Some you win, some you lose

MICHAEL FUTTER, the man who won the most money in the history of the Grand National when Monty Pass landed a monster touch at Aintree a couple of weeks ago, yesterday revealed another major bet he once attempted.

Futter was speaking at Killarney, after his Tim French had taken the Laurels Handicap Chase.

Said Futter: "Shortly after this horse had won his point-to-point at Tallow by 20 lengths, I went to Grahams Bookmakers at Fairyhouse and asked them if they would lay me 1000-1 about him winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2002. I told them there would be plenty of publicity in it.

"They laid me £100 each-way at those odds. I went round to seventeen other bookmakers that day and managed to get a total of £1,100 on each-way at 1000-1.

"If the bet had been successful it would have won me about £1.5m. I regarded it as value and would do the same again tomorrow!”