Poniros, owned by Tony Bloom, had never raced over hurdles but swept past the leading Triumph fancies to become the biggest priced winner of the Cheltenham race
Brighton and Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom is known as a shrewd gambler.
Yet even he was taken by surprise by his latest winner at the Cheltenham Festival.
Bloom has won four races at the four-day meeting from dual winners Penhill and Energumene, who were strong fancies.
His contender in the JCB Triumph Hurdle Poniros raced on the Flat for football agent Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing.
He failed to win from six starts last year and was sent to the horses in training sales where he was knocked down to Willie Mullins for 200,000gns.
Poniros had yet to appear over jumps but despite the lack of experience was thrown into the deep end in the JCB Triumph Hurdle.
Of the 11 runners in the race trained by Mullins in the race, he was dismissed as a no-hoper in the betting, returning at odds of 100-1.
Yet under Jonjo O’Neill Jr, Poniros flew home from the last to reel in the two main hopes Lulamba and 5-4 favourite East India Duck in the dying strides.
He was one of the biggest priced winners in history at Cheltenham and the first 100-1 winner since Norton’s Coin won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1990.
Mullins said: “I didn’t expect that. If Tony Bloom backed it, it wasn’t on my advice.
“We were hoping that he’d run well and be a nice horse for next year but he’s ahead of schedule.
“I didn’t expect any more than a nice run. We had a lot of horses in the race and they all came here with the same plan. I couldn’t believe it when I saw him flying through the middle of them.”
O’Neill, who had his first winner at the fixture for six years on Thursday, revealed he was not meant to be riding at Cheltenham.
“I was supposed to be in Doncaster today,” he said. “After declarations I called my agent and said that Willie was looking for a jockey.
“He said I should stay at Doncaster but I said I’d much rather ride one for Willie. It’s unbelievable. That’s his first ever appearance over hurdles in public. It’s mental.”