Sue Adair / Aintree Racecourse Entrance
In April of 2008, 49 year old David Smith from Beckenham was about to set a record for winning the biggest Tote Jackpot dividend in history.
David was a Betfair customer, and Betfair had only been offering Tote betting for a few months when he decided to have a go.
“This is actually the first time I have used the Tote facility on Betfair!”
“I saw there was a jackpot rollover and how quick and easy it was to have the Tote bet on Betfair, with one click of a button. So I thought why not?”
Not only was the win record breaking, but it was impressive too.
Have a look at Mr Smith’s selections:
- Big Buck’s – 11/4
- Pettifour – 16/1
- Voy Por Ustedes – 5/1
- Gwanko – 7/1 (JF)
- Pierrot Lunaire – 7/1
- Oedipe – 20/1
Only one joint favourite amongst them, and ending with a 20/1 outsider.
To be fair, it wasn’t the only line David Smith placed – he spent £32 on the bet in all – but nevertheless, a win of £510,955.60 from a £32 stake is a good day’s return for anybody.
How the Bet Was Won
Rept0n1x, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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The first race was off at 14:00, with Big Buck’s held up and worryingly hitting the 14th, before pushing their way to the front from four out and then taking the lead from the last. So not exactly a comfortable start for David, but good enough.
In the 14:35 Pettifour was at the head of the 13 strong field for the whole race, taking the lead early before dropping back, then challenging again from 2 out before taking a much more comfortable win.
Only 6 horses took part in the 3rd leg at 15:10, and after hanging back during the first half of the race, Voy Por Ustedes made his presence known after the 8th, pushing the leader and breaking away with one other from 3 out. A little bit of luck involved in the win after a mistake from the only other contender in the race at one of the final fences, but a strong win never the less. This left just £132 left in the Jackpot pool.
An incredibly impressive pick came next, as Gwanko took a win from a field of 28 in the Topham Trophy Chase. Gwanko made headway after Becher’s when a few other horses fell, sitting in 2nd place for much of the second half of the race, before jumping in front over the last and keeping the lead until the end.
Another decent sized field in the 5th leg saw 14 runners compete, and although Pierrot Lunaire made a mistake early on, the horse managed to keep its composure and remained at the front of the group before taking the lead 3 out. From that point, he only put more and more distance between himself and the other runners, finishing around 12 lengths clear.
Smith had 2 horses left going into the final leg, but it was the 20/1 longshot, Oedipe that won him the money. He had a strong race all round really, staying prominent throughout and leading from the 13th, then looking clear from 3 out. A very strong finish to an incredible bet.
On behalf of the Tote, a spokesman said:
“This was an unbelievable piece of betting.”
“You might have thought the punter would have played safe in the final leg and gone for one of the favourites, but they carried on the strategy that had got them through to the final leg and it paid off.”
Well, David Smith’s other selection in the last leg, Boychuk, may have been shorter at 10/1, but still, it was hardly a favourite.
This was an excellent example of a Tote bet with the perfect balance of risk.