DAY four of the Punchestown Festival and it’s all about Faugheen, yet another long odds-on shot for a Grade 1 race.

Prior to this year’s Punchestown Festival, a lot of the bookmakers knew their fate. The paradox of Ireland having one of the strongest brigades of horses in recent history meant that the overseas challenge in the Grade 1 races was always going to be minimal, meaning the Kildare racecourse would offer as nothing more than a victory lap for the big named runners.

It’s early Friday morning and on-course bookmaker Francis Hyland is setting up for what he hopes will be a winning day. He’s always laid short-priced favourites.

The possibility of winning vast sums of money for small liabilities appeals to him, but when those horses have a certain W.P. Mullins beside their name, getting them beat has proved difficult.

“As a bookmaker, I think you have to lay the shorties,” Hyland says.

“We haven’t had much luck so far this week but we’ve managed to get it back in the handicaps. There have been a couple of surprises in those races which have kept us slightly ahead.

“It’s funny, because the volume of bets has been down this year – the likes of your fivers each-way etc. I think the weather has a lot to do with it. We have had rain, hail and snow and when it’s sunny we take a lot more of the fair weather punters,” he adds.

The sun is shining, and another on-course bookmaker, Justin Carthy is hoping the sun will bring out those fair weather punters throughout the day.

“In previous years gone by, yesterday’s feature World Series Hurdle, you wouldn’t be able to breath with the amount of people trying to get bets on. Yesterday was totally different though,” Carthy says, before revealing some hefty bets laid throughout the week.

“We have some big odds-on punters and one of our customers punted two winning odds-on shots this week and will probably come back in on Faugheen.

“We’ve taken all the favourites on. Some have won and others have lost, but you have to take them on. We had some bad results throughout the week, especially in a couple of the bumpers.

“We took a risk on Don Poli trying to get him beat but we really struggled to lay him. We went 1/2 but he drifted right out and was a hard horse to lay.

“Our big odds-on punter had €200,000 on Un De Sceaux in the Ryanair Champion Novice. He got a little thrill going down to the last and I’m sure he’ll reinvest in Faugheen and definitely inflate the figures!”

The identity of the person behind those scary bets is not revealed. Perhaps it could be the man heckling Willie Mullins from the edge of the parade ring prior to the featured Champion Hurdle?

“Faugheen the machine - best of luck Willie,” the unmistakable voice of Ivan Yates shouts in.

Yates, a former bookmaker and avid racing fan has followed Faugheen the length and breadth of Ireland and beyond and labels himself as Faugheen’s lucky charm. Has he had a bet?

“I’ve backed Douvan, Un De Sceaux and Faugheen and I will backagain on Annie Power tomorrow. I love backing the shorties and I just love Faugheen.”

Mystery solved.