Horse Called Astapor Bought for £1 and Wins at 200/1

When John Riches, a small time trainer from Lancashire, bought a horse called Rain Cap from Mick Channon, he was not happy. The horse kept coming last and it wasn’t the first time it had happened.

As a gesture of good will, Channon gave Riches a horse for free. To make it legal they had to put a monetary price on the sale, so they agreed on £1.

That horse, was Astapor.

In his first race for Riches, Astapor finished… 11th of 11. In his next two races he finished 10th of 13 then 10th of 12. It seemed Channon’s habit of selling Riches duds had not changed.

Then came the Novice Stakes at Hamilton.

Astapor was priced at 200/1, and since he had a habit of finishing last or nearly last, that’s understandable.

However, from the off Astapor led the pack, moving out to the far side and never giving up any ground. It was a very comfortable win which made it all the more surprising given the odds. John Riches suggested the horse may have benefitted from the drop in trip.

He added:

“It wasn’t a shock as such, as I knew if he could lie up with them he would keep going. Me and my wife were jumping all over and saying ‘go on, go on!”

In winning the race, Astapor became the joint record holder for long odds winners on the flat, becoming just the 6th flat horse at that time to win at odds of 200/1.

Although the horse went off at 200/1, one lucky punter on the Betfair exchange got £3 on at 999/1! That person, Joe Sillet, will have been very pleased with themselves indeed.

Oh, and John Riches even trained Rain Cap to get a couple of wins in the end, too. Go on, John!