With the trainers’ championship all but secure, Dan Skelton enjoyed a further victory with a huge cross-card gamble on Tuesday. The yard sent out four winners across the meetings at Bangor-On-Dee and Newcastle.
The orchestrated hit saw Coumeenoole, Palamon and Service Minimum win at the Welsh venue. Harry Skelton guided all three home for his own personal treble, while Tristan Durrell got in on the act by riding Tyson to victory at Newcastle.
Coumeenoole was the only member of the quartet to go off odds-against as punters latched onto the opportunity. Service Minimum and Tyson were both comfortably odds-on by the time of their successes.
All four were the subject of gambles, both individually and in accumulators. It left the bookmakers running for cover, as both DragonBet and Paddy Power were forced into five-figure payouts.
“Biggest hit we’ve taken since we launched” – DragonBet co-founder
DragonBet are principally a Welsh bookmaker, and therefore had greater visibility at Bangor-On-Dee on Tuesday. By the time Service Minimum was lining up to complete the treble, they may have wished for the meeting’s abandonment.
James Lovell, who co-founded the firm, highlighted the depths of the payout required across the Skelton winners.
“It’s the biggest hit we’ve taken since we launched,” he said to the Racing Post. “A few bets were placed overnight but most of the bets came through at around 10.30 this morning. It was really well executed. They weren’t big bets and were very much under the radar and there were lots of them.
Another short-priced fancy also cored at Bangor in the shape of Three Zambezi’s for Christian Williams. Despite the different trainer, some punters included him in bigger multiples with the Skelton runners due to his odds.
“We definitely had punters including Christian’s horse in multiples and there were a few different multiples with people jumping on the bandwagon.
“It wasn’t one massive multiple but a large number of them. It was well into a five-figure payout. It’s part of the game – you have to take the rough with the smooth as a bookmaker and they’re only borrowing it!”
Paddy Power spokesperson Paul Binfield also reported that his firm were caught in the gamble. Although the interest levels did not reach those of a big festival, the payout was certainly heftier even than for a regular Saturday.
“We saw plenty of action on them throughout the day,” Binfield said. “Mostly singles, though a fair number of multiples landed as well.
“Customers were quick to jump on the bandwagon as the prices continued to shorten. All told, we’ve paid out a fairly healthy sum – it looks to have been a well‑executed plan by those associated.”