Cheltenham Festival 2023: Sire Du Berlais wins Stayers’ Hurdle as bookies recoup losses on day of shocks
ire Du Berlais has won the Stayers’ Hurdle in a big day of shocks at Cheltenham Festival.
The 33/1 win was the biggest of the day as punters turned winnings into losses after odds-on favourites Mighty Potter and Shishkin earlier failed to fire.
Sire Du Berlais was as big as 100/1 ahead of the meeting but was a confident winner of the feature on day three. Dashel Drasher (40/1) edged pre-race favourite Teahupoo on the line for second spot on the podium only for a stewards’ enquiry to reverse the pair.
Earlier Henry de Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore continued a fine festival as Envoi Allen won the Ryanair Chase ahead of mistake-ridden Shishkin.
Blackmore rides A Plus Tard in the Gold Cup on Friday.
Perhaps the biggest shock of the day, though, came in the first as odd-ons Mighty Potter was upstaged by Stage Star in the Turner Novices' Chase to end Paul Nicholls' three-year drought at the meet and jockey Harry Cobden's four-year drought.