Punters hit by Gold rush
A distant last of 11 runners on his previous start, the eight-year-old led approaching the final furlong and held on to deny Nayodabayo by three-quarters of a length to give Malton trainer Lee James his first winner in just under six years.
The gelding, whose only other career success came at Southwell in December 2001 when trained by Brian Meehan, was matched at 1,000-1 on Betfair to the tune of £40.
William Hill reported two of their clients to have been in the money after Tioga Gold’s win, with one punter having had a £5 win bet while another had a £5 each-way wager.
“How do you find winners like that?” said spokesman David Hood.
“I think the lady must be Mystic Meg, or at the very least she was given a crystal ball for Christmas! Good luck to them.”
James, who leases boxes from Tim Fitzgerald at Norton Grange Stables, currently has four horses in his yard.
His wife Carole said: “He’s a nice little horse and it’s good to see him win.
“He’s in an amateur riders’ race at Wolverhampton on Friday and we will see how he comes out of this before making any decisions.”
