Racing Post and
http://betting.betfair.com/ readers will have seen that one Betfair customer had a real life-changing win on the exchange yesterday. With the game seemingly up for Captain Crooner in the 12:30 at Southwell, the punter put on a £25 back bet to cover an early lay. So guess what happened next? Yes, he was matched at 1000 before Captain Crooner produced a devastating late blast to win the race.
Betfair Radio will be talking to the customer this afternoon. You can hear the interview at 3.50pm. Tune in via
http://betting.betfair.com/radio/# to listen…
Punter stakes £25 to win £20,000 in Southwell nursery
by Bill Barber THE victory of Captain Crooner in the nursery at Southwell on Thursday is not likely to go down in the annals of racing history but it will certainly never be forgotten by one Betfair punter.
For it was the two-year-old's unlikely success in the 5f event that will enable the grateful backer to pay off his mortgage once Christmas is out of the way.
The 14-1 outsider of the six runners traded at the maximum price of 999-1 on the exchange after starting slowly and soon getting detached.
However the punter managed to get £25 at that price and win a life-changing sum.
The first news of his success came on the Betfair forum when the punter posted his amazing success under his nom de plume Manchesterskytrain.
Contacted by the Racing Post the punter would only say that he was called Mike, was in his 30s, lived in the North-West and had a wife and young son.
He explained that he did most of his betting in running and had laid Captain Crooner before deciding to get out of the bet at the halfway stage, getting his £25 matched at 1000. He then kept a clear head and laid the horse again at 80 to ensure a profit.
After commission that profit amounted to just over £20,000.
He said: "This means a lot to me. I worked in a warehouse but I did my back in January and decided to see whether I could make a living on Betfair.
"Christmas is already sorted but I've worked out that I will be able to pay my mortgage off in January.
Betfair has changed my life, I think it's the best thing that has ever happened."
There were two other Betfair customers who backed the horse at 999-1 and netted just under £3,000 apiece, with one getting £3 matched and the other £2.49.
Betfair spokesman Tony Calvin said: "I feel justified in trotting out the cliche that Christmas really has come early for three Betfair customers.
"And the punter who had £25 on Captain Crooner at the ceiling price of 999-1 must literally be taking a leaf out of that old songster Lionel Richie's book - and dancing on the ceiling, which he is now soon to own outright!"
