Blowers, a horse named after the former cricket commentator Henry Blofeld, became the joint longest-priced winner in British racing history at Exeter on Thursday, triumphing at odds of 300-1. The five-year-old finished three-quarters of a length ahead of the 5-4 favourite, On The Bayou, in the opening race of the card.
Jockey James Best was a late replacement for Ella Herbison, who missed her flight from Ireland after being caught in traffic. Best, who received a call from Herbison on Thursday morning, said: 'A random unknown Irish number rang me. Sometimes I don’t answer and I didn’t know who it was. It was Ella. Do you want to ride one in the first at Exeter?'
Trained by Nigel Hawke, Blowers had been pulled up at 200-1 on his most recent start at Chepstow. However, he relished the testing conditions after significant rain at the West Country track and made all the running. Hawke admitted he was surprised by the price, saying: 'I think 300-1 was a bit ridiculous to be fair.'
The victory replaces Equinoctial, a 250-1 winner at Kelso in 1990, as the longest-priced winner in British racing. Blowers now shares the record for Britain or Ireland with Sawbuck and He Knows No Fear, who won at 300-1 at Punchestown and Leopardstown in 2022 and 2020 respectively.
Bookmakers reported limited betting interest. Coral took 82 bets on Blowers, the biggest being £2 each-way, while Paddy Power reported just two winning bets: £15 each-way and £10 each-way. Hawke, when asked if he had backed his horse, replied: 'I wish, I wish, I wish.'
