"It was a stonker for the bookies and a stinker for the punters."
That was the instant reaction from Betfred Head of Media Mark Pearson, after Constitution Hill's fall in the Champion Hurdle guaranteed a hugely profitable day one at the Cheltenham Festival for the industry.
And it's hard to disagree.
After Lossiemouth defended her Mares' Hurdle title at the 3:20pm, running the perfect race to flourish in the closing stages after sitting just behind the leader for the majority, the betting public were primed for Constitution Hill to follow suit.
The odds-on favourite would have featured in multiple doubles, trebles and accumulators, not to mention the over 200,000 bettors who backed bet365's Super Boost on the horse.
So it was much to operators' delight when Constitution Hill fell dramatically with just a few hurdles left. For an added bonus, State Man also fell closer to the finish line.
It really was one of the most dramatic races in recent Cheltenham history – and a very poor result for bettors.
There’s three days to go but as it stands it’s one up to the bookmakers
For bookmakers themselves, though?
Sky Bet's Head of Sports PR Michael Shinners summed it up, telling Gambling Insider: "As results go that was a crazy one.
"It’s never nice to see a horse fall, so it’s great that Constitution Hill and State Man are both fine."
The sweetest aspect for operators (thus most bitter for bettors) was that Constitution Hill would indeed have ended several Festival-long accumulators as early as day one.
Shinners added: "The result itself was a huge one as most multiple bets across the week were sunk. There’s three days to go but as it stands it’s one up to the bookmakers."
Pearson kept it short and sweet, concluding to Gambling Insider: "Every acca hit the floor with Constitution Hill."
Alas, many bettors will have been burned by Constitution Hill's stumble – including this very writer.
Will the betting public go again on day two? Absolutely.
Will they come out with a better result? That's for Ballyburn and Jonbon to decide.
