Feature
premium

The greatest Cheltenham Festival gamble kicks off one hell of a party

author image
Lee MottersheadSenior writer

Greatest Festival Moments - No. 8
Unsinkable Boxer lands an almighty plunge

There were 53,906 people at Cheltenham on the opening day of the 1998 festival. As Mark Johnson walked out of the commentary box after describing Unsinkable Boxer's victory in the afternoon's final race, he wondered aloud that all but 200 of those people must have backed the winner.

Here was perhaps the greatest Cheltenham Festival gamble. It was also one of the great Cheltenham Festival moments, a riotous celebration of Martin Pipe's genius and the joy that comes from punters joining forces to share a wonderfully successful plunge.

Read the full story

Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.

Subscribe to unlock
  • Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
  • Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
  • Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
  • Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
  • Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
  • Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Subscribe

Already a subscriber?Log in

inGreatest Ever Festival Moments

iconCopy