Trainer David Griffiths suggested there was "something in the air" after his opening winner of 2023, the 125/1 Endofastorm was rapidly followed by 100/1 scorer Notimeforanother at Newcastle on Wednesday.

The pair of rank outsiders made it a half-hour to remember at Gosforth Park and bet365 punters were tidily rewarded despite the improbable odds on both winners.

Storm blows rivals to one side

Endofastorm, the 125/1 rank outsider of 14 runners in the mile handicap on Newcastle's Tapeta began the puzzling half-hour when getting up late under Phil Dennis, overhauling 33/1 Raiff in the shadows of the post with favourite Going Underground back in fifth spot.

Post-race, bet365 reported 344 winning bets on Endofastorm in the Win & Each Way market – with 298 of those being singles.

Endofastorm had finished eighth at Wolverhampton last week at similar odds, but she provided trainer Griffiths with his first winner of the New Year.

Griffiths said: "She ran second here in a novice and that probably flattered her a little bit because the runs in between and after that haven't been great.

"I'm not saying I thought she would have won by any stretch but I thought she ran better last time than her odds were at Wolverhampton. I think a galloping track like this and a stiff mile, it was also riding quite slow, all played to her strengths because she only got on top in the last 20 yards.

The Yorkshire-based handler conceded it was a strange afternoon at Newcastle following another big price winner in the very next race: "I saw there was a 100/1 winner in the next, there's got to be something in the air. It's the water that they drink when they get in [here] I think."

Plenty time for another

Just 30 minutes later and the aptly-named Notimeforanother struck for trainer Keith Dalgleish and rider Billy Garrity at 100/1 in the mile novice event, making it back-to-back three-figure winners at Newcastle.

Notimeforanother and Garrity were involved in a three-way go at the line, and they did just enough to hold off even-money favourite Regal Rambler for Alice Haynes and Kieran O'Neill, with First Dynasty in third as a short-head and a neck split the first three home.

This time around, there were 726 winning bets from bet365 customers on Notimeforanother in the Win & Each Way market, with 613 of those placed as very rewarding singles.

UK Joint-record set in 2022

It's only seven months since a 200/1 winner at Hamilton Park equalled the record for the biggest-priced SP in British Flat racing history.

John Riches made history by training the joint biggest-priced winner on the Flat in Britain since Racing Post records began when Astapor won the 6f novice stakes under Harry Russell in June.

In a remarkable twist, the 76-year-old former fish merchant who trains just five horses at his Pilling base in Lancashire revealed he'd paid Mick Channon just £1 for the horse last May.

Astapor became the sixth Flat horse to win at odds of 200/1, joining 1822 St Leger winner Theodore, Beechy Bank, Dandy Flame, Intercessor and Runninwild.

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He Knows No Fear still the benchmark

For the biggest-priced winner in UK and Irish racing history, look no further than He Knows No Fear, who scored at 300/1 for trainer-owner Luke Comer and jockey Chris Hayes in a mile maiden at Leopardstown in August 2020.

In what was effectively He Knows No Fear's first race, after he fluffed his lines by missing the kick on his official debut at Limerick, the colt was allowed go off at a massive price for a trainer not renowned for saddling winners.

The previous Irish record was set by 200/1 shot Killahara Castle when triumphing by five lengths in a Listed novice hurdle at Thurles on 17th December, 2017.

Despite the shocks at Newcastle this week, the British record is still held by Equinoctial, who started at odds of 250/1 when landing a novice hurdle at Kelso on 21st November 21, 1990.

While such results still come as a major shock to most, the 1,070 winning bets placed on Endofastorm and Notimeforanother at Newcastle on Wednesday certainly show that plenty of punters are willing to play on the outsiders – and the rewards can be handsome!