Incredible Win for Punter

When Steve Whiteley, a heating engineer from North Tawton, Devon, stepped on a bus to head towards Exeter Racecourse, he was looking forward to a day at the races. He had no idea that the 8th of March 2011 would change his life forever. Not having much money to spend, he had to scrap his first ticket, as he chose two horses in each race, and the £32 price attached to that ticket was too rich for his pocket. So Steve Whiteley rather opted for picking six possible winners, which cost him £2. Little did he know that he would be right in the choices he had made.

Sitting down thinking about his betting options, Steve Whitely picked his horses almost randomly. Everyone in horse racing knows that one can never be sure what the outcome of a race is going to be, as anything can happen on the day. Somehow every horse that Whiteley chose came through for him. The horses he decided on for the day were Semi Colon (2-1), Black Phantom (12-1), Ammunition (16-1), Lundy Sky (5-1) and Lupita (12-1). Even more surprising, is that Lupita had not won one of his last 28 career starts, but he was able to deliver his first victorious performance since 2008 on this day. Jessica Lodge, with her surname being the reason why Whiteley picked her horse, also enjoyed her first victory in her career.

Selecting and winning a pick 6 is such a rare occurrence that when everyone realized Whiteley was the only ticket holder to stand a chance when the last race was about to start, he had hundreds of supporters cheering for him and supporting him. After tax being deducted from his winnings, Steve Whiteley was £1,445,671.25 richer.

His partner Jill Dilley had no idea until she saw Steve being interviewed on television. The excitement was so great that he also managed to forget her birthday, and hopes that the trip they are planning to Australia will make up for his forgetfulness! Speaking to the press after the racing, Whiteley commented: “The most exciting bit was after the fourth race when my mate said only seven people in the whole country were still in it. I couldn’t watch the last race. I’m shaking like a leaf, I can’t believe it.” He also added that he would not be quitting his job any time soon, as he did not want to let people down, but at least he won’t have to worry about his future.