Auckland Punter on Verge of $732,000 Melbourne Cup Miracle
An Auckland punter is just one race away from one of the biggest betting wins in New Zealand history — a $7.41 wager that could turn into more than $732,000 if his final pick lands in the Melbourne Cup.
The 12-leg multi-bet that only needs one more correct result to pay an Auckland punter $732,216.21.
The anonymous bettor placed a 12-leg multi with the New Zealand TAB back in January, and after 11 straight successful results, only one leg remains: Buckaroo, trained by Kiwi expat Chris Waller, must finish in the top three in Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup.
If Buckaroo does it, the punter will collect $732,216.21 — all from a bet that cost about the same as a takeaway coffee.
The bet was placed on January 31, with nine of the legs racing the very next day. All either won or placed high enough to keep the ticket alive. Two weeks ago, former New Zealand galloper Ka Ying Rising won The Everest in Sydney to complete the tenth leg, followed by Via Sistina’s Cox Plate victory to secure the eleventh.
That left the punter sweating on whether Waller would even start Buckaroo in the Cup — something the trainer described as a “50-50 call” just last week. But the decision went his way: Buckaroo is confirmed for Tuesday’s race, drawn perfectly in barrier 12 and ridden by top jockey Craig Williams.
Buckaroo is paying $9 to win and $3.50 for a top-three finish — the only result the punter needs to secure his mammoth payout.
Because the final three legs were placed on Futures markets, the bet cannot be cashed out early, meaning the punter must ride out the race to the finish.
He told TAB staff he had a good reason to stay anonymous.
“I am buying enough beers if this wins without anybody else knowing,” he said.
He admitted to being nervous when it looked like Waller might skip the Cup.
“Yeah, I was convinced Waller was going to scratch it, but I think the owners ... they must have twisted his arm. But you know, the whole thing’s a lottery, eh? This is like a lottery ticket.”
Multi-bets with 12 winning legs are virtually unheard of — one wrong result would have voided the entire ticket.
Nick Conway, general manager of trading for Entain Australia and New Zealand, which operates the TAB, said:
“We’re bookies — we never like paying out this sort of money, but if someone can turn $7 into more than $700,000 then all we can do is pay him his dues — and the $700,000! No matter which way the bet goes for our punter, I hope he enjoys the best three minutes in Australasian sport.”