We saw plenty of big bets get placed this year although there were ten bets which really stood out to be the worst that we reported. We count down the Top 10 worst bets of the year, complete with hard luck stories of dreadful rides and photo finishes to those odds on favourites that were never in it. These are our worst bets that we reported.
Have Your Say: Which was your worst bet of the year? – Leave a comment below!
Honourable Mention: Menari – $37,000 @ $2.35
This crazed racing fan had 37 grand on Menari the Ferrari with Sportsbet in the Golden Rose on the 23rd of September. On this day, Trapeze Artist gave them all windburn, with Menari finishing 4.5L 3rd. This bet looked good in theory after Menari was placed 4th in the Golden Slipper and the recording consecutive victories in the runs before hand, however was clearly not practical with this person more then likely now qualifying for government assistance.
Things you can buy with $37,000
– 1 year of school fees at a prestigious private school
– A small business
– 62 solar panels
– 2,750 large zinger stacker combos
10. The Gold Trail – $30,000 @ $2.50
The rest of the countdown does not look good when a losing bet of $30,000 just makes the cut. This mad punter plonked Mornington Cup favourite The Gold Trail on Sportsbet, powering up their odds to $2.50. The Gold Trail was ridden 4 wide for the duration of the 2400m trip by Craig Williams, finishing 1.45L 4th, with the horse unfortunately fatally collapsing over the finish line.
Things you can buy with $30,000
– 2011 Landcruiser Prado second hand
– 1012 m² of land in country Tasmania (no house)
– 6 OLED TVs
– 9-day Holiday in Botswana
– All of Josh Dugan’s Tattoos
9. Hartnell – $40,000 @ $1.80
One now sad and sorry bloke had a considerable amount on usually consistent stayer Hartnell. The punter placed the wager on Ladbrokes prior to Hartnell starting $1.80 favorite in the Makybe Diva Stakes, after winning the Group 2 Lawrence Stakes in the start prior. Hartnell was eventually blown away by humidor, but boxed on to finish 3.25L second. Another runner up but another 40g this unlucky battler wont be seeing again.
Things you can buy with $40,000
– Speedboat
– 185 years premium subscription to Netflix
– 8000 spins on max bombs on the average pokie machine
8. Paret – $50,000 @ $3.30
Another victim of the 23rd of September great punters depression, this time at the hands of multiple offender Hugh Bowman. This optimistic client placed $50,000 on second-favorite Paret with Luxbet to be denied by 0.4L by favorite Beau Geste. After a dominant maiden win, Paret sat last most of the run but just couldn’t catch Beau Geste in the end, leaving the ill-fated patron 50 grand lighter.
Things you can buy with $50,000
– One bedroom suburban shack
– Mansion in Indonesia
– Newcastle Knights
7. I Did It Again – $60,000 @ $2.50
Casualty number 4 on the list from the 23rd of November, here another strong favorite was edged out to run 2nd. One brave campaigner had 60 big ones with TAB on last start winner at the same track, I Did It Again. Beating Bandipur by 1.25L back in July, I Did It Again was ironically done by just 0.1L by the same horse the very next start leaving this big time player big time out of pocket. Had the bet got up, the punter would of taken home more money from their winnings then the horse’s total prize money.
6. She Will Reign – $30,000 Each Way ($60,000) @ $4.80/1.80
One punter was left red faced after backing Golden Slipper winner She Will Reign in the Everest, who beat only 1 horse home. The Ladbrokes customer stood to win $198,000 after She Will Reign was victorious in the Group 1 Moir Stakes 2 weeks prior, however weakened badly in the Everest finishing 2nd last, also finishing this individuals gambling career.
Things you can buy with $60,000:
– Franchises
– Boys trip to Vegas
– Brand new SUV
– 1,368 boxes of XXXX Gold Cans
5. Marmelo – $50,000 Each Way @ $8.00 and $3.10
There was some hype around Hughie Morrison-trained Marmelo building up to the Melbourne Cup however this ill-informed Ladbrokes customer was perhaps a little too confident in Caulfield Cup 6th-place getter. Another big bet placed in the hands of Hugh Bowman ended in Marmelo finishing 9th of 23, almost 10L behind Rekindling. Even with the each way insurance, this punter saw no dividend from the $100,000 investment, almost doing enough to secure the worst bet of the year.
4. Mizlecki – $99,000 @ $1.60
When someone said ‘put your house on Pikey in this one’, this ruthless mad man must’ve taken it literally, went down to the bank and took out a loan to have nearly 100k on Mizlecki with the TAB on June 3. The heavily backed commodity was backed into a $1.50 after a 3.25L win the previous start, however in a heartbreaking turn of events, champion jockey Willie Pike could only manage 2nd, resulting in a monumental loss for this poor decision maker.
Things you can buy with $99,000
– Mornington racecourse
– 30 years of fuel
– 33,000 mystery trifectas
3. Marmelo – $100,000 Place @ $3.10
Also put on with Ladbrokes, this 100k ‘tactical’ punt had to make it high up our list for the worst bet of 2017 after Marmelo was a total of 9.35L off 3rd place. Unlike other bold risk-takers securing a spot in the top 10 with win-only bets, the $100,000 place bet on a horse that finished 9th is a clear winner and is sure to leave bad memories of the Melbourne Cup after this year’s disastrous outcome.
Things you can buy with $100,000
– Early retirement
– 1000 x 10 number games of Keno with $10 on each number
– Water jet pack
– Rent a private jet
– Kobe Bryants NBA Championship ring from 2000
2. Admire Deus – $20,000 @ $7.50
One premature guru placed $20,000 on Japanese import Admire Dues to win the Caulfield Cup at $7.00, just 12 hours before the final field was due to be announced. The horse was ruled out of the race less then 24 hours later after a fatal accident in a routine gallop at Werribee. As some of us may of discovered the hard way, all in markets are non-refundable, most notably Chautauqua getting scratched at the barriers in the Manikato after plenty came for the value when the markets opened. Close to the worst bet of the year, at least these other sufferers had the chance to see the ones they backed go around, this unlucky battler however, did not.
Things you can buy with $20,000
– Black Heart Bart
– Honda Civic
– 40 ping pong tables
1. Boom Time – $5,000 @ $26.00
Possibly the worst performing bet of the year, this punter put his faith in Caulfield Cup winner Boom Time to take out the Japan Cup. The $5000 bet at $26 was never likely after Boom Time finished a distant 12th, never in the race. Boom Time was as much as 265-1 on the Japanese tote, over 10 times the price of Australian bookmakers. This punter could have flown to Japan and back, and had 42,120 Japanese Yen on Boom Time with their tote to to win the same amount of money off his 5000 AUD, instead taking massive unders with the TAB.
Things you can buy with $5000
– 16 pairs of Yeezy’s
– 25 littering fines for throwing losing tickets on the ground
– Takeover Target
*Existing customers only. 2nd Racing bet. Excl SA & WA. T’s & C’s apply. Gamble responsibly.
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