In 2020 at Royal Ascot, one of the longest odds winners in horse racing crossed the line, breaking records for the venue and no doubt breaking hearts for anyone with a vested interest in the result, too.
Nando Parrado was running in the Coventry Stakes on the final day of the festival. It was only the second race of his career, with the colt having made his debut at Newmarket a few weeks prior, coming 5th of 11.
The 150/1 odds are understandable then, since Nando Parrado was an unknown quantity. Still, breaking a record that had stood since 1990 – so 30 years – is quite something.
During the race, the horse ran close up on the far side of the group, edging ahead over 1 furlong out and finishing strongly a length in front of Qaader in second.
It was a fine run by the horse, well managed by jockey, Adam Kirby.
Trained by Clive Cox, it was always the plan to enter him into the Coventry. When asked about the win, Cox said:
“I was just saying it is not a shock. The price was a shock. He is a proper horse and we loved him from the start. It was always the plan to come here, it was just a sideways step on his first run. He came home and thrived from there.”
He also revealed he had backed the horse himself, so there was at least one winner at the bookies, although details of any regular punters winning a small fortune are unknown.
This incredible race would be Nando Parrado’s only win from his short 10 race career, but it was certainly a memorable one.
An interesting fact to end with, is that Nando Parrado was named after one of the survivors on the famous 1972 Andes plane crash. The passengers who were not killed in the crash were forced to eat the bodies of the deceased passengers in order to survive.
I bet their odds of survival were longer than 150/1.