Giavellotto a stunning e/w for 3 places in Irish St Leger

Just occasionally, races are priced up at the five-day stage with bookmakers offering three places rather than two in expectation of a field of eight horses or more, when in all likelihood there is little chance of that. The Irish St Leger is an excellent example, with Aidan O’Brien having plenty of “filler” that won’t be turning up, and other mooted runners such as Vauban looking doubtful participants with future prizes in mind.

On such occasions, most bookmakers – though not all – honour the three places for e/w betting even if the final field turns out to be less or more. Such constellations can be highly profitable for the antepost punter. Indeed, The Anteposter was once paid out each-way for a horse that trailed in last of three, but that’s another story.

Paddy Power are good sports in this regard – often taking this risk, and always paying out to the third place, even when the final field is just a handful of runners. And by pricing up Giavellotto at 9/2 on a three-place basis for the Irish St Leger, they have really tilted things in the punter’s favour. Botti’s charge just keeps improving, and for all that most analysts would probably consider him a clearly inferior horse to Kyprios, he is not at all far behind the champion of the staying ranks on recent ratings. He has a chance of winning, and has an outstanding chance of placing, in a race that looks set to cut up.