Punters Bounce Back On Final Day

Punters left it late but they ended the 2006 Cheltenham Festival on a high note thanks to several well-backed winners on the final day.

First it was favourite Detroit City who took the JCB Triumph Hurdle, then hotpot Black Jack Ketchum in the following race and even Totesport Gold Cup hero War of Attrition was backed down from 10-1 to 15-2.

And when the well-backed 4-1 joint-favourite Desert Quest took the meeting's finale, the Vincent O'Brien County Hurdle, it meant many backers were able walk out with their pockets pleasingly full.

David Stevens, spokesman for Coral, said: 'A well-backed Irish winner on St Patrick's Day was always going to be costly for the bookies.

'But for them to have a clean sweep in the biggest race of the week simply added insult to injury and ensured that the punters had a winning day.

'However, thanks to the dream day that the bookies had on Wednesday, we have still had a winning week.'

William Hill director of racing David Hood added: 'You could almost predict that St Patrick would come to the aid of the punter but bookmakers are still celebrating the gains made on Wednesday and Thursday which amounted to almost £70million across the industry.'

On the pool betting front, Tote bosses were also delighted with a substantial jump of more than £500,000 on the total turnover for the week.

The final day saw a turnover figure of £3,518,354 ? an 11 per cent year-on-year increase.

The Gold Cup also set a new record for the amount bet into the win pool on one race, £540,467 surpassing the previous best tally for the 2004 Grand National.

In the betting ring, recorded winning bets of £20,000, £25,000 and £30,000 helped to empty the satchels after the victory of Black Jack Ketchum.

And the each-way punters who laid out £120,000-£10,000 and £50,000-£5,000 twice collected when Forget The Past kept on for third in the Gold Cup.

? PA Sport