It was the result that most wanted….apart from the bookmakers, that is.
Tiger Roll’s historic win in the Grand National on Saturday saw punters up and down the land jumping for joy as the nine-year-old became the first horse since Red Rum in the early 1970s to win back-to-back editions of the Aintree showpiece.
It was a victory that made connections more than £500,000 in prize money, and punters were also laughing all the way to the bank in a win that is said to have cost bookies the best part of £250 million.
Gordon Elliott’s horse was a well-backed 4/1 favourite, and when Davy Russell led him to the front of the field with a couple to jump you could almost feel the colour draining from the faces of the betting ring.
As confirmed by Betway’s head of PR, Alan Alger, this was the worst possible outcome for the sportsbooks.
“The quarter-of-a-billion-pound bombshell has landed. Tiger Roll has gone back to back and inflicted the most expensive result in Grand National history,” he said.
“People have been backing this horse since he got his head in front here last year, and he will go down as the greatest ever result for punters.”
However, there was some consolation for the bookies (so don’t feel too bad for them!). The likes of 66/1 Magic of Light and 25/1 Walk in the Mill occupied the places, and that prevented a complete washout for the odds-makers.
And as Alger was quick to point out, it had been a decent Grand meeting for the bookies until the Grand National, with plenty of surprise winners across the three days. But that was a very small silver lining in what was otherwise something of a calamity.
“There’s been a few favourable results across the week for us bookies. But it was always going to come down to the National – and we’ve been well and truly wiped out.”
Punter Set to Miss Out On £11,000 Payday?
If you were at Aintree on Saturday, now might be the time to pay attention.
One lucky punter has scooped more than £11,000 from a successful trifecta wager, but as yet the payout has gone unclaimed.
The individual in question was given a raceday ‘wallet’ as part of their experience, inside which was a selection of bets including the lucrative tote punt mentioned.
The punter did cash their Tiger Roll ticket, but has presumably failed to realise they also backed Magic of Light and Rathvinden in their trifecta. That combination has paid out £23, 141.60 to a £1 stake.
Britbet now run the tote operation, and as their managing director Nigel Roddis explained:
“We asked Aintree to alert punters on course after the race that someone had won the trifecta for more than £11,000, but the winner is still out there.
“Hopefully they’ll check their tickets and next time they come racing they can put it through the machine, or be made aware that’s what they’re getting.”
“It’s important everyone checks their ticket, because they might find they don’t have to go to work next week!”