The Cheltenham Festival is set to kick off again in March 2020. This four day spectacular, which began in the early twentieth century has grown to be one of the biggest events in the horse racing calendar.
The festival kicks off with the Supreme Novice’s Hurdle on day one, followed by other competitive races like the Champion Hurdle. Day two is known as Ladies Day and features popular events such as the Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase and Coral Cup Hurdle. Day three takes place of St Patrick’s Day precedes the biggest event day, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, which attracts the biggest amount of horse race fans and betting fanatics.
During the festive, excited attendees from across the country descend on the Gloucestershire based racecourse, many are horse racing enthusiasts, while many are also competitive betters looking to take home big winnings from Cheltenham betting offers and some are just people looking to enjoy the festivities and bet on horses for fun.
Whether or not attendees at Cheltenham Festival are strategic race betters or gambling novices, a number of lucky individuals have taken home huge sums of winnings over the years. For example, last year one lucky punter raked in over £182,000 from a measly £2 bet, while back in 2017 another fortunate racegoer won over £250,000 from a £1 stake.
Ahead of this year’s event, let’s take a look at some of the previous festival goers’ biggest winnings and what they have decided to splash the cash on:
Factory worker buys bungalow with £250,000 winnings
A factory worker from south London took home a cool quarter of a million pounds three years ago after a lucky bet on the festival’s final day. The man chose five horses in an each-way selected, known in the bookies as a Lucky 31 bet.
Four of his chosen horses; Champagne Classic, Pacha Du Polder, Penhill and Arctic Fire, all won their races. If his fifth horse Dodging Bullet had secured a first place finish then his winnings would have quadrupled to £1 million.
Unsurprisingly shocked and delighted by his win, the dad-of-three planned to buy a bungalow for him and his wife with the cash. Although he is a lifelong horse racing fan and always has a wager during Cheltenham Festival at his local bookmakers, the man doesn’t count himself as an expert better and put his winnings down to luck.
Grandfather funds luxury Vegas getaway with his £160,000 jackpot
In 2018, a man for Devon bagged a huge £160,000 win from just a £1 bet. Like the south London winner, the punter had bet on an each way Lucky 31 at the bookmakers. All five of his chosen horses, which included Sheltered Love, Delta Work, Penhill, The Storyteller and Missed Approach, won in the Stayers’ Hurdle race.
Watching the race with a group of friends in his local Devonshire Conservative club, he jokingly told his mates that if he was to win he would take them all on a luxury holiday to Las Vegas, the home to many of the world’s largest and most extravagant casinos and entertainment outlets.
Staying true to his word, the cleaning company operator took the group of seven on a four day £10,000 trip to Sin City. He also plans to take his wife of 33 years and his daughters on a Caribbean holiday.
Placing his bets after careful consideration, the man selected the horses trained by Willie Mullins of Gordon Elliott. He also chose his fifth horse, Missed Approach, because he knew that he would be able to handle Thursday’s muddy conditions, who proved him right despite his 10/1 chances.
Golfer Lee Westwood takes home a cool £48,000 on Ladies Day
Legendary golfer Lee Westwood has also won big at Cheltenham Festival races. On the second day of the festival last year, Westwood placed a lucky Super Heinz bet which included seven horse selections from seven races. Super Heinz takes the selection and combines it into 120 bets.
In the famous Queen Mother Champion Chase race, Lee bet on Altior, a favourite with a 4/9 chance of winning. The horse took first place and even managed to beat its current record for obstacles at set a new one at 18.
This isn’t the first time the golfer has won big. In the previous year at Cheltenham Festival, he took home a £22,000 win with a £128 stake on a tote jackpot.
But will we see any big winners this year?
If previous years are anything to go by, then we can expect punters to take home some significant winnings in the March 2020 Cheltenham Festival.
While the day isn’t all about the cash, the races are a great opportunity to have fun and put on a bet or two.