Placepot packs a punch: £81,874 dividend is second highest in bet's history

The second highest Placepot dividend in the bet's history was returned on Thursday at Wolverhampton, the £81,874 being eclipsed only by the £91,774 declared at Cheltenham on December 11, 2015.

Not a single favourite managed to reach the places in the half dozen races on which the Placepot operated at Cheltenham that day, and while that was not the case at Wolverhampton – two outright market leaders won and a joint-favourite was placed – turnover was boosted by the meeting being the only afternoon card on offer, with Warwick and Musselburgh having been victims of waterlogging.

The massive Wolverhampton dividend was won to only 65p, so there will be a £28,655 carryover to Lingfield on Friday. Four punters were celebrating, with three winning £16,374 for 20p lines, and the other £4,093 for a 5p line.

All-time top Placepot dividends

£91,774 Cheltenham, December 11, 2015

£81,874 Wolverhampton, April 5, 2018

£63,284 Newmarket, October 3, 2003.

The opening contest rather set the tone, with 4-1 favourite Mighty Zip finishing last of the ten runners.

Former jumps-jockey-turned-trainer Charlie Wallis does very well with the horses in his care and he equalled his previous best tally of nine winners for the year when La Fortuna came from last to first in that opener, a 5f handicap.

The five-year-old mare had only daylight behind at halfway, but jockey Charles Bishop didn't panic and the pair threaded their way through the field off the home turn to finish fast and late to take the spoils at the chief expense of Stopdworldnletmeof.

Wallis said: “Things are going well and long may it last – I think I rode 29 winners in my time as a jump jockey and I have now trained 32 winners since I started with a licence in 2015.

"The fact of the matter is I wasn't good enough as a rider, but I'm really enjoying the training game.

“We've a few better horses this time around and that makes life a bit easier. But I have to say that I wouldn't be able to keep things going if it wasn't for the staff back at home and especially my wife Hayley, who is a big team player.”

Of La Fortuna, he added: “She's a lovely filly and this was her last chance to get into a race like this as she's due to go up the handicap from this weekend.

"She's very well bred so hopefully will be a lovely mum one day – the plan will be to breed from her in due course.”

Point taken

Richard Hannon’s team are in good early-season form and Mouille Point maintained the momentum when getting up in the dying strides of the 1m1½f fillies’ handicap to deny Sunshineandbubbles by a short head.

However, the result would have left a sour taste with some exchange in-running punters, as the runner-up was matched at 1.01 to almost £7,000 on Betfair, while the Tom Marquand-partnered winner hit a high of 120.

Cash down

Gambles were a theme of the day and it certainly did the talking in the 5f novice contest. Midsummer Knight bounced out well under Ben Curtis and had too much in the locker inside the final furlong to thwart the late effort of newcomer Arden Pulse by a length.

The winner was well backed from a morning price of 9-2 down to 13-8 favourite on course, while third home Flying Sparkle went in the other direction. She was odds-on market leader on Wednesday evening but drifted out to 7-4.

THE BUZZ

Fruitful tie-up
Apprentice Paddy Pilley cemented his new partnership with Tom Dascombe when the well supported Calder Prince scored comfortably.

Flying visit
Globetrotting rider Gerald Mosse is hardly a regular visitor to Wolverhampton but he stopped off for one ride, aboard Global Wonder in the 7f handicap. Unfortunately the three-year-old was never really in contention behind 33-1 winner Gainsay.

Thought for the day
Wolverhampton being the only surviving afternoon meeting helped produce a bumper Placepot dividend, and the fact it was won to only 65p means there is a healthy rollover to Lingfield, so generating additional interest on an otherwise relatively quiet Friday
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