How a lucky mother of two landed $3.2m Melbourne Cup first four

A Victorian mother of two has revealed how she picked the first four in the Melbourne Cup, which delivered a life-changing $3.2m payout.

Lucky numbers and “good feelings” helped a Victorian family turn $100 into a $3.2m windfall by correctly picking the Melbourne Cup first four.

The Ladbrokes customer, a mother of two, has wished to remain anonymous but received the money within an hour after the race that stops a nation.

Speaking to Ladbrokes, the woman revealed each member of the family picks a horse “or two” in the Melbourne Cup each year based on “good feelings” and lucky numbers.

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Their winning combination – Knight’s Choice (11), Warp Speed (4), Okita Soushi (12) and Zardozi (14) – delivered a life-changing payout, which has allowed the family to pay off a big mortgage.

“We only bet on the Melbourne Cup once a year,” the woman told Ladbrokes.

“My son and my husband both liked Knight’s Choice (number 11) and my daughter liked Warp Speed because number four is her favourite number.

“I had my eye on two horses – number 14 kept coming up on TikTok, so I thought, ‘It has to be something.’

“I chose 14, but also 12, because I was folding washing on Saturday, watching Derby Day.

“The female jockey, Jamie Kah, had broken her nose, won the Derby, and I thought, ‘She’s going to go out hard this time’.”

"My husband literally fell to the floor."

This Ladbrokes customer's Melbourne Cup windfall is one for the ages 👇 https://t.co/5oxMVsWvrk

— Ladbrokes Australia (@ladbrokescomau) November 6, 2024

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The family watched the Cup at home and did not immediately understand the full extent of the win.

“My husband said, ‘Number 11 is going to get this’. We were both losing it in the lounge room, thinking, ‘What the hell is happening?’” the woman told Ladbrokes.

“When number 11 won, my husband was already in tears, thinking I had just won $24,000 … but then I noticed that all four of our horses had come in. They did the math and said I’d won $780,000. Even that for us was massive.”

The first four Victorian dividend – 100 per cent – returned $728,015.70.

The $100 wager – four horse boxed first four – netted 416.66 per cent of the dividend.

“When Ladbrokes called to confirm I’d won over three million, my husband literally fell to the floor,” the woman said.

“He was just sobbing. We were looking at each other and we asked him to say it again. It was complete shock for us.”

A mother of two won $3.2m after picking the first four in the 2024 Melbourne Cup won by Knight’s Choice. Picture: George Sal/Racing Photos via Getty Images

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The woman shared her joy of paying off the mortgage.

“It was looking like our kids might have ended up having to finish off the mortgage because it was so high,” she said.

“It was a nice feeling to see that there was no minus on the account. I don’t even know how to explain it.”

The family celebrated with friends and loved ones after the Cup.

“We have nine godchildren as well, and we just love our family and our friends,” she said.

“We would give our shirts off our backs, even if we didn’t have it. You live humbly and be a good person and help other people as you can.”

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Ladbrokes chief executive Dean Shannon shared his excitement about the historic win.

“At Ladbrokes, we always strive to give our customers unforgettable experiences, and it doesn’t get much more remarkable than this,” Shannon said.

“To see a family win big through a Melbourne Cup tradition, turning $100 into over $3m, is something truly special.

“This is a life-changing win and we’re thrilled to be part of this incredible story and to have played a role in helping this family secure their future. They seem like great people, and it was a nice call to get to make.”

Originally published as How a lucky mother of two landed $3.2m Melbourne Cup first four