One fortunate Irish bettor is now €29,000 richer after successfully picking the Grand National winner and predicting Rory McIlroy's Masters victory. The Northern Irish golfing superstar finally completed his major collection at Augusta National on Sunday, securing the coveted Green Jacket and a whopping €3.75million prize.
Just a week earlier, it was an emotional moment for Willie Mullins and his son Patrick as they celebrated their National triumph at Aintree with Nick Rockett, bagging the race's €580,000 winners' prize. And, seven days before that, flat racing fans were treated to the opening Lincoln Handicap at Doncaster, where William Haggas saddled Godwinson and scooped up the €90k winner's purse.
But these three weren't the only ones cashing in over the past three weeks. One punter has walked away with a substantial payout after accurately forecasting all these events.
The winning streak for this William Hill customer kicked off on the Saturday of the Lincoln meeting when they backed Cieran Fallon's ride, Godwinson, to win at Doncaster.
Fallon held back the five-year-old until just a furlong out, making a dash for the finish line with 110 yards left, narrowly beating Billy Loughnane and his horse Oliver Snow by a nose, reports Belfast Live.
With Godwinson winning for the punter at 14/1 - shortening to 15/2 on the day - the focus of the bet then shifted to the National the following week, where the Mullins father-son duo clinched Aintree glory with 33/1 outsider Nick Rockett.
Since the bet was placed ante-post, the punter was paid out the shorter fixed price of 20/1 for the son of Walk In The Park, who overcame last year's winner, I Am Maximus, in the final stretch.
The total payout earned by the customer was spread across two each-way bets, each worth €13. The first, a win treble, included Nick Rockett, while the second, a place treble, featured the JP McManus-owned Iroko at a price of 9/1, who finished the National in fourth to place. Both bets relied on McIlroy to secure a total prize of exactly €29,820.23 at a price of 6/1.
The punter must have had a nerve-wracking experience on Sunday evening as McIlroy, who initially held a five-stroke lead in Georgia, saw it slip away and went from the verge of victory to the brink of heartbreak multiple times.
A playoff against Justin Rose ensued, and a subsequent superb wedge left a three-foot putt for the title, cementing the 35-year-old's place in sporting history and earning one punter a life-changing sum.
"Whilst single bets on Rory McIlroy to win the Masters have cost us well into seven figures, we've been stung by another bet featuring the superstar Northern Irishman," said a William Hill spokesperson.
"A very shrewd punter pulled off a bettor's dream with McIlroy finally doing the business at Augusta, Nick Rockett landing the Grand National, and Godwinson holding on in the dying strides to win the William Hill Lincoln.
"And that's not all. The customer also placed a successful each-way place treble featuring McIlroy, Godwinson, and, in this bet, Iroko, all to place in their respective competitions. In total, the bettor has pulled off a pair of famous spring trebles and taken us for over €29,000.
"We simply have to take our hats off to the punter here – there's nothing quite like backing the winner in three major spring sporting events!".
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