Jeu De Roseau lands huge punt at Towcester
By Racing Post staff 7:37PM 10 MAY 2010
PUNTERS landed an extraordinary gamble on Monday when the Chris Grant-trained Jeu De Roseau scored a narrow victory at Towcester, after being backed down to an SP of 6-4 from 25-1 in the morning.
The winner, formerly trained by Andrew Stringer - renowned punter Barney Curley's ex-assistant - and before that, by Curley himself, had been heavily backed all day, and the victory followed gambles on three Curley-trained runners earlier in the day.
Jeu De Roseau's victory was reported by bookmakers to be part of a gamble also involving three horses trained by Curley, all of whom were also backed to short-priced favouritism, and two of whom won.
British bookmakers estimated around £1m had been won on bets involving all four runners or combinations of them.
Layers said they avoided liabilities estimated at more than €2m in Ireland alone when the third Curley-trained runner, Sommersturm,backed into 1-3 from 4-1, flopped at Wolverhampton.
Alarm bells had sounded in off course offices through the day with significant backing in Britain and Ireland for the Curley horses and that was echoed at the courses with Agapanthus being sent off at 2-1 (from 7-1) and Savaronola being returned a well supported 11-10 from morning odds of 5-1.
Most of Ireland’s top bookmakers said they would have faced six-figure liabilities.
“We’re just grateful the third horse got beat – it would have been a catastrophic result for us,” said Boylesports’ spokesman Leon Blanche.
John Goss, representing Ladbrokes at Wolverhampton, said: "We have seen money in the offices for the three Curley-trained horses in trebles andso on and after the first one won it was obvious money was going to come back to the course.
"When Savaranola won as well we were braced for more money to come for Sommersturm and he ended up 1-3 as it seemed everyone wanted to back him."
The first runner, Agapanthus, partnered by Tom Queally, ran out a good winner of the Whoopsadaisy Charity Handicap at Brighton having been gambled in to 2-1 (from 7-1), despite returning from a 187-day absence.
The second and third legs of the apparent gamble came in both divisions of the amateur riders' handicap at Wolverhampton on Monday.
Both were ridden by Declan Queally - but while Savaronola, who went off as an 11-10 favourite (from 5-1 earlier in the day), took the first division with ease, Sommersturm let down backers in the second division, at 5.30.
Speaking before the 5.30, Stan James spokesman Charlie McCann said: "Punters have been on from first thing this morning backing Agapanthus and Savaronola, the two afternoon winners, with Sommersturm (5.30 Wolverhampton) and Jeu De Roseau (7.30 Towcester) in doubles, trebles, yankees and Lucky 15s.
"Jeu De Roseau was previously trained byCurley but is now in the tutelage of Chris Grant. If the next two oblige it will indeed be a Black Monday not only for Gordon Brown but for the bookies and a red letter day for fearless punter Curley, who appears to have planned the day with military precision . . . so far."
Curley became infamous in not only the racing and betting world, but also in wider circles after the then gambler and entrepreneur masterminded a coup at Bellewstown in the summer of 1975 where he made the most of the poor communication between the track and off course bookmakers to win a reputed Ir£300,000 (€1.7m in today's money) on a horse called Yellow Sam, which ran in his colours.
In the interveningyears both as an owner and trainer, he has been associated with numerous gambles, plenty at a low level, and often using then relatively unknown jockeys, some of whom, including the likes of Frankie Dettori, Jamie Spencer and Tom Queally, have since established themselves among the top names in the weighing room.
Curley has reduced his racing interests in recent years and spends much of his time working for the Direct Aid For Africa charity he established in 1996. - racingpost.com
