THIS absolutely ridiculous finish saw a horse who hit 999-1 in-running land a £177,000 payday for lucky punters.
Harry Du Berlais looked a totally beaten horse jumping the last in a 3m novice handicap chase at Market Rasen on Thursday.
Jockey Charlie Hammond could only watch on from six lengths behind as 9-2 Fawsley Spirit and 10-1 Ocean Drifter battled it out.
Fawsley Spirit jumped the last really well and looked to have the £6,500 first-place prize in the bag.
Ocean Drifter looked booked for second too – until Harry Du Berlais sprouted wings.
By this point £177 had been matched on him winning at maximum Betfair exchange odds of 1000 (999-1).
Even those backers must have thought it was game over though – before jockey Charlie Hammond turned on the afterburners.
The Nick Kent-trained Harry Du Berlais finished like a rocket, collaring Fawsley Spirit in the dying strides.
Amazingly, neither Kent nor Hammond thought the horse had a sniff of winning.
Hammond told Racing TV afterwards: “At two out, to be honest, I thought we’d just get a bit of third.
“I didn’t think I’d win.
“I thought at the last they were slowing in front of me and we might just catch onto one, if not both of them.”
Likewise for Kent, who asked if he thought his horse had a chance, said: “No, not at all.
“I thought we were getting fourth, but he stayed and stayed and found more pace at the end.
“He’s not the quickest horse at home, but he was very gutsy there. It’s brilliant to see a horse do that, especially one that we like at our local track as well, but it didn’t look likely!
“I thought he must have blown up coming down the hill and wasn’t fit enough, but he got his second wind.”
Punters were equally floored by the jaw-dropping finish.
One said: “Anyone else watch that race? How on earth has Harry Du Berlais got up?!”
Another tweet read: “Who the frigging hell is hitting that on the exchange at 999?”
While one comment said simply: “Jesus, what a finish.”
Sometimes it can pay – and pay handsomely – to take a chance on a seemingly beaten horse.
There was another 999-1 in-running winner in Ireland last week, with some £14,000 being paid out in all.
Although Sun Racing told you earlier this week how the most backed runner this year cost punters at least £800,00 after suffering a shock defeat.
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