- A Melbourne Cup bettor won $100,000 on a $2 bet
- On Tuesday he successfully selected the first four
- Another gambler won $900,000 on Without A Fight
A lucky punter turned $2 into $100,000 after the Melbourne Cup at Flemington.
One gambler in Western Australia played TAB’s first four-mystery bet game and came through, meaning he took home $100,763 on Tuesday.
Other, bolder gamblers placed a $100,000 bet on Without A Fight to win the race, which returned $900,000, while an $80,000 bet earned another gambler $600,000.
A $1 trifecta of the first three won another Western Australian $10,688. The quinella made $43.20, exacta $89.20, trifecta $10,668 and the first four made $332,291.
Jockey Mark Zahra basked in his victory after also winning the Caulfield Cup on the same horse last month.
A punter has won $100,000 on a $2 bet on this year’s Melbourne Cup
The West Australian correctly predicted the first four of Tuesday’s race
‘I think winning one helps you just go into it so much more confident you know because if you haven’t won one you’re like I might never get the chance if you’ve won one you can relax and ‘I’ say ‘I have another one at home to go into,'” he said.
Zahra was stunned, scolding himself for sticking up two fingers for winning two Melbourne Cups and calling himself an ‘idiot’.
‘The stars were on the Gold Trip last year and on this horse this year. Just a few things and the way he won the Caulfield Cup I was confident he would win it,” Zahra said.
Later, Zahra admitted he had given Gold Trip ‘a pat on the back’ before the Cup, but said he had put last year’s glory behind him.
Punters are flocking to Flemington to watch the action in the race that holds the nation back
‘I still give him a wink, but I immediately moved on. My only focus was to win again with this horse.’
Fellow trainer Sam Freedman described Zahra’s ride as ‘extraordinary’.
‘He got it through a wide gate onto the rail, relaxed, swam it away and was probably quite confident about the 800 meters he covered. He just needed the brakes to come. He’s a freak. No doubt about the trip there. He was excellent.’