After two days at the Festival when the punters landed blow after blow, the bookmakers clawed their way back on Thursday on an afternoon when every favourite was beaten. Envoi Allen’s defeat of Shishkin, the even-money favourite, in the Ryanair Chase was the first big result for the ring but there was better yet to come 40 minutes later, as Sire Du Berlais, an unconsidered 33-1 chance, recorded the third Festival success of his career in the Grade One Stayers’ Hurdle.
The famous green and gold colours of JP McManus have been a danger sign for the bookies at the Festival for 30 years or more, but it was the layers who were cheering as Mark Walsh brought Sire Du Berlais with a strong run at the final flight on the way to a three-quarter-length success. At 11, he was the oldest winner of the race since 1986, and though he could boast two Festival wins over course and distance, in 2019 and 2020, both had arrived in the Pertemps Final earlier on the card.
