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Punter landed £900,000 from one of greatest Cheltenham bets of all time

Home> Sport

Updated 12:19 17 Mar 2023 GMTPublished 12:03 17 Mar 2023 GMT

Punter landed £900,000 from one of greatest Cheltenham bets of all time

He raked in almost a million quid on the race

Jake Massey

Jake Massey

For most of us, a day at the races is an opportunity to waste a bit of money randomly backing a quirky name that appeals to us for whatever reason.

But there are some whose lives revolve around horse racing - and they can rake in staggering sums.

Back in 2012, one fella won a whopping £900,000 on one race at Cheltenham Festival.

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Son of Flicka went into the Coral Cup on a losing run of 11, and on the morning of the race, the horse was a 66/1 outsider.

The horse came through when it mattered.
PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo

Owner Phil Williams kept the faith though, and his faith was rewarded, with Son of Flicka coming through and bringing home a huge payday of almost a million quid.

And there have been enormous wins at this year's festival too.

One punter won a staggering £580,000 after putting on one hell of a ballsy bet.

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Energumene was the 6-5 favourite in the Cheltenham Chase on Wednesday (15 March), and one punter backed them with a massive £400,000 stake.

Presumably, that was the equivalent of £100 or something for an ordinary person, but still, that is one hell of a wedge to stick on a horse race.

However, Energumene and jockey Paul Townend made the race as pain-free as possible for the big-time gambler, romping home to a dominant victory and securing a £180,000 profit for the punter.

It's not been confirmed who the big winner was, however, it's believed that the backer was the horse's owner, Tony Bloom, renowned gambler and owner of Brighton & Hove Albion.

Speaking to ITV Racing after Energumene's win, he was asked if he'd backed the horse.

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"We were really confident going in, he's run a tremendous race," the 52-year-old said.

"He looked the top horse all the way around so we were delighted, absolutely delighted. I had a few quid on, so we're quids in."

Suffice to say, Tony's definition of a 'few quid' is a tad warped.

He continued: "We were confident anyway but obviously the rain helps the horse – had it been good ground we would have been a lot less confident. The rain in the last couple of hours has been a big boon.

"He didn't run to his best in the Clarence House Chase, but he has really shown his class today.

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"I think maybe a bit of getting used to them (white fences) after one go over them and he was maybe not at his best a couple of months ago, but he was certainly at his best today."

Bloom admitted he had a 'few quid' on the race.
PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo

But while Tony and whoever won the £580,000 (if it wasn't him) were delighted to see Energumene charged to victory, it made for painful viewing for Star Sports.

The bookies paid out £83,000 to one punter on Tuesday (14 March) after accepting a £230,000 bet on Constitution Hill to win the Champion Hurdle, and that big payout was compounded by the massive £580,000 payout yesterday.

According to the Racing Post, Star Sports head of trading Dave Jolly said: "We're here to lay big bets and on this occasion it has won.

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"He won well and is a great horse and there are no hard feelings. We're a bit sore at the moment but we'll keep going.

"It's painful for the bookmakers. At Cheltenham, you've got the best taking on the best and they're performing well but we've got two more days to go."

Featured Image Credit: PA Images / Steven May / Alamy

Topics: Sport, Gambling, Money

Jake Massey
Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

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@jakesmassey

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