One Betfred regular has been handed the ideal Christmas bonus after landing a four-fold accumulator that netted him more than £31,000.
Terry Robinson, from Merseyside, picked out four horses across meetings at Hexham and Hereford on December 11 based solely upon their names, rather than the formbook.
And the 69-year-old was left jumping for joy when all four passed the post in first place in the space of just 45 minutes… altering the pensioner’s Christmas plans significantly!
The Name Game
| Time | Course | Winner | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14:35 | Hereford | Beat Box | 4/1 |
| 14:50 | Hexham | Rattling Road | 15/2 |
| 15:07 | Hereford | Jacketline | 14/1 |
| 15:20 | Hexham | Tommy Combats | 3/1 |
Normally, punters are recommended to consider a number of different factors before betting on the horses: their form, their record at the course, their handicap weighting, the form of their jockey and yard, to name just a few of the variables.
Mr Robinson’s tactic of picking his bets based upon a familial connection in their names does not come highly recommended. However, on this occasion, the great-grandfather was quids in.
Selection 1: Beat Box (4/1)
He placed a £1 lucky 15, plus a £5 accumulator, on the quartet, and settled down to watch and listen in as Beat Box kicked things off in the 14:35 at Hereford.
The eight-year-old has been a revelation since switching to the yard of Dan Skelton in the summer, winning four of his five outings since August under his new trainer.
And despite being on debut at Hereford, Beat Box (4/1) made good after being well treated by the handicapper, in a wide-open race in which the front four in the betting were priced from 11/4 to 4/1.
He was prominent throughout, and when closest rival Torneo made a jumping error at the last, Dan Skelton pressed his charge home by two lengths.
Selection 2: Rattling Road (15/2)
Next up, Rattling Road (15/2) in the 14:50 at Hexham. Lucinda Russell’s horse has been lightly raced in 2024, and it showed as the seven-year-old jumped well throughout.
Although he hadn’t won on five prior starts on British soil, Rattling Road took to the unique undulations of Hexham with aplomb, getting the better of 25/1 outsider Grand Voyage down the home straight and running away for a three-length win.
Selection 3: Jacketline (14/1)
Two down, two to go for Terry, whose next runner was Jacketline in the 15:07 at Hereford.
Perhaps this was where the ingenuity of Mr Robinson’s simple selection process came to the fore, because there weren’t many punters backing a 14/1 shot whose lead-in form read 5-PU-4-3-8-F.
But Jacketline, whose trainer Seamus Mullins made national headlines during the suspension of racing when he got a job stacking shelves at his local supermarket, running right handed for only the second time in his career, jumped well enough to stay in contention before staying on superbly down the stretch, heading Lady Caro to secure a first career win.
Selection 4: Tommy Combats (3/1)
The edge of Mr Robinson’s seat would have been worn away as he cheered on the fourth of his runners, Tommy Combats, in the 15:20 at Hereford.
In some ways, this was the most surprising win of the lot. The horse had yet to shake off his novice tag, but still went off at a career-high 11st 11lb in two-mile handicap chase.
However, with short odds favourite Fearless Action pulled up after weakening early on, opportunity knocked for Tommy Combats (3/1), who found himself adrift in fourth place with just one flight to jump.
But the five-year-old had youth on his side as he stayed on, reeling in his trio of challengers that showed no extra in the final yards.
Family Affair
As you can imagine, the celebrations in the Robinson household were raucous.
He had won more than £26,000 from his pair of bets, which was met with an additional £4,360 courtesy of the Best Odds Guarantee promotion that Betfred still runs.
So how did Terry come up with that unusual set of selections?
“I went for Jackeline as the Border Terrier I have had for three years is called Jack. Then one of my grandchildren is called Tom, so that was why I opted for Tommy Combats.
“Regarding the other two horses… Rattling Road was because it reminded me of my job as a project manager and I was travelling around a lot, and then Beat Box because that horse always wins for me.”
It’s a selection policy that’s not for the faint of heart, but it certainly worked for the 69-year-old on this occasion.
As for the money, Terry has ringfenced a slice of it to pay for his family’s Christmas meal at a local restaurant, as well as promising his wife a bumper payout as well.
And there’s even likely to be a new collar for Jack, the unwitting inspiration behind part of this magnificent punting coup!