The world of racing and sport just keeps on giving, with another week of highs and lows now in the rear view mirror. Among it all, the All Blacks started the Scott Robertson era with a nail-biting win over England, the Warriors went down in heartbreaking style against the Bulldogs in a pulsating finish, the semi finalists of Euro 2024 were determined and Lulu Sun continued her remarkable run in Wimbledon into the Wimbledon quarterfinals, but it was a racing fan who rose to the top in this week’s Big Winners.
Honing in on Wednesday’s thoroughbred racing at Rotorua and Eagle Farm, this mastermind put together a five-leg $25 multi across the two cards, winning a mammoth $9,559. Focusing on the first three races in Brisbane and the last two races in Rotorua, the punter combined win and place bets to complete the multi, with Look It’s Lucy ($9.50) running third in the first at Eagle Farm to get the multi off to a winning start. Then it was Cosmic Beauty’s ($3.90) turn to place, also comfortably running third in Race 2, before Smoke ‘N’ Oakum ($1.95) was tasked with placing in Race 3. It wasn’t a convincing final 100m from the three-year-old, but he held on for third, meaning the job had been done at Eagle Farm. Over to Rotorua, where a pair of win bets were left to decide the fate of this multi, and it was Pacifico ($2.70) in Race 6 who was next up. The Andrew Forsman-trained runner ended up winning by three lengths, meaning all eyes were on Murch ($1.95) in the last for this near-$10k win. Unlike Pacifico, it was not smooth sailing for Murch, with Sky Falls rising to the battle in the final 100m, but Murch got the bob of the head and won by 0.1L to secure a massive $9,559 for this bettor.
Trading the green grass of the racing turf for the green grass of the football pitch, one TAB customer found value in some midweek MLS action to turn $60 into $18,059. All four legs of this multi were from the Result and Both Teams to Score 6 Way market, as this punter found the winner and correctly predicted both teams to score in four games on the eve of Independence Day. Two of the four results were relatively smooth sailing, but the match between Charlotte FC and Inter Miami was far from an easy watch for this punter. A Benjamin Cremaschi strike in the 86th minute broke the 1-1 deadlock and ultimately won the game for Inter Miami — and this leg for the punter — while the game between New England and Atlanta was even more nail-biting for this football fan. With New England in front 2-0 at the 90-minute mark, this bettor needed Atlanta to find the back of the net on the brink of stoppage time, and that they did, as Daniel Ríos headed in the Revolution’s only goal to turn this leg — and the multi — into a whopping $18,059 winner.
The international rugby calendar was jam-packed over the weekend, as a slew of riveting Test matches were played out, and one TAB customer took full advantage. This rugby fan utilised a five-leg multi to turn $100 into $15,291. Correctly predicting the Winning Margin for four of the five games — New Zealand v England, Australia v Wales, Georgia v Fiji and South Africa v Ireland — as well as the Match Result in Argentina’s clash with France, this punter made their rugby knowledge lucrative. There were some nervous moments, with the All Blacks barely holding on to beat England, and with Ireland threatening a late comeback against the Springboks, but this punter’s predictions all landed to see them win a huge $15,291.
Back in the football world, it was time for some weekend winners in the Euros. The quarterfinals provided some thrilling moments, with three of the four games going to extra time, just as one football fan predicted to see their $5 multi win $7,439. Spain’s showdown with hosts Germany was the most exciting, as Florian Wirtz dinked in an 89th-minute equaliser to send the game to extra time, while Bukayo Saka also provided England with some late heroics, with his 80th-minute curling goal enough to earn extra time against Switzerland. All four of the quarterfinals’ regular time score lines were correctly predicted by this punter, helping them earn a huge $7,439 from their $5 multi.
Super Saturday lived up to its name in the NRL in Round 18, with two games going to golden point. As mentioned earlier, the Warriors weren’t able to capitalise on their chance, going down against the Bulldogs, while the Cowboys suffered the same fate, losing to the Sea Eagles in golden point. One punter correctly predicted that these games would be tied up after 80 minutes of play, putting together a two-leg $20 multi which went on to win $5,780. There would have been plenty of nerves after Reuben Garrick gave Manly a 20-18 lead with five minutes to play, but Scott Drinkwater replied just two minutes later to level the scores at 20-apiece and ultimately win this punter almost $6k.
Big Winners – July 1 – July 7
Rotorua and Eagle Farm Multi (Weds July 3) – 5 Legs
Eagle Farm Race 1 – FFTOP3 – Look It’s Lucy ($9.50)
Eagle Farm Race 2 – FFTOP3 – Cosmic Beauty ($3.90)
Eagle Farm Race 3 – FFTOP3 – Smoke ‘N’ Oakum ($1.95)
Rotorua Race 6 – FFWIN – Pacifico ($2.70)
Rotorua Race 7 – FFWIN – Murch ($1.95)
$25 stake = $9,559 return
MLS Multi (Thurs July 4) – 4 Legs
Toronto FC vs Orlando City – Result and Both Teams to Score 6 Way – Orlando To Win And Both Teams To Score ($4.20)
DC United vs FC Cincinnati – Result and Both Teams to Score 6 Way – Cincinnati To Win And Both Teams To Score ($3.50)
Charlotte FC vs Inter Miami – Result and Both Teams to Score 6 Way – Inter Miami To Win And Both Teams To Score ($5.25)
New England Revolution vs Atlanta United – Result and Both Teams to Score 6 Way – New England To Win And Both Teams To Score ($3.90)
$60 stake = $18,059 return
International Rugby Multi (Sat July 6 – Sun July 7) – 5 Legs
New Zealand v England – Winning Margin – New Zealand 1-12 ($2.60)
Australia v Wales – Winning Margin – Australia 1-12 ($2.60)
Georgia v Fiji – Winning Margin – Fiji 1-12 ($3.00)
Argentina v France – Match Betting – France ($2.90)
South Africa v Ireland – Winning Margin – South Africa 1-12 ($2.60)
$100 stake = $15,291 return
Euro Multi (Sat July 6 – Sun July 7) – 4 Legs
Spain vs Germany – Correct Score – Spain 1 – Germany 1 ($5.75)
Portugal vs France – Correct Score – Portugal 0 – France 0 ($6.00)
England vs Switzerland – Correct Score – England 1 – Switzerland 1 ($5.75)
Netherlands vs Turkey – Correct Score – Netherlands 2 – Turkey 1 ($7.50)
$5 stake = $7,439 return
NRL Multi (Sat July 6) – 2 Legs
North Queensland Cowboys vs Manly Sea Eagles – Will The Game Go To Golden Point – Yes ($17)
Canterbury Bulldogs vs New Zealand Warriors – Will The Game Go To Golden Point – Yes ($17)
$20 stake = $5,780 return