Local punters miss out

Main Stories, Sports
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By DUNCAN WILLIS

IN scenes reminicent of the last Melbourne Cup, hundreds of punters in Lae, Port Moresby and around the country went home with their heads down when Americain beat the field.
For many, it was a repeat of last year.
They had gone for the favourite when an unfancied French horse won.
The punters yesterday in Lae were seen as early as 9am placing their bets.
Before the race, there were signs of anxiousness and hope as people waited for their horses to come in
A punter, Nari Sara, who backed Zavite, proudly claimed he was one of the first Papua New Guineans to punt when bookmakers were introduced in the early 1970s, but he walked away disappointed.
In Goroka, Zachary Per reported, around 90% of punters went home disappointed with the unkown European, taking out the honours.
It was the day for punters from Kainantu, Henganofi, Okapa, Lufa, Unggai-Bena, Goroka and Daulo districts came in truck loads to place bets as early as 8am when  the betting shop opened in Goroka.
There were several punters from neighbouring Chimbu came down by road to be part of the race.
Senior Goroka punters Joshua Magobe, who beat heavily on favourite So You Think, Shocking, Zipping and Maluckyday expressed disappointment with the results of yesterday’s race.
But for some it was indeed their lucky day as one regular punter in Port Moresby backed horse number eight on the advice of his daughter.
He ended up being the lone figure in a sea of misery at the 6-mile bet shop celebrating his good fortune.
Although Aussie horses like So You Think, Maluckyday and Shocking attracted the weight of the money, it was an unlikely French stallion that gave bookies across the nation cause to smile.