Anyone who has ever placed a bet on a horse race, or a bet of any kind, has dreamt of what it would feel like to put a small amount down and win really big. Most of us never see life changing money come in from a single bet. However, there are times when dreams really come true and players get huge rewards.
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest wins on racetracks around the world.
Two-Million-To-One Odds
One lucky man hit it big against all odds in 2008. On an eight-horse accumulator, the man in question placed a small bet of only 50 cents but it came with huge odds. The payout was one million pounds. Was it luck or serious skill at reading the lines – who knows? The horses and the races he picked were spread across the globe, and he apparently didn’t even check to see if he was right. The man only discovered his winnings when he went back to the operator to place another bet.
The Superfecta
Two people came together to predict the first four horses in a race in Saratoga Springs a few years back. Despite their pick for winner being at 88/1, they stuck to their guns. It really paid off because their winnings amounted to 76 000 dollars and they only used 10 cents to place the bet.
The Biggest Accumulator Win
Back to the UK, we have a plumber by the name of Steve Whiteley who turned 2 pounds into 1.45 million pounds. He worked on a six-horse accumulator, picking winners for races around the UK and Ireland. His bet was also placed on a jackpot, which ensured that his winnings were properly life changing.
The Magnificent Seven
Winning one race in a day is usually a good meet for a jockey and horse team and winning two or three is considered an excellent day out. Winning all seven races that you’re entered into – pretty much unheard of. That didn’t deter a man by the name of Darren Yates in 1996 from putting all of his faith in jockey Frankie Dettori to win each race at Ascot – and putting that into one bet. It was a day many will never forget, least of all Dettori and Yates. The jockey now has a statue in his honor at the Ascot racecourse, and Yates turned a mere 59 pounds into over 550 000 pounds.
Betting On Your Own
They say you should never bet with your heart but rather with your head. However, stable hand Conor Murphy is forever glad that he did that after he turned a 50 pound bet into 1.2 million pounds, and turned his life into his dreams come true. He placed the bet on a five-horse accumulator, and each of the horses he picked were owned by his boss at the time. After winning, Murphy moved to the US and became a horse trainer. Obviously, the man knows his horses.