An as yet unknown punter scored a massive win at the weekend when his 50p each way Lucky 31 bet came in to bag him £441,913.
It was the first day of the flat season, and what a way to kick it off for the bettor and for the industry.
The humongous win was confirmed by William Hill spokesman, Lee Phelps, who said:
“It’s certainly been a brilliant Saturday for one of our customers, whose 50p each-way Lucky 31 won them over £440,000.
“All five of the selections in the bet won, including Migration at 18-1 in the highlight of the day, the Lincoln at Doncaster, and after their final pick, Astral Beau, won well in the next race they were celebrating taking home £441,913.”
The bet our lucky punter placed was as follows:
- Foxes Tales – 2.05 Kempton – 4/1
- Bear Force One – 2.40 Kempton – 20/1
- Vadream – 3.00 Doncaster – 10/1
- Migration – 3.35 Doncaster – 18/1
- Astral Beau – 4.10 Doncaster – 40/1
As you can see, none of their picks were favourites, with the shortest priced runner being Foxes Tales at 4/1.
A few non-runners in the final leg meant that Rule 4 came into effect, so the payout could have been even higher assuming Astral Beau could have still won, but somehow, we don’t think the winning bettor is going to be too upset about that.
How the Bet Was Won
Foxes Tales was first to race, competing in the Magnolia Stakes at Kempton, and actually started as the favourite, making this the horse’s first win since October of 2021. Foxes Tales was hiding in the middle of the pack for much of the race, only letting loose and bullying his way through after the final turn before winning by a comfortable margin.
That was the ‘easy’ one on the betslip.
Bear Force One was in a field of 12, also at Kempton Park, where his last four races had been, so he knew the track well.
It hasn’t been a bad day for one of our punters! ????????????
✅ Vadream (10/1)
✅ Migration (18/1)
✅ Astral Beau (40/1, 45p R4)
✅ Bear Force One (20/1)
✅ Foxes Tales (4/1)50p each-way Lucky 31 returns £????????????,????????????!
— William Hill Racing (@WillHillRacing) April 1, 2023
It was a tighter finish but Bear Force One managed to win a three horse battle to just edge over the line ahead of the others and claim first place in the Unibet Handicap.
Vadream made light work of the rest of the field winning her race by around 4 lengths and never really looking challenged, taking the Cammidge Trophy is style.
Migration was another story all together. He was at the very back of the 22 strong pack for the majority of the race, only starting to push up with 2 furlongs to go. This must have been a nail biting few minutes for our punter, but Migration found lots of space on the inside and fought his way to the front, seeming to lose momentum slightly as he took 5th place with just 100 yards to go.
A final burst of energy propelled him forward though, taking the lead just meters before the winners post, and winning the Lincoln out of nowhere.
The final race on the betslip with the Doncaster Mile, with only six horses coming out of the starting gates after the two favourites were non-runners, leaving things fairly open despite Astral Beau being one of the longest priced.
The front four kept pace with each other for much of the race but at the final furlong Astral Beau left them behind to win by a good four lengths, and securing a mammoth pay day for one lucky punter.