NEWS COPY - WITH PICS
Looks like there's more to the relationship between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin than we first thought...
Commuters were stunned when the two world leaders rode into town - bare-chested and on horseback.
The Russian leader and his American counterpart were seen outside Parliament alongside other areas of London.
But it emerged the spectacle was organised by bookmaker, Paddy Power, ahead of the Cheltenham Festival which starts tomorrow (Tuesday 14 March).
The betting firm has seen a sharp increase in political bets in lead up to Cheltenham - with over £100K of bets staked since Trump took office.
And turnover on political betting industry-wide is expected to be £10m in 2017.
However betting firms predict £800m will be betted during Cheltenham week – making it the busiest betting event in the calendar.
A spokesman for Paddy Power said: “Toffs, rowdy footballers, and now world leaders – horse racing gets all sorts excited.
“With political punting at an all-time high, Vlad and The Donald seemed more than happy to swap nukes for nags ahead of the festival.
“We’ve seen a huge surge in political bets since Trump took office and with a big week of horseracing ahead it made perfect sense to offer punters the chance to bet on both.”
The scene paid homage to infamous pictures of the Russian President which included shots of him riding shirtless in Siberia's Tuva region.
The image went viral and has become one of the internet’s most shared memes.
Stuntman and screen actor, Karl Greenwood and actor, Doug Devaney, spent over six hours being transformed into the presidents by a team of Hollywood special effect artists who used prosthetics.
Upon seeing the world leaders on horseback one passer-by said: “We’re used to seeing some spectacles in London but I thought I needed a pair when spotting this.
“It’s not every day that you bump into the two most powerful men on the planet – it certainly set my heart racing.”
PADDY POWER CHELTENHAM-POLITICS SPECIALS:
To celebrate the Cheltenham Festival, Paddy Power are offering Cheltenham-Politics specials including:
7/2 Willie Mullins to be Top Trainer and Trump to serve a 2nd Term
8/1 Ruby Walsh to be Top Jockey and Trump to be impeached in 2017
10/1 Douvan to win Queen Mother Champion Chase and Trump to resign in 2017
20/1 Limini to win the Mares Hurdle and Kellyanne Conway to be sacked in 2017
20/1 Neon Wolf to win the Novices Hurdle and Sean Spicer to be sacked in 2017
40/1 Melon to win the Supreme Novices Hurdle and Trump to outlaw Gay Marriage
50/1 Un De Sceaux to win the Ryanair and Trump to admit he wears fake tan
80/1 Cantlow to win the Cross Country Chase and Trump to make Russia first state visit
100/1 Native River to win the Gold Cup and Putin to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017
100/1 Colin Tizzard to be Top Trainer and Mexico to pay for Trump’s wall
100/1 Altior to win the Arkle and Trump to open Area 51 to the public
150/1 Yanworth to win the Champion Hurdle and Trump to ban Russians from US entry
200/1 Cue Card to win the Gold Cup and Trump to paint the White House Gold
ENDS
