A single mum used nice names to win £246,238 from a £4.52 bet at glorious Goodwood, despite one of her selections being disqualified after crossing the winning line in front.
Bookmakers William Hill had a first past the post policy and paid out on Dark Red at 12-1, but the five-year-old grey gelding was placed second to the Queen's horse Fabricate at 20-1 after a steward's enquiry in the opening race of the prestigious Goodwood meeting.
And amazingly three of the mum-of-two's other picks won. They were Thechildren'strust at 100-1, Breton Rock at 50-1 and El Astronaute at 33-1.
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Her final selection Darkroom Angel led to just over a furlong out and would have landed her £1 million the bookmaker's maximum payout, but the three-year-old filly ran out of puff and finished in 10th. Her bet included a 1p EW five-timer and if the fifth horse had won the accumulated odds would have paid her more than £3 million.
The Cheshire mum, who is in her 30s, plans to use her winnings to buy a new house for her and the children as the win came as she was searching for a new rental home in the Wirral.
William Hill's first past the post policy meant her 5p ew four-timer came in, along with extra doubles and trebles and the policy landed the lady £201,330 that would have been lost with the disqualification at many other bookmakers.
The woman also took 80-1 on Thechildren'stust, but William Hill had a best odds guaranteed policy and with the odds drifting to 100-1 that meant the lucky lady landed a whopping £47,869 extra.
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Her bet in full was 10 x 10p each way doubles, 10 x 10p each way trebles, 5 x 5p each way four folds and a 1p EW fivefold for a total stake of £4.52.
Her selections were:
1.50 Goodwood Dark Red price taken 12-1 (first past the post then placing reversed, but William Hill paid as winner)
3.00 Goodwood Breton Rock price taken 50-1 WON
4.10 Goodwood Thechildren'strust 100-1* WON (80-1 when she placed the bet, but best odds guaranteed)
4.45 Goodwood El Astronaute price taken 33-1 WON
5.15 Goodwood Darkroom Angel price taken 16-1 10th
Winnings £246,238.73
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William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams said: "Some of our racing traders have been in the game for 40 years and none of them can remember such an astonishing bet that so nearly cost us a million.
'A few were almost having heart attacks watching the final race, but the punter inside all of us was cheering on the lady's last selection and it was in front for a long way.
'But I am not sure if the boss would approve of that. It was every punter's bet of a lifetime - winning a fortune for less than a fiver.
'A few quid outlay and the lady has a new house - talk about finding your dream home.'
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William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams added: 'The lucky lady made her selections purely on the names and only ever bets in pennies.
'She had seen Dark Sunset win at Uttoxeter on Friday and that's why she picked Dark Red and Darkroom Angel.
'Then she selected Breton Rock at 50-1 as she liked the name and had backed it before and didn't want to miss out if it won, which it did.
'El Astronaute she had never heard of before, but thought the name was out of this world and glamorous, so she put him in.
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'And probably funniest of all - she selected Thechildren'strust as she read in a newspaper that the horse had no chance of winning - her lady logic told her that it did have a chance of winning and she was very right indeed.
'She bets for a bit of fun in pennies and only ever a up to a few pounds. She says her picks are always big odds, as she likes to use her winnings to take the family out to tea at restaurants that do two for one deals.
'She is a very down to earth lady and if she carries on betting in pennies and a few pounds then we'll never get the winnings back from her. We wish her and her family well with her winnings.'
Story via William Hill
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