Punter wins $3.2m as insane Melbourne Cup bet gets up
A lucky punter is waking up $3.2 million richer after a staggering, “life changing” $100 bet on the Melbourne Cup.
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A lucky punter has turned $100 into a $3.2 million windfall, successfully picking the first four in the Melbourne Cup.
The Ladbrokes customer remarkably boxed Knight’s Choice, Warp Speed, Okita Soushi and Zardozi for a life-changing result.
Knight’s Choice – an $81 outsider with Ladbrokes – won the race that stops a nation from Warp Speed ($26), Okita Soushi ($19) and Zardozi ($14).
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Ladbrokes spokesperson Tom Hackett confirmed the remarkable wager.
”We congratulate one lucky Ladbrokes punter, who managed to find the first four in the Melbourne Cup,” Hackett said.
“They boxed Knight’s Choice, Warp Speed, Okita Soushi and Zardozi and have turned their $100 investment into $3.2 million, which is already in their Ladbrokes account.
“The customer initially thought they had won $780,000, so you can imagine their surprise when the full dividend was revealed.
“It is a life-changing result and shows that anything can happen in the Melbourne Cup!”
The first four Victorian dividend – 100 per cent – with Ladbrokes returned $728,015.70.
The punter’s $100 wager netted 416.66% of the dividend.
Meanwhile, the long shot trifecta (11, 4, 12) paid $22,576.80 with Ladbrokes, while the quinella (11, 4) and exacta (11, 4) prices were $887.80 and $1986.80.
There was agony and ecstasy for punters and bookies alike.
Just two hours before the race, Ladbrokes reported a massive $3 million liability if Knight’s Choice crossed the line first.
By the end of the race, that hit softened slightly to a $2.4 million loss. Over at TAB, one lucky punter cashed in on the long odds, taking home $81,000 from a $1000 bet on Knight’s Choice at $81 odds.
Another punter is celebrating the bet of a lifetime with a $100 bet on Knight’s Choice turning into a fortune. At the Call of the Card on Sunday, one bookmaker offered odds of $301 for the five-year-old gelding to win the race.
The punter’s $100 bet has turned into $31k. Another bet on Knight’s Choice at the odds of $301 paid out $20k for another punter.
Perhaps the best investment of all was made by trainers John Symons and Sheila Laxon.
The pair turned Knight’s Choice into a Melbourne Cup winner after the horse was purchased for just $85,000.
The prize money awarded to the winning jockey, trainer and connections totals $4.4 million.
— with news.com.au
Originally published as Punter wins $3.2m as insane Melbourne Cup bet gets up
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