Cheltenham 2018: Lee Westwood wins first NINE races of the Festival… then bags 11 out of 12
LEE WESTWOOD celebrated an amazing first day of the Cheltenham Festival by backing the winner of EVERY race.
It bagged the former world number one golfer a cool £20,678.
Westwood then continued his form by tipping Samcro to win the opening Ballymore Novices' Hurdle on Ladies Day. His second pick - Black Op - finished second in the race.
He then bagged the second race of the day making it nine winners in a row with Presenting Percy.
But his winning streak eventually ended in the Coral Cup when 25/1 outsider Bleu Berry romped to victory.
He didn't have to wait long until his next win when he backed hot favourite Altior in the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
That took his tipping record to a remarkable 10 wins in 11 races.
After winning the Jackpot on the first six races of day one it then got even better for the 44-year-old sportsman.
Lee Westwood's Cheltenham Day One Winners
1.30pm Supreme Novices' Hurdle
Summerville Boy - 9/1
2.10pm Arkle
Footpad - 5/6
2.50pm Handicap Chase
Coo Star Sivola - 5/1
3.30pm Champion Hurdle
Buveur D'Air - 4/6
4.10pm Mares' Hurdle
Benie Des Dieux - 9/2
4.50pm National Hunt Chase
Rathvinden - 9/2
5.30pm Novices' Handicap Chase
Mister Whitaker - 13/2
A £1 bet on the above selection would have won you £41,500
He placed a cheeky single bet on Mister Whitaker in the last race of the day, the 5.30pm Handicap Chase.
It is not known how much Westwood staked on the horse, or what his winnings were for that finale, but that came in too.
If he had had a £1 accumulator on all yesterday's winners it would have brought in an astonishing £41,500.
Speaking exclusively to SunSport about his incredible tipping, Westwood said: "I love my racing but this is the first time I’ve ever gone through the card, and everyone in the box was getting really excited as the winners kept coming in.
"I gave a few people the winner of the first race, Summerville Boy, at 9-1, and they kept coming back to me to see what I was on in the next. So we all made a few quid.
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"I picked up £22,000 for my share of the Tote jackpot, which covered the first six winners, for a £128 stake – 64 lines at £2 apiece, with two selections in every race.
"I was getting sweaty palms by the time of the sixth race. But my two selections, Rathvinden and Ms Parfois, jumped the last a long way clear of the rest, and once they got over it safely I knew I was in the money!
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"I also backed the winner of the last, which wasn’t part of the Tote jackpot, and that got a massive cheer as well. I’m not saying how much I won altogether – that is between me and my accountant!
"But people were saying I’d have to start wearing a disguise to put my next bets on, because the plan is to be here for all four days."
"Two of the horses I’ve got a share in - Augusta Kate and Ballyalton – are both running on Thursday, and they’ve both got a decent chance. I suppose I can afford to have a few quid on them now."
A spokesperson for BetFred, who run the Totejackpot, added: "We just want to say congratulations to Lee, he is obviously a master tipster.
";While a loss is a loss, we are more than happy to payout for such a great success."
A Totejackpot is similar to the lottery - a pool of punters try and pick the winner in each of the six races of a particular horse meeting.
The more people win, the less the share is at the end.
And you can have more than one horse in a race, but this will lower the amount you will win at the end.
Westwood was just one of a number of sports stars to attend the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival yesterday.
Rugby ace Mike Tindall turned up with his pregnant wife Zara, both huge fans of horse racing with Zara an accomplished equestrian.
Former Liverpool footballer and England international Jamie Redknapp also took in the delights of the start of the festival of top class racing, while recently retired BBC commentator John Motson was also there, in his sheepskin coat of course.
Tuesday's Cheltenham racecards and results:
SUPREME NOVICES’ HURDLE RESULTS
1st Summerville Boy 9/1
2nd Kalashnikov 5/1
3rd Mengli Khan 14/1
An error-strewn run from the winner, who somehow manages to reel in Kalashnikov on the line despite fluffing the final two jumps.
ARKLE CHASE RESULTS
1st Footpad 5-6f
2nd Brain Power 14-1
Ruby Walsh a tactical genius in the saddle as he lets Petit Mouchoir and Saint Calvados go off way too fast in front before powering clear up the run-in.
ULTIMA CHASE RESULTS
1st. Coo Star Sivola 5-1f
2nd. Shantou Flyer 14-1
3rd. Vintage Clouds 7-1
4th. Beware The Bear 14-1
Jockey Lizzie Kelly won her first ever race at the Cheltenham Festival as she guided Coo Star Sivola to victory. The pair just hung on from the closing Shantou Flyer.
CHAMPION HURDLE RESULTS
1st. Buveur D'Air 4-6f
2nd. Melon 7-1
3rd. Mick Jazz 25-1
Odds-on favourite Buveur D'Air had punters sweating as he only just held on from Melon to win the big race of the day under jockey Barry Geraghty.
MARES’ HURDLE RESULT
1st – Benie Des Dieux 5/1
2nd – Midnight Tour 33/1
3rd – Apple’s Jade 1/2 fav
NATIONAL HUNT CHASE RESULT
1st – Rathvinden 9/2
2nd – Ms Parfois 11/2
3rd – Sizing Tennessee 8/1
4th – Impulsive Star 25/1
NOVICES HANDICAP CHASE RESULT
1st – Mister Whitaker 13/2
2nd – Rather Be 12/1
3rd – Rocklander 25/1
4th – Barney Dwan 15/2
