The Biggest Winning Bets in Horse Racing

may 24, 2019

Source: Wikimedia Horse racing has been a betting pursuit for centuries. However, it was only as recently as 2017 that the global betting market for the sport surpassed the €100 billion mark. The greatest sums that were wagered were placed in Japan, the UK, Australia, Hong Kong and the United States. Outside of Europe, other countries where betting on horse racing is popular include South Korea, Turkey, Morocco, South Africa and Canada. Although large-scale betting on the outcome of horse races may only favour the bookmakers in the long-term, some punters have won very big indeed. What were some of the largest ever wins? In the meantime, if you want to use your judgement and skill to enjoy a wager whilst having fun, then why not try your hand at a casino online?

Dettori's Big Seven

When jockey Frankie Dettori won all seven races on the card at Ascot in 1996, it was an unprecedented achievement. One UK punter, named Darren Yates, placed an accumulator bet on Dettori winning all of the races that day. His modest stake of £67.58 netted him an astounding sum that exceeded £550,000.

Sixtieth Birthday Surprise

In 2008, a British man called Fred Craggs walked into his local betting shop and placed an eight-race accumulator bet to celebrate his birthday. As his day was busy, he didn't even watch the races despite having wagered fifty pence on the outcome of that day's racing. The bookmaker concerned limited winnings to £1 million for a single bet which was probably wise since Craggs stood to win well over that sum if all of the races ended the way he predicted. It turned out they did and he ended up making himself a millionaire for betting such a lowly sum.

Biggest Tote Win

At Exeter Racecourse in 2011, a man who had never shown much interest in horse racing placed a £2 bet with the Tote, the UK's government-owned official bookmaker. He was only attending the races due to a promotion at work. The bet he placed was a jackpot type which meant having to predict the winners in six races, with the prize money being shared among all the winning punters. By the sixth race, the man, Steve Whiteley, was the sole ticket holder left. When that horse won he netted the total prize fund of over £1.4 million, the largest Tote win by a single punter in history. Source: Pixabay

Long Shot Romps Home

In 2015, bookmakers in the US offered astounding odds of 206 to 1 on a horse named RB Wild Promise to win at a race meeting in Ohio. The horse in question made many punters very happy when it came first in its twelve-horse race. Few longer shots have been recorded in horse racing history.

Online Bet Wins Big

A £19 bet was placed on the outcome of the day's racing at Punchestown in Leinster in 2017. The bet was accepted by a well-known bookmaker via its online betting service. The unidentified Irishman concerned picked all of the right horses and won a very large sum despite failing to follow the races as they happened. He only checked on the result of his bet following a night out with friends. He had won in the region of £823,000 without even realising it!