In 2019, one lucky punter began the festival with a bang as his £2 bet on the opening day of then saw him land over £180,000 in return.
The punter attended Prestbury Park on an annual visit and placed a £2 bet in the on-course Tote Placepot, where you must pick a horse to place in every race. The placepot bet is a bit different to a normal accumulator as the winnings are pooled together in a dividend and split based on how many people enter the pool, and the total of more than £900,000 was shared by just 10.5 winning units.
Only one favourite won on day one and a shock in the Champion Hurdle also meant many slips in the bin. However, for this punter, everything worked out and he landed his biggest ever win, which helped him pay for his children’s university fees. The punter chose the winner of the first three races in Klassical Dream, Duc Des Genievres and Beware the Bear before Melon placed in the Champion Hurdle.
He then saw Stormy Island grab second in the Mares Hurdle and there was never a moment of worry in his last leg as A Plus Tard ran out an impressive winner of the Novice Handicap Chase, which gave him a final return of £182,567.