Irish Bookie Responds After Losing Staggering Bet In The Grand National
The Willie Mullins-trained I Am Maximus was steered Grand National glory by Paul Townend in what was a thrilling race at Aintree.
Townend and Mullins's efforts combined for victory just as they did in 2024, when it was I Am Maximus that crossed the post first in front of a packed ganrty at the Merseyside racecourse.
Jordans, with jockey Joseph O'Brien, was the leader coming out of the last but began to slow just as I Am Maximus made an outstanding charge towards the line.
It was a perfectly judged run from Townend, who claimed his second Triple Crown of Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, and Grand National in three years - a feat only achieved once prior.
The win is Mullins' fourth in the most coveted jump race in the sport and a third in a row, the former being a feat only achieved by trainers George Dockeray, Fred Rimell, and Ginger McCain.
I Am Maximus was the pre-race favourite, with prices slashed minutes before the race began as fans showed their faith in the former champion.
It paid dividends for many and for one punter in particular, who remarkably waged a staggering £100,000 on I Am Maximus prior to the start of the race.
Popular Irish racing personality Johnny Dineen - who was working at Aintree with Fitzwilliam Betting - spoke to ITV Racing where he showed the bet-slip, admitting it would be 'a bad lose' if it came through.
The bet was taken at 8/1, meaning the eventual winner was facing a potential £800,000 profit.
That punter appears to have got their wish after Fitzwilliam bookmakers took on the bet, which Dineen had said was the biggest bet they had ever laid 'by a mile'.
One viewer got in touch with Dineen on social media to ask whether they managed to offload the bet to which he responded.
We had a bad race but the money lost is recoverable hopefully," he Tweeted.
There's only so many people with the wherewithal to make a £100,000 bet, and many online immediately wondered if it was JP McManus backing the horse he owned. Interestingly, Frank Keogh - formerly of the BBC - enquired about the identity of the bettor in a report on his substack. Keogh spoke to Michael Gannon of Fitzwilliam, who said "the bet came from a well-established person."
When asked if it was McManus, Gannon replied "Not many people would be able to have that bet, would they?”
You can draw your own conclusions.
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