A little-known horse who has seen his odds OBLITERATED from 100-1 into 8-1 could be ‘one of the biggest Royal Ascot gambles ever’, petrified bookies have confirmed.
Trainer Joseph O’Brien, son of iconic handler Aidan, has watched the odds on The Liffey tumble down repeatedly in the build-up to the world’s biggest Flat racing festival.
The four-year-old gelding has raced just four times in his life and used to be trained by the Ballydoyle king.
But The Liffey was moved to Joseph’s Kilkenny yard in April this year, a month before he made his comeback after 350 days off the track.
Interestingly, John Magnier and Derrick Smith, two-thirds of the all-conquering Coolmore syndicate, kept their share in the horse while Michael Tabor opted out.
Two more owners came in ahead of his encouraging fourth-placed finish at odds of 16-1 in a Listed contest over seven furlongs at Naas.
While he might not have looked a world-beater on the occasion, his subsequent mark of 98 has led many to believe the handicapper has seriously underestimated him.
And a gamble from odds of 100-1 last month into just 8-1 now suggests the son of No Nay Never is capable of much more.
While it doesn’t take stacks of cash to move a market in the Royal Hunt Cup handicap this far out, bookies have certainly taken notice of the monster plunge.
Paddy Power’s Paul Binfield said: “We first put The Liffey into the race at 100-1 and we took plenty of bets at fancy prices.
“Those wagers meant he was already a decent loser for a handicap so far from post-time, but then when we were around the 20-1 mark momentum really took off and he’s now incredulously into just 8-1.
“He’s already a bad ante-post result for us.
“It’s a little too early to say it’s turning into one of the biggest ever Royal extravaganza gambles we’ve ever encountered.
“Mainly because the money we’ve seen is unlikely to be of the scale of liabilities we’ll be holding on the actual day.
“But should the momentum continue in the way that it has, and punters get stuck into the No Nay Never gelding on that Wednesday, it’s certainly not inconceivable that it might be up there.”;
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