Self-described ‘mug punter’ takes home $26,000 at Cox Plate

A BLOKE from Warrnambool took home a colossal $26,000 at the Cox Plate after putting a $220 punt on Winx in February.

What it looks like to win $26,000

OUR man Brad from Warrnambool was sweating on Winx for a $26,000 collect after outlaying $220 on two multis back in February.

The self-described “mug” and 11 of his mates headed to the track to cheer the brilliant mare and Brad’s bets home.

The footage says it all (Brad is the one sporting the blue Winx hat):

We’re pleased to report Brad did the right thing and immediately dropped $1,000 on the bar for his mates.

“What a day, what a night. Very sore head right now,” Brad told Punters.com.au on Sunday morning.

Well played Brad from the ‘Bool!

Picture: Punters.com.au

“I’m not nervous but I’m not sure what sort of state I’ll be in come 5pm. There’s 12 of us heading down and we’re in a marquee. I’ll probably be pretty drunk,” Brad told Punters.com.au before the race.

“Winx is too short to back now so the other blokes reckon they won’t have a bet or watch the race. They reckon they’ll be watching me. There’s been a bit of chatter about town, too. Everyone is cheering for me.”

Laying the platform wasn’t hard work either, at least in hindsight, with the lion’s share of the potential fill-up coming courtesy of what Brad considered three obvious favourites.

“I wasn’t reinventing the wheel. I took all horses at the top of the market. The funny thing is when I placed the bet, Capitalist was $3.50 in the Slipper. He got out to $8 or $9 but I was still pretty keen on him,” Brad said.

“Winx was the biggest price but she was the one I was most confident about. I thought, ‘This horse is that good that Waller will try and win three Cox Plates with her’.

“When the rest of the picks lobbed I just had to hope she got through unscathed. And here she is.”

Brad said there was a “little bit of mail” involved in the second multi, with one of Palentino’s ’bool-based owners tipping him into his Australian Guineas chances.

The quietly confident Brad said he wasn’t at all tempted to cash-out on his punt on Winx.

“I’ve thought about it but what will the cash-out be? Four or five grand? That’s great but $26,000 is life-changing. That’s a new car or a good chunk of a mortgage,” he said.

“F*** it. I’ll let it ride.”

This article originally appeared on Punters.com.au, where you can find free racing form, tips and stories.