The punter picked up a huge windfall off a £5 bet. (Image: @ToteRacing X)
Race-goers at the might be angry about , but for one lucky punter, the drinks prices shouldn’t be a problem. The famous event got underway on Tuesday, and there was no shortage of drama as favourites Majborough and Constitution Hill both boosted the bookies by missing out on wins.
One spectator, however, went home £55,253.50 richer. After placing a bet on Tote Racing’s popular placepot, he won that amount off just a £5 stake. The company offers fans the chance to tip six horses that they think will be placed in races that day.
The punter, who goes by the name of Tom, was given odds of 11,050-1 for his accumulator bet. Only one of his horses actually came in as a winner, with Jango Baie winning the Arkle Chase.
Rather than be perturbed by the payout, Tote celebrated their client’s win by sharing a picture of the winning betting slip on X. In the caption, they joked: “We’ve been cleaned out at @CheltenhamRaces.”
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We’ve been cleaned out at ??????
— Tote (@ToteRacing)
Fans online did notice one potential discrepancy, though. Tom’s choice in the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, Hot Fuss, came in fourth place, leaving many confused about why the Tom Dascombe-trained four-year-old had been placed.
The race contained 22 runners, meaning the placings extended to the first four finishers. However, before his lucrative start to the week was confirmed, the lucky punter did endure one moment of panic.
A warning message flashed up when his initial slip was scanned. However, it wasn’t the race-goer in trouble; it was the Tote who employees with the message reading: “Insufficient funds to pay out. Please contact your manager.”
On day two of the festival, the Queen Mother Champion Chase is the highlight of the day for punters. That race takes place at 4pm, with Jonbon currently the overwhelming favourite.