Former England footballer Peter Crouch has lost £7,500 in the form of Guinness after losing a bet with bookmakers Paddy Power at Cheltenham Festival.
Crouch has been a prominent figure at Cheltenham over the years and has been an ever-present at this year’s festival too.
Last year, he lost his Paddy Power bet, refusing to say how much he spent on it. The former Liverpool forward said: ‘It was around… I’m not going to say the exact number. It wasn’t cheap! It was longer than my femur.’
Home by The Lee was the winning horse this time around, meaning Crouch had to pay out. Lucky for him, though, the price of Guinness has been cut for this year.
The wager focused on the 3.20pm at Stayers Hurdle. Paddy Power said: ‘If there’s an Irish-trained winner, he buys the pints. British-trained winner, I buy the pints. Last year we completely took his pants down to be fair.’
‘The whole field was Irish! But this year there’s a bit more of a fair fight, he’s got four of the 10 and three of the top five of the betting. He has the sweep this year but it was quite funny seeing the look on his face as he got the receipt.’
Peter Crouch was forced to splash out £7,500 on Guinness after losing a bet with Paddy Power
Speaking ahead of the race, Crouch said: ‘I went into it (last year) with my eyes closed a little bit.
‘I think we’ve got three of the top five this year now.’
Home by The Lee, however, was 33/1, the longest priced winner since 2023, when Sire Du Berlais, also 33/1, claimed victory.
Crouch, dressing in a green and white Paddy Power jacket and a flat cap, was snapped pouring some of the pints himself.
