- A Melbourne Cup punter won $100,000 from a $2 bet
- He successfully picked the first four on Tuesday
- Another punter won $900,000 on Without A Fight
A lucky punter has turned $2 into $100,000 following the Melbourne Cup at Flemington.
One gambler in Western Australia played the TAB’s first four mystery bet game and it came through, meaning he walked away with $100,763 on Tuesday.
Other, bolder punters placed a $100,000 bet on Without A Fight to win the race, which returned $900,000, while an $80,000 bet saw another gambler collect $600,000.
A $1 trifecta of the first three won another West Australian $10,688. The quinella returned $43.20, exacta $89.20, trifecta $10,668 and the first four returned $332,291.
Jockey Mark Zahra basked in his victory, having also taken out the Caulfield Cup with the same horse last month.
A punter has won $100,000 from a $2 bet at this year’s Melbourne Cup
The West Australian correctly predicted the first four in Tuesday’s race
‘I reckon winning one helps here you just go in so much more confident you know like because when you you haven’t won one you’re like I might never get the chance when you’ve won one you can relax and say I’ve still got one at home to go into,’ he said.
Zahra was lost for words, scolding himself for holding up two fingers for winning two Melbourne Cups and calling himself an ‘idiot’.
‘The stars aligned for Gold Trip last year and aligned for this horse this year. Just a few things and the way he won the Caulfield Cup, I was confident he would run it,’ Zahra said.
Speaking later, Zahra admitted to giving Gold Trip ‘a bit of a pat’ before the Cup, but said he had moved on from last year’s glory.
Punters flock to Flemington to watch the action in the race that stops the nation
‘I still give him a wink but I’ve moved right on. My sole focus was to win again on this horse.’
Fellow trainer Sam Freedman described Zahra’s ride as ‘extraordinary’.
‘He got him onto the rail from a wide gate, relaxed, swimmed him off and pretty confident probably the 800m he was travelling. He just needed the brakes to come. He’s a freak. No doubts on the trip there late. He was excellent.’
