Horse racing punter doubles bet winnings to nearly £40k after 'smart' move

A bookmaker has paid out a "smart punter" almost £40,000 after they couldn't cash out and managed to more than double their winnings. The customer went into one of William Hill's shops in Hertfordshire and placed a straight £20 accumulator on four horses. With one of the selections priced at 33-1, they also covered their bet by putting them in a £10 Lucky 15 - which pays out on just one winner.

However the racing fan's luck was in when each thoroughbred hit the target, which saw the Leeds firm pay £39,021 from the two wagers.The amount was secured in just one hour and 15 minutes, with the contests at Ffos Las and Kempton run between 7.10pm and 8.25pm on Wednesday evening. The £20 bet came very close to defeat straight away, when Tony Carroll's Winningpost Bookmakers Burry Port Handicap hero Son of Astar (4-1) was all out to hold the challenge of Hardlass at Ffos Las by a nose - the sport's smallest margin.

Kingdom Of Stars (9-4) then had a bit more in hand while taking Kempton's Unibet More Extra Place Races Handicap under Colin Keane, who made headlines the previous day when a 14-day ban ruled him out of riding superstar miler Field Of Gold at Goodwood.

Back to Wales and odds on favourite Spartan Times was next to do the business in the Stablesoft Handicap over 1m 2f.

A recent course and distance scorer by seven-and-a-half lengths, Jennie Candlish's trainee started at a short price of 2-5 and was always doing enough to make it a quick double.

But the next leg of the £20 acca seemed unlikely to get over the final hurdle, with it relying on 33-1 chance Capuchinero in mile handicap on the all-weather.

With no option to cash out, as the bets were placed in a betting shop and not online, the punter faced a nervous wait to see if they could get them over the line.

Well-backed runner Drumstick was the target for Capuchinero inside the final furlong and despite the longshot receiving several bumps from the runner-up, he went on to score.

A stewards enquiry found the interference was accidental and it added: "The winner Capuchinero appeared to show improved form compared with its previous run at Brighton on 30 May 2025 where the mare finished last of eight runners, beaten by 13 lengths. The representative of Alice Haynes’ explanation that Capuchinero appeared to benefit from a short break was noted. The mare was routine tested."

Her triumph made all the difference, as the three earlier winners in the Lucky 15 would have only paid around £600.

All four netted the person £23,551 and £15,470 from the £20 accumulator as well, adding up to a £39,021 on the night.

Spokesperson for William Hill, Lee Phelps, said: “We’ve been hit by a couple of corking racing multiples as a smart punter walked away with nearly £40,000 after four selections did the business on Wednesday evening, having placed the bets in our Flamstead shop in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire.

“They’ve managed to not only land a £20 four-fold acca, but also a £10 Lucky 15, meaning they’ve walked away with £39,021. We just have to take our hats off to them, it’s not every day that you head to your local William Hill shop, place a four-fold acca and a Lucky 15 and walk away with a hefty five-figure sum, so credit where it’s due to them."