Horse racing punter scoops £16,000 windfall from incredible £2 bet at Royal Ascot
A horse racing punter won £16,000 off an incredible £2 bet on Gold Cup day at Royal Ascot.
The Betfair punter landed the huge sum after his £1 each-way double won, courtesy of 150/1 outsider Valiant Force and 100/1 shot Witch Hunter.
Valliant Force, ridden by Rossa Ryan for Adrian Murray in the Norfolk Stakes, triumphed with the biggest odds at the festival to far to kick the bet off.
The punter was then forced to wait until the final race of the day - the 18:10 - to see Witch Hunter win the Buckingham Palace Stakes at odds of 100/1 for Richard Hannon rode by Jamie Spencer, with the horse halving in odds to 50/1 just before the race.
Seeing them collect £15,900 from their £2 stake in a rare win for the punters throughout Royal Ascot so far.
Betfair Spokesman Barry Orr commented on the punter's victory: ‘’Two scintillating selection and on the same day that King Charles had his first Royal Ascot winner.
"There is something otherworldly about picking a 150/1 and 100/1 winners so he will be forever known to us, affectionately, as ‘Witch Punter’.
"Fortunately for him, he took 100/1 about Witch Hunter because that didn’t go unbacked and at an SP of 50/1 returned at half those odds’."
Gold Cup day at Ascot was a day for the history books, and not just for the happy punter, as King Charles was in attendance to get his first Royal Ascot winner in the second race of the day via Tom Marquand on 18/1 shot Desert Hero.
Later on in true style, Frankie Dettori stole the show in his final Royal Ascot appearance to win the Gold Cup on Courage Mon Ami in brilliant fashion. Racing at Royal Ascot continues on Saturday for the final day of the five-day festival.
