Cheltenham punter wins life-changing sum off outrageous £5 bet even though only one of his horses won

A punter has won a life-changing sum of money on the Cheltenham Festival - off a bet of just £5.

Day one of the Festival took place on Tuesday, with the Paul Townend-ridden Kopek Des Bordes to win the opening Michael O'Sullivan Supreme.

Townend would record two winners for the day by riding Lossiemouth to success in the 15:20 Mares' Hurdle, though heavy favourite Constitution Hill failed to win the Champion Hurdle after falling.

Bets totalling over £500 million per year are now placed on the Festival, with race-goers up and down the country descending on Cheltenham for four days of action.

And one punter struck gold on day one in 2025.

He won a total of £55,253.50 off a stake of £5, having placed it on the Tote's placepot.

Fans must pick at least one horse to place in each of the day's six televised races in order to win a share of the pot.

Winnings depend on the size of the pool which is shared out with all winners, with winnings paid out to a £1 stake, as well as how many people win.

The punter took his winning slip to an on-course kiosk once the day's racing had concluded - but couldn't claim it straight away as the till, unsurprisingly, didn't have enough funds to pay out.

Tote Racing's Twitter account posted a photo of the message alongside the caption: "We've been cleaned out at Cheltenham Races."

Image: @ToteRacing/Twitter

As it happened, only one of the punter's six predictions actually won their race.

Jango Baie, ridden by Nico de Boinville and trained by Nicky Henderson, won the 14:00 Arkle Novices' Chase.

His biggest punt was the 22/1 Take No Chances, which Harry Skelton rode to a third-placed finish in the 15:20 Mares' Hurdle.

The entire bet rested on the 17/2 shot Hot Fuss in the 16:40 Handicap Hurdle, which most bookmakers paid out for four places.

It will have been an agonising race for the punter, with Hot Fuss coming home in fourth place out of 22 runners to ensure the bet won.