It's been an extraordinary day's racing at Cheltenham: the RSA Chase the up one of the all-time great finishes, before the Queen Mother Champion Chase staged one of the great upsets: the Willie Mullins-trained Douvan did not even place in a race which he began as the 2/9 favourite.
It was won by 11-1 outsider Special Tiara, with Fox Norton in second and Sir Valentino in third.
When asked about Douvan's non-performance afterward, Mullins suspected that it was a physical problem:
Willie Mullins on Douvan: "I thought he was in trouble at the top of the hill. I imagine we'll find a physical problem."
— Racing Post (@RacingPost) March 15, 2017
Willie Mullins added after Douvan's shock defeat: "Ruby was a bit gobsmacked."
— Racing Post (@RacingPost) March 15, 2017
The shock meant that a lot of people went out of pocket, with one punter at the course completing the wild parabola of the gambler. Having put an absurd £400,000 on Altior yesterday, the punter returned to the same bookie to place a monstrous £500,000 on Douvan, as reported by the BBC:
Yesterday this bookie paid out on a £400,000 bet on Altior...
Today they've had a £500,000 bet from the same punter on Douvan! 💰🐎 pic.twitter.com/AvI4wJ2eVq— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) March 15, 2017
Madness. Surely the heaviest of the losses on Douvan.
