£250,000 is a lot of money to anyone but bookmakers Sky Bet have been ruing their luck in recent times after they were forced into another £100,000 pay out of the Sporting Life Pick 7 on Saturday after one lucky punter managed to pick the winners in seven races split across Newmarket and Newbury respectively.
Earlier this month Killarney-based Shane Roche landed the £100,000 jackpot by backing seven winners at Ascot and Lingfield before last Wednesday, the company made a £50,000 prize payment.
Thus, the success of Saturday's winning punter means Sky Bet have paid out a total of £250,000 in just eight days.
That man was Terry Halcrow from West Sussex who was able to celebrate winning the prize after the success of the un-raced Taajanus (7/2), ridden by Jim Crowley and trained by Richard Hannon in a fillies' novice stakes event at Newmarket.
Among his other winners, Halcrow managed to pick out John Ryan's 10/1 shot Grey Britain who made all in the Listed Fairway Stakes at Newmarket and the Group One Al Shaqab Lockinge winner Ribchester, who went off the well-backed 7/4 favourite for Richard Fahey and William Buick.
A delighted Halcrow remarked: "I play the Sporting Life Pick 7 and the Super 6 with a mate every week, but I can't believe I've won - I wasn't sure if it was a wind-up at first."
"I was working today so didn't get the chance to follow the results as closely as I usually do, but I'm just a punter who likes an accie every Saturday afternoon and to win £100,000 is a dream come true."
Sky Bet's Racing PR Manager Michael Shinners said: "We seem to be writing out big cheques almost every day at the moment, but having spoken to Terry, I know how much this means to him and it's a fitting way to end a cracking day of racing action where, by and large, the punters had the best of things."
Saturday's Pick 7 winners:
2.05 Newmarket - Grey Britain, 10/1
2.20 Newbury - Visionary, 4/1
2.40 Newmarket - Taamol, 15/8 fav
2.55 Newbury - Defoe, 8/1
3.15 Newmarket - Ekhtiyaar, 3/1 fav
3.30 Newbury - Ribchester, 7/4 fav
3.50 Newmarket - Tajaanus, 7/2
Words by: Danny Archer
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