Notorious Cheltenham punter 'Mad' Merrigan cleans out bookies with 'biggest bet of his life'

The infamous punter has just completely 'crushed' the bookies after lucking out big time at the Cheltenham Festival on Wednesday (15 March).

Dubbed as Paddy 'Mad' Merrigan, he revealed it was 'the biggest bet of his life' and it most definitely paid off.

The former jockey took home a fortune from a single firm after loyally backing The Real Whacker in the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase for months on end.

Speaking to the Irish Mirror, Merrigan confessed that he 'murdered' the Prestbury Park bookies after the horse he had backed for half a year had finally won from odds of 50-1 right down to 8-1.

The lucky punter used to work with the horse's trainer, Patrick 'Paddy' Neville, and now runs a tipping service.

He told the news outlet: "The whole of Ireland has backed this horse for six months.

"We have cleaned the bookies, it’s over. 50-1 is the first bet I had, don’t worry about I much I win."

He went on to say: "I can assure you it was the biggest bet of my life."

Adding: "The bookies got educated today. This is a serious issue, I want to use this moment now."

After having tipped the horse at several different racing events in the lead to the Festival, Merrigan ended up taking home more than £50,000 from the bookies.

A 'Real Whacker' indeed.

'Mad' Merrigan continued: "I went into this business when I left Paddy a few years ago, he came to England, and now I have a tipping service, Cold Bear Sports."

The punter added that the dynamic duo 'crushed the bookies', saying: "I backed this horse for six months, I told thousands of other people to back him, they all did."

Speaking of the horse, The Real Whacker, Merrigan revealed: "No one believed in this horse."

Well, it sure is a good thing that 'Mad' Merrigan decided to take a chance on the unlikely candidate.

The winning horse in question is owned by David Mann, who has since admitted how 'shocked' he was at the animal's victory.

After the eventful race finished, Mann said: "My heart is pounding... I’m shocked.

"I can’t believe we’re after having this winner. This is the best day of my life."

The horse owner went on to say that he was 'so happy' for himself alongside trainer Paddy Neville.

"I’m not myself but this is unreal," he concluded.

Featured Image Credit: PA Images / Alamy Facebook/MadMerriganColdBeerSports

Topics: Money, Sport, UK News

Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle is a Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from the University of Manchester in 2021 in English Literature. Alongside her studies, she was the Lifestyle Editor of The Mancunian, the largest student newspaper in the United Kingdom. Her favourite topics to write about include sex and relationships, bizarre lifestyle trends and all things travel.