A lucky SkyBet customer had the Saturday that dreams are made of when turning a £2.50 accumulator into just shy of £50,000 in winnings.
The punter picked out four long-odds selections across a horse racing card that included meetings at Leicester, Lingfield and Warwick.
And, perhaps to their surprise as much as expectation, each one of them came home as the winner.
So, from a modest stake, our punter was able to land a payout of a cool £28,125.
But things would get even better, as the addition of the Best Odds Guaranteed promotion meant that the payout was enhanced from £28,125 to £49,875.
Here’s the tale of the tape from an afternoon and evening of racing that they will never forget…
Foreseen Circumstances
There was a stacked card of action on the Flat at Ascot on Saturday, with the Victoria Cup – The Wizard of Eye taking the spoils – on the schedule alongside some valuable handicaps.
Naas played host to an Irish Oaks trial, while Lingfield welcomed a series of key trial races as well.
But our SkyBet punter was willing to swerve the big races for some more modest fare elsewhere.
A seven-furlong handicap at Lingfield was the first on the ledger, with Foreseen – a five-year-old from the yard of all-weather champion trainer Tony Carroll – the selection.
William Hill Each Way Extra Handicap, 3:15 Lingfield
| Winner | Trainer | Jockey | SP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreseen | Tony Carroll | Silvestre De Sousa | 18/1 |
A useful horse that has won on the all-weather, nevertheless Foreseen was taking a step up in class at Lingfield – with Silvestre de Souza also partnering the bay for the first time.
But this was a partnership that enjoyed success from the get-go, as Foreseen – the bottom weight in the handicap renewal – hit the front early.
As keen as he was, De Souza was able to keep order of his charge and, when idling with two furlongs to travel, shake him up enough to land the win by just over a length.
That was a tidy 18/1 winner in the bank for our punter, whose next fancy – Redbridge Rambler – was a 6/1 chance in the first race of an evening card at Warwick.
SVE Services Ltd Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Chase, 5:35 Warwick
| Winner | Trainer | Jockey | SP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redbridge Rambler | Martin Keighley | Freddie Keighley | 6/1 |
The Keighley connection – trainer Martin and son (and jockey) Freddie – were well supported in the conditional jockeys’ handicap chase, with the eight-year-old previously showing much of his best work on fast ground.
Stepping up in trip to three miles also paid dividends for a horse that stayed on beautifully, defying top weight to hold on and clinch victory from the second favourite, Carpe Diem.
Myna Detail
If our punter was watching along on TV or streaming via their chosen betting site, they were about to have their heart rate quickened.
With two selections in, two more were in the field for a stacked card of evening racing.
Over at Leicester, the pick was Myna – another from the Tony Carroll yard. Rated just 48, this was Class 6 racing by name and nature… not that our punter cared.
Go West Plays Leicester Races 4th July Handicap, 7:55 Leicester
| Winner | Trainer | Jockey | SP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myna | Tony Carroll | William Carson | 8/1 |
Under a game ride from William Carson, Myna – who had won on the all-weather back in January – showed plenty on what was his seasonal debut on the turf.
Carson kept close order with the leaders, but as his horse began to falter at around the halfway mark it looked as if the acca dream was over.
But Myna regrouped, started to make headway and then, with two furlongs left to travel, forged into the lead. Despite drifting to the left, the five-year-old took his place in an astonishing finish that saw four horses separated by less than a length at the line.
Thankfully for our customer, it was Myna that was just able to stoop his neck in front and take the tape in first place.
With that 8/1 winner in the house, all that was left was to cheer home the outsider of the four selections – 25/1 Union Island – in the last at Leicester.
‘Picnic At The Races’ Monday 25th May Book Now Handicap, 8:25 Leicester
| Winner | Trainer | Jockey | SP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Island | Charlie Johnston | Jack Callan | 25/1 |
From the Owners Group syndicate, Union Island won on the all-weather in February and showed himself to be a capable performer at Class 6 level last summer, winning a hat-trick of races at Bath and Beverley.
Despite a low-key seasonal return on turf in April, the five-year-old was right back at it under a progressive ride from 3lb claimer Jack Callan.
His was slow burning progress, slowly travelling from the rear of the field over the course of the one-mile trip to contest inside the final furlong.
The 9/2 chance, The Sweet Escape, was proving a thorn in the side alright, but Union Island defied the bookmakers’ odds to get the win by the smallest of margins – literally a nose, in fact.
With nearly £50,000 now in their account, it was a day at the racing that this customer won’t forget in a hurry.