A lucky Cheltenham punter is celebrating after winning a staggering £55,000 from just a £5 bet on the festival's opening day.
The fortunate bettor cleaned out the Tote bookies, who literally ran out of money in their till following the remarkable win.
The punter successfully picked horses to place in the first six races of Monday's card in the popular Placepot bet, The Sun reports.
The biggest surprise in the punter's selections came when 66-1 outsider Burdett Road placed in the Champion Hurdle.
A lucky Cheltenham punter is celebrating after winning a staggering £55,000 from just a £5 bet on the festival's opening day
PA
This remarkable result occurred after odds-on favourite Constitution Hill fell during the race.
State Man, who was ten lengths clear and cruising, then dramatically crashed out at the last hurdle.
These unexpected developments sent the Placepot dividend soaring, transforming the modest £5 stake into a life-changing sum.
The punter's selections included just one winner - Jango Baie in the Arkle Chase.
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Jango Baie wins the Arkle! pic.twitter.com/ybWEESr8gB
Jockey Nico de Boinville admitted he had nearly given up as his mount struggled in last place, even hitting odds of 300-1 in running betting markets.
But after odds-on favourite Majborough blundered and L'Eau Du Sud ran out of steam, Jango Baie produced a remarkable charge up the hill to win.
This incredible last-to-first victory proved crucial to the punter's success.
The final leg of the punter's Placepot landed when Tom Dascombe's Hot Fuss finished fourth in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap.
The Placepot requires bettors to select horses that finish in the places in the first six races of a meeting.
Importantly, selections don't need to win their races to qualify.
When favourites crash out, as happened dramatically in the Champion Hurdle, the dividend from the pool money increases substantially.
The standard payout for a £1 Placepot bet on Monday was £11,050.70, highlighting the exceptional value of the winning £5 stake.
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Other fortunate punters also enjoyed substantial returns on Tote.co.uk.
One customer landed £22,101.40 from a £24 bet, while another took home £17,681.12 from a £12.80 stake.
The Placepot allows bettors to select multiple horses per race if several take their fancy, increasing chances of success.
Despite these big wins, most bookmakers had the last laugh on day one of the festival.
Jango Baie won at Cheltenham Festival, upsetting the bookies in the process
PA
The layers were spared a potential £50 million payout when several favourites failed to deliver.
Bookmakers had even priced up a 7-1 four-fold accumulator as the potential "bloodbath".
This included Kopek Des Bordes, Majborough, Lossiemouth and Constitution Hill.
They were saved when Majborough failed to win the Arkle and were in dreamland after Golden Ace's surprise Champion Hurdle victory.
