
Legend Frankie Dettori admitted he’s “embarrassed” after filing for bankruptcy that he reckons will impact him “for many years”.
The jockey, 54, who has ridden more than 3,300 winners, failed to reach agreement with HMRC in a case of tax avoidance.
The Italian lost a plea for anonymity over the matter in December.
Dettori had used professional specialist tax advisers but appointed new ones last year in a bid to resolve his tax case.
He said: “For the last six months, my advisors have been working with HMRC in an attempt to find a solution to my financial situation.
“I am saddened and embarrassed by this outcome and would advise others to take a stronger rein over their financial matters.
“Bankruptcy is a major decision and its consequences will affect me for many years.”
SEVEN jockeys banned
Course stewards might think they’ve had a quieter day – at least in one way.
A string of false starts yesterday led to SEVEN jockeys picking up bans.
But the suspensions were all for just one day.
Keith Donoghue was on that list – for misconduct right at the start of the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase which he went on to win easily on Stumptown.
Donoghue has given his view on the tricky issue of starts at the Festival.
He said: “I fully understand how tough the starter’s job is this week, but there just seems to be a lack of communication.
“Sometimes he lets us go and sometimes he doesn’t. It’s just very hard to know what’s going to happen.”
