Jackpot Tales In The Track: Record Breaking Horse Betting Triumphs

Horse racing is one of the most popular sports to wager on across the world, with millions looking to win that massive amount that could potentially be life-changing.

However, few have been able to hit some of the biggest prizes, meaning it is always encouraged to gamble responsibly and not go in search of landing one of the massive prizes that we will mention in this article.

Similar to casino jackpots, some of the biggest wins have been achieved when betting on horse racing, but each has been achieved by experienced bettors who would have put hours into their research before making a selection. And even some risk pari-mutuel betting, which is a whole different level.

But, what are some of the record-breaking amounts won by bets on horse racing?

Horse Racing Accumulator – £1.45 Million

You’d be hard pressed to find a more impressive winning bet on horse racing than the one achieved by Steve Whitely in the United Kingdom in March 2011. No bettor has ever enjoyed a healthier return from their selections from a £2 accumulator than Whitley, who picked up a massive £1.45 million following six winning selections on a Placepot at Exeter Racecourse.

While there were some short-priced selections to win on the day for Whitely, including pre-race favorites such as Semi Colon and Lundy Sky, he made some expert picks at double-digit odds to land the huge cash prize. Those include selections of Black Phantom at 12/1, Ammunition at 16/1, and Mr Bennett at 16/1. The winning selections where placed on Tote, meaning he stood to win £300,000 more if the selections were made at a regular sportsbook.

Fred Craggs- £1 Million

History was made in 2008, as Fred Craggs became the first high street millionaire after landing a successful eight-fold on horse racing. It was a fitting story for the punter, as he made his winning selection just a day before his 60th birthday party. The salesman placed a 50p accumulator on the selections, which featured runners over jumps and the all-weather, as well as a selection that was running overseas at Nad El Sheba.

In the local William Hill store in Thirsk, the selections were priced up at astronomical odds of 2,000,000/1. One of the most heartwarming factors about Craggs story was the fact that he hadn’t realised that his selections had won until it was pointed out to him at another store by a colleague. William Hill revealed it was the most that they had paid out for an in-store bet since betting was made legal in 1961, and the last leg of Craggs’ winning bet was called ‘A Dream Come True’.

Conor Murphy- £1 Million

The Cheltenham Festival is a regular time of the year when punters begin to dream that they could win a life changing amount of money, but Conor Murphy achieved that when placing bets on a number of championship races in 2012. Murphy was a stable lad for illustrious trainer Nicky Henderson, who took one of his most talented teams to the Festival in years. Murphy made his selections in November 2011, a whole four months before the Festival got underway at Cheltenham. The punter made a £50 accumulator on five runners from the Henderson yard, getting the best prices on his selections. Murphy was able to get 6/1 on Sprinter Sacre to land the Arkle, 12/1 on Simonsig to win the Neptune Novices’ Hurdle, and Bob’s Worth at 6/1 to win the RSA.

His accumulator was rounded off by selections of Finian’s Rainbow at 8/1 for the Queen Mother Champion Chase and 10/1 on Riverside Theatre to land the Ryanair Chase. The victory triggered the maximum cash out at Bet365, and the cheque for £1 million was paid out. It was a life-changing win for Murphy, and it enabled the 31-year-old to chase his dreams of becoming a trainer, as he shortly moved out to Kentucky, USA.

Magnificent Seven

It would be hard to talk about the biggest payouts in horse racing history without mentioning the day of history that saw Frankie Dettori emerge as the world’s best jockey. The Italian maestro rode seven winners in seven races at Ascot on a day that will never be forgotten in horse racing history. Incredibly, only one punter backed all seven winners, returning over £500,000 from a small stake. However, it was a day that left bookies reeling, with many other customers including Dettori’s rides in trebles and four-folds.

Dettori rode a short-price favorite to success in the opener, before his ride on Diffident landed a 12/1 success in the Diadem Stakes. Mark Of Esteem then landed the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, before Decorated Hero and Fatefully won the Tote Festival Handicap and Rosemary Stakes, respectively. The sixth winner was landed when short-priced favorite Lochangel obliged in the Blue Seal Stakes. His record winning seventh success was then achieved in the final race on the card, as Fujiyama Crest was cut from 12/1 to 2/1 favorite.