Punters 'done-in' By Dunguib Defeat As Bookies Cash-in At Cheltenham

Day one of the £600million Cheltenham Festival went in favour of the old enemy as a string of hot favourites failed to ignite Festival fever for punters, leaving Bookmakers with upwards of a £30million profit to begin the week with.

The opening race of the day saw one of the hottest fancies of the week fall by the wayside as Dunguib failed to raise the roof forcing punters to leave behind around £10million in stakes to Britain’s bookies. The trend continued throughout the day where defeats for Captain Cee Bee, The Package and the gambled-on Go Native all added to the punters woes.

Even the Cross-Country race – usually a punters’ benefit- swung the way of the bookies with the first double-figure priced winner of the race since its inaugural running back in 2005.

David Hood, spokesman for William Hill, said: ‘’It’s too early to get carried away but we’ve built-up a hefty bank to go to war with over the remaining three days. Punters will lick their wounds tonight, then return refreshed tomorrow looking for every opportunity to level the score. We still fear the hotpot trio of Master Minded, Big Buck’s, and Kauto Star.’’