'It's a total shock to the system' - 80-1 Rasen winner stuns trainer and punters

The biggest betting day of the week got off to a bad start for most punters as Eclair Mag sprang an 80-1 shock in the first jumps race of the afternoon in Britain.

Harrison Beswick's mount was the complete outsider of the nine-runner field in the 3m handicap chase at Market Rasen in which he was making his debut for Richard Bandey, who had not trained a winner for 601 days.

Watch Mag Eclair cause an 80-1 upset

The seven-year-old had previously been trained by Emmanuel Clayeux in France, where he had fallen or unseated his rider in three of his last seven outings.

However, he belied his odds here as he came from behind to lead at the second-last before going on to score by four and three-quarter lengths from 5-2 joint-favourite Mac Tottie.

The shock in numbers

601 Days since trainer Richard Bandey had a winner

146 Days since Eclair Mag last ran

80-1 Starting Price

67 Days since Harrison Beswick rode a winner

"I wasn't expecting that," admitted Bandey. "I wasn't sure whether he'd like the ground. He'd schooled very well at home, but he doesn't show you a huge amount and we were coming here to find out a bit more really.

"It's a total shock to the system – at 80-1 it's the same to everyone else as well, isn't it?"

Eclair Mag had joined Bandey from France almost by chance.

"I visited Harrison in France when he was there and I bought a young horse," the trainer said. "A week before he came he sent me a picture of him and said we could put him on the lorry as well.

"He'd slightly lost his way in France and was at the top of the handicap. We rehabbed him at home after a skin injury from his last run and he's a lovely horse."

Reflecting on his long losing run, Bandey said: "That's our first winner for a long time and it's not easy. We're a small yard and it's competitive. To have a Saturday winner is unbelievable."

It was at Market Rasen that Hampshire-based Bandey sent out his first winner as a professional trainer in 2018, and he said: "I'm two from three here now – we'll come back again!

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