Bookies 'battered' by Ruby treble

Bookmakers have been left counting the cost of a "Ruby red" day at Cheltenham.

There was little to choose between the layers and the punters after the opening day of the Festival but the backers had it pretty much their own way on day two, and it was mainly down to Ruby Walsh.

The popular Irish jockey was the darling of the punters, pocketing a tasty hat-trick on Mikael D'Haguenet, Cooldine and Master Minded.

Bookmakers' woe was exacerbated by a fourth Irish success on the day with Dunguib in the Champion Bumper.

All were well-backed favourites and all hit the bookies hard.

Ladbrokes went so far as to say Festival Wednesday 2009 will go down as the worst day at the races for the bookies since 2003.

Their spokesman David Williams said: "At half-time in the Festival we're on the ropes.

"Ruby has cost us millions. He's the Pied Piper of the punters - in Cheltenham week they dance to Ruby's tune.

"Wednesday last year was bleak because of the winds but it's been even worse this year.

"Mikael D'Haguenet was bad, Cooldine was awful and Master Minded was unspeakable.

"Results were filthy and the industry has taken a £25m (€27m) body-blow.

"The deafening roars from the grandstand sent a shiver down our spines.

"If we have a similar day three of the Festival, there's not much chance of us coming back for the Gold Cup on Friday.

"We'll be in the nearest pub drowning our sorrows until Easter."

It was a similar story with Coral, who endured a false dawn with defeat for the favourite Can't Buy Time in the opening National Hunt Chase, won by 11-1 chance Tricky Trickster.

"The day started OK with defeat for Can't Buy Time in the first race, but then Mikael D'Haguenet and Cooldine were both backed as if defeat was out of the question, which it indeed was!" said Coral's David Stevens.

"Master Minded was the banker of the day, and while Ninetieth Minute's victory in the Coral Cup offered some respite, Dunguib completed a good day for the Irish and punters everywhere with victory in the last race.

"It was a tough day to be a bookie, with industry-wide losses running into millions.

"But, on the plus side, we've got two days to get it back, hopefully!"

Even other bigger-priced winners such as 11-1 shot Silk Affair in the Fred Winter Juvenile Novices' Handicap Hurdle failed to come to the rescue of the layers.

Paddy Power, spokesman for the Irish bookmaker of the same name, said: "Our best result was breaking even on Silk Affair, that's how bad a day it was.

"This was a day that will live long in punters' memory.

"We are battered and bruised but Thursday is another day and remember we're only at half time."