Sawbuck registers shock 300-1 victory at Punchestown

Outsider triumphs for O’Dwyer team.

Sawbuck created his own little piece of racing history at Punchestown on Tuesday when winning at odds of 300-1.

Trained by Cheltenham Gold Cup and Champion Hurdle-winning rider Conor O’Dwyer and ridden by his son, Charlie, he made just about all the running for a famous success.

Prior to his win, Luke Comer’s He Knows No Fear held the record as the longest-priced winner in Ireland, having also won at 300-1 at Leopardstown in August 2020, but Sawbuck now shares that honour.

Before that the biggest-priced winner in Ireland was Killahara Castle at 200-1 in 2017 – the record price in the United Kingdom is Equinoctial who won at 250-1 at Kelso in 1990.

Sawbuck had last been seen running on the all-weather at Dundalk last month and even touched 400-1 at one point in the market for the Bar One Racing Quick Deposit & Withdraw Maiden Hurdle.

Charlie O’Dwyer said: “He’s been in great form at home and after his last two runs over hurdles, I came here thinking if he could finish somewhere in the middle of them, I would have been delighted.

“The minute the flag dropped he travelled great and I couldn’t fault him anywhere. He just got a bit close to the last but he’s done it fairly handily enough.

“He likes that ground and is Flat bred and has run in Dundalk. The ground isn’t a problem for him.”

Coral reported one punter had placed GBP 2 each-way on the four-year-old, who had been beaten by an aggregate of 98 lengths in two previous efforts over hurdles.

“After showing little form prior to his victory at Punchestown, Sawbuck went off as a 300-1 outsider for his race, however, he has matched the record for the biggest-priced winner in British and Irish racing history,” said Coral’s John Hill.

“Not many punters looked twice at the horse, but we tip our hat to the customer who placed GBP 2 each-way on the winner. They clearly saw something others had missed.”

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