- Outsider Knight’s Choice takes the Melbourne Cup
- The family had bet $100 on the sensational bet.
A Victorian family who won more than $3 million from a bet on the Melbourne Cup revealed they used part of the winnings to pay off their mortgage.
It is understood the family initially only thought their bet would return $780,000 but were stunned when they learned the size of the full dividend.
On Tuesday, Ladbrokes revealed the family had sensationally picked the top four finishers for the Melbourne Cup.
They notably backed Knight’s Choice to finish first, Warp Speed to take second, Okita Soushi third and Zardozi fourth to take the huge prize.
Ladbrokes spokesman Tom Hackett said the “very humble” family said the win had “definitely changed their lives”.
The money was deposited into their account an hour after the race and they used part of the winnings to pay for their house, according to channel seven.
“The wife spent the night folding laundry and making lunch for the kids,” Hackett revealed.
“She was very insistent that life continues as normal.”
According to Ladbrokes pre-race odds, Knight’s Choice had a 1.23 per cent chance of winning, with Warp Speed valued at $26, Okita Souchi at $18 and Zardozi backed to win at $14.
Ladbrokes posted a betting slip on Twitter showing the bet that earned the Victorian family $3.2 million after shelling out $100.
The family backed outsider Knight’s Choice (pictured) to win the Melbourne Cup and picked the three horses that finished after him.
‘They boxed Knight’s Choice, Warp Speed, Okita Soushi and Zardozi and turned their $100 investment into $3.2 million, which is already in their Ladbrokes account.
‘At first the client thought he had won $780,000, so you can imagine his surprise when the full dividend was revealed.
“It’s a life-changing result and shows that anything can happen in the Melbourne Cup!”
The bettor’s bet allows them to claim a payout of 416.66 percent.
Elsewhere, another lucky punter won big after another top four bet was placed on a $24 bet.
That forced bookmakers TAB to pay a dividend of $728,000, while the betting firm also handed out a punter $81,000 after the individual placed a sensational $1,000 bet on Knight’s Choice.
One individual also scored a huge $28,491.70 payout from a $6 mystery trifecta – a bet where a bettor’s horses are selected at random by the accounting firm’s systems.
Ladbrokes claimed the punter had put $100 on the bet, earning a 416.66 per cent return on his stake (pictured, winning jockey Robbie Dolan)
It was also a dream day for Dolan and Knight’s Choice, with the jockey claiming he felt like he was dreaming after the race.
“Pinch me, I’m dreaming… I can’t believe it,” he told Nine News after the race.
‘I think I’ll be singing for the rest of my life after that. What the hell.’