A NEW Willie Mullins horse is now favourite for THREE Cheltenham Festival races – after being the subject of a monumental gamble.
The JP McManus-owned French recruit Kopeck De Mee has been put in the Coral Cup, County Hurdle and Martin Pipe at next month’s Festival – despite never actually racing for Mullins.
1
Kopeck De Mee is currently 6-1 fav for the Coral Cup handicap hurdle on the Wednesday.
THE SUN RACING MEMBERS ENCLOSURE
The only place to get Templegate’s tips first – and at the best prices – is by joining Sun Racing’s brilliant Members Enclosure (UK only).
Sign up now for just £1* to be part of racing’s best winning team and get…
- Four free racing tickets, four times a year – worth £300
- Templegate’s daily tips at the BEST prices before anyone else
- Exclusive access to Templegate’s daily NAP
- Tomorrow’s copy of The Favourite at 9pm today
- Exclusive insights from top trainer Ben Pauling
- VIP competitions from Racing Breaks each month
Become a member today for just £1*
*For the first month then £3 per month thereafter.
18+ Ts and Cs apply. First month membership £1, then £3 per month unless you cancel at least 7 days before your next billing date. UK only. For more information contact help@thesun.co.uk
And he is 6-1 joint-fav in Friday’s County and Martin Pipe handicap hurdles alongside McLaurey and Wodhooh respectively.
The surge of cash for five-year-old came amid confusion over whether he would actually be eligible for the handicaps.
The number of runs horses need to qualify for certain races has changed this year.
And some websites showed Kopeck De Mee having only one career run.
This was not accurate, however, and the horse has raced five times, meaning he has qualified for all of the races entered.
Billionaire racing legend McManus bought Kopeck De Mee last summer.
He was trained by Joel Boisnard in France and won three of his five races over hurdles.
The most recent was in May last year when he took a Listed contest at Auteuil.
His French rating of 68kg means he is likely to be given a rating of 136 for Cheltenham, if handicapping gurus follow their usual pattern of doubling the French rating.
FREE BETS – GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. gambleaware.org.
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chases their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.gambleaware.org
Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.