AN attempted betting coup which would have cost bookmakers £10,000 fell apart at the last minute.

Staff at Sedgefield Racecourse, in County Durham, recruited a gold medal-winning athlete to represent them in the annual Mascot Grand National at the weekend.

Allyn Condon, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist, donned the costume of Sedge the Field Mouse for the fun event at Huntingdon.

Sedgefield staff mounted a successful cloak and dagger operation to protect their mascot's identity in a tongue-in-cheek effort to beat the bookies.

A flurry of bets before the race from those in the know sent the odds tumbling from an original 66-1 to 2-1.

But disaster struck in the race when the costume's foot fell off, leaving Sedge to limp home in last place.

Amy Starkey, commercial director at Sedgefield, said: "We met Allyn at Huntington for a secret rendezvous in the morning of the race for a fitting.

"Sedge's feet are quite large and we had to do certain modifications so that his trainers could fit inside.

"It was all looking good but, after the first hurdle, his foot came out of the boot and he just could not do it - even Michael Johnson would not have won in that costume."

After the race, which was interrupted by a female streaker, Ladbrokes spokes-man Warren Lush said: "We were very relieved that the gamble did not come up, because we would have lost ten grand."

The race was won by Chaddy the Owl, but Sedgefield staff were still celebrating when one of the course's other runners, Phony Pony, with general manager Jim Allen inside, finished second.

Miss Starkey said: "It did not go according to plan, but we had plenty of fun."

Sedge the Field Mouse also put in an appearance at Sedgefield's race meeting yesterday.