Did Peter get his sums right to land £60,000 prize? – You bet
ARETIRED accountant beat odds of 20,000-to-one by picking FIVE winning horses – scooping a £60,000 prize on a £1 wager.
Peter Titman, 62, correctly bet on the first horses to cross the line at York last week in a ‘Lucky 31’ accumulator bet.
Peter, from Royton, won a total of £58,336 and said his £1 wager on the five winners was down to his late uncle George. He said: “I was always good at mental arithmetic and my uncle had me checking not only his, but his mates’ betting slips.
“I must have been seven or eight but I could do my sums pretty well – and then at primary school the teachers used to ask my puzzled parents why I knew so much about horse racing and whether they were big gamblers, which they weren’t. At St Paul’s Junior School in Royton I suppose I was top of the class at maths, and accountancy was certainly a career option.”
His race winnings were £38,901 after El Astronaute, Roaring Lion, Afaak, Main Desire and Waiting for Richie were all first past the post in the 2.20, 3.30, 4.05, 4.35 and 5.35 races on the Betfred Dante day at York last Thursday. But under the terms of the ‘Lucky 31’ bet, invented by the bookie Fred Done, customers get a 50 per cent bonus for landing five winners on the day. Peter added: “I’m an Oldham fan and we’re relegated after failing to match Rochdale’s result on the last day of the season, so taking £58,000 off a big United fan like Fred has cheered me up.”
Peter picked up his winnings at the Betfred shop at Market Square near his home in Royton. After celebrating his win in the pub, Peter splashed out at Chinese and Italian restaurants with friends. He’s also going to buy a new computer – and has long-term plans to put some of his windfall towards a holiday home in Lanzarote.
Betfred boss Fred Done said: “Thanks Peter, you really are trying to rub it in aren’t you. You empty my pockets then mock my waning allegiance to mighty Manchester United. I’m just starting to get over our miserable stop-start FA Cup final defeat against Chelsea when we weren’t at the races and then I hear about this. Guess it proves you can always win big from a small stake at Betfred, and at least a very loyal customer is in the money.”