Mother of two wins £1.6million with astonishing 'once-a-year' Melbourne Cup bet

The Ladbrokes customer correctly predicted the first four finishers in the historic race to win a life-changing amount, having staked just £50

A mother of two has lifted the lid on how she managed to land an astonishing windfall from a bet on Tuesday's Melbourne Cup.

The Ladbrokes Australia customer places a bet every year with her family on the outcome of the historic ‘race that stops a nation’. She staked £50 on the 2m handicap after she and her family picked the horses they liked in the 23-runner field.

They had no knowledge of the horses and did no form study. Their picks were decided by a combination of lucky numbers and “good feelings”.

Yet somehow they landed on the right runners as they netted £1.6 million by correctly predicting the first four finishers, Knight’s Choice, Warp Speed, Okita Sushi and Zardozi, who were numbered 11, 4, 12 and 14.

The money was in the bank within an hour after the race and the woman, who has chosen to remain anonymous, immediately paid off the mortgage.

"We only bet on the Melbourne Cup once a year," she told Ladbrokes. "My son and my husband both liked Knight's Choice (number 11) and my daughter liked Warp Speed because number four is her favourite number.

"I had my eye on two horses – number 14 kept coming up on TikTok, so I thought, ‘It has to be something. I chose 14, but also 12, because I was folding washing on Saturday, watching Derby Day. The female jockey, Jamie Kah, had broken her nose, won the Derby, and I thought, ‘She's going to go out hard this time'."

The family watched the race together on television at home.

"My husband said, ‘Number 11 is going to get this'. We were both losing it in the lounge room, thinking, ‘What the hell is happening?'" the woman continued. "When number 11 won, my husband was already in tears, thinking I had just won $24,000, but then I noticed that all four of our horses had come in. They did the math and said I'd won $780,000. Even that for us was massive.

"When Ladbrokes called to confirm I'd won over $3m (£1.6m), my husband literally fell to the floor. He was just sobbing. We were looking at each other and we asked him to say it again. It was a complete shock for us."

The customer revealed she and her husband had a substantial mortgage on their home.

"It was looking like our kids might have ended up having to finish off the mortgage because it was so high," she said. "It was a nice feeling to see that there was no minus on the account. I don't even know how to explain it."

The family celebrated with friends and loved ones after the Cup.

"We have nine godchildren as well, and we just love our family and our friends," she said. "We would give our shirts off our backs, even if we didn't have it. You live humbly and be a good person and help other people as you can."

Ladbrokes chief executive Dean Shannon said: "At Ladbrokes, we always strive to give our customers unforgettable experiences, and it doesn't get much more remarkable than this," Shannon said.

"To see a family win big through a Melbourne Cup tradition, turning $100 into over $3m, is something truly special.

"This is a life-changing win and we're thrilled to be part of this incredible story and to have played a role in helping this family secure their future. They seem like great people, and it was a nice call to get to make."