A cruising victory at Newcastle sees multiple three-figure bets come in for the six-year old.
Going off at odds of 1/6, Buveur d’Air justified all the hype by producing an effortless performance to win the Fighting Fifth Hurdle and notch his seventh win in a row.
Barry Geraghty barely moved a muscle as Nicky Henderson’s horse breezed past Irving and Flying Tiger who could not lay a glove. The victory went just as expected but his odds for the 2018 Champion Hurdle have dropped slightly as punters rush to back the six-year upsetting the mighty Faugheen.
Starting the morning at 4/1, some bookies have gone down to 3/1 but 7/2 is a best price that is readily available. More noteworthy however is the amount of bets that have come in for the six-year old, with 81% of bets in the Champion Hurdle going on the second favourite in the last 24 hours.
Some punters are surer than others it seems. Three punters have put on three-figure bets, which would see a very decent return if Buveur can do what only Nichols Canyon has done before and topple Willie Mullins’ all-conquering gelding!
Oddschecker Spokesman George Elek: “We all expected Buveur d’Air to win at a canter and that’s exactly what happened, with Barry Geraghty motionless as he guided the horse to victory. His odds for the Champion Hurdle haven’t changed too much, but punters seem to be a lot more confident now to go in on him. Those three punters who put down three-figure bets since the race ended will no doubt be monitoring his progress closely between now and March.”
