What was the best ante post bet you ever had ?

Criterion 100/1 for Cox Plate, SP 5/1

Lucia Valentina 66/1 for Caulfield Cup, SP 3/1 FAV

Taghrooda 25/1 Oaks

Dortmund 50/1 for CL, lost final

only Taghrooda delivered

Backed Rock Hopper for the Derby at 33/1 pulled out a couple of days before when 3/1f (won coronation cup the year after).

Backed Motivator at 50/1 for the 2000gns (won the derby)
Backed Frankel at 14/1 for Derby (won the 2000gns)

Backed Gleneagles at 28/1 for 2000gms - WON (bet posted on Irish forum last July).

Countless other lows.

Hot Weld for Scottish national. Horse was coming back from injury and remember ferry telling rap weekender about 6 months prior during a stable tour that he was being aimed at scots national. Ante post opened at around 30s + on here........ One of the great spectacles watching him make all under an exhibition of jumping.......completed sand own gold cup double week later

Ferdy telling rp weekender

Regrettably I wasn't involved but two friends of mine landed a double from the Gods: Mark Of Esteem and Bosra Sham ante post to win their respective Guineas. They backed the double all winter. I know they had 25/1 on Mark Of Esteem and am pretty sure they had 12s on the filly. No matter, they won almost £60,000 from a £200 stake. Mark Of Esteem won by a short head.

Neptune Collonges---national@55

Lord Windermere 33-1 RSA Chase and 33-1 Gold Cup
Cape Verdi 25-1 1000 Guineas (Backed her at 20-1 Oaks and ran in Derby)
Albertas Run 25-1 RSA and 33-1 Ryanair

Of course...there have been plenty that have went down.

Rock on Ruby for the 2012 Champion Hurdle at various prices up to 200's, put it up on here as well in the autumn before.

Had a few cane close since, with Double Seven up to 350's on here for 2014 National, and 66's, 100's on Holywell for this years Gild Cup..........both scuppered by the late rain

My best one was a loser Hala bec, in sir percys derby all rates down from 50/1 then swerved and lost the race in the shadow of the winning post

Kribensis was my best one landed.

Porto at 50/1 for the Champions league 2004. Was in Ladbrokes about 6 months ago with a mate who was doing his lotto bet, while he was writing it out i picked two horses from the paper both single figure prices, two pound on each and a two pound double. Forgot all about the bet until the following day, checked the sporting life, 25/1 & 16/1 winner, (the 16/1 opened 33's). Strangely the first thing i thought was jesus what price were they on here?

Sublimity for the champion hurdle at prices 260.240 twice 160 ,140  120  , payed for a new work van

Saxon Farm and Paddys Return in the Triumph - always been a lucky race for me

The Thinker in the Gold Cup.

The worst was Rushing Wild in the Gold Cup, beaten by Jodami - took me weeks to get over it.

Oh So Risky in the Triumph was one of the most satisfying. One of the few times that "inside info" proved to be accurate. One of the joint owners was a friend of mine and told me that David Elsworth had told the owners before Xmas that they could have as much as they could afford on him and I had a modest bet at 100/6. Never in any danger on the day and very unlucky to get beat in the Champion as a 5yo.

Julio Mariner 66-1  St Ledger  won 28-1  Happy  days

Backed Rough Quest @ 33s for National day weights came out and he was allotted 9st 13! Went on to win Racing Post Chase about 3 weeks later and then ran 2nd in Gold Cup, before winning National @ 7-1 fav.

I backed Ouija Board at 90 on here for the Oaks - that was the biggest price she was ever matched at and it was all mine.

Roida will be along in a minute with a request to "post yer bets YFDSC".

valeramix 100 plus for the champion hurdle

sri lanka 66 for the world cup

Dolores Rocket , Greyhound Derby. I backed her at 66/1, 50/1, 40/1 and 33/1 but my confidence was low when she was 100/1 about ten days before the race so I did not have the biggest price. She won in a photo finish at 11/4. There have been very few since.

Old timers will remember Margolis & Ridley. They were the first to publish odds on the Greyhound Derby every year , the advert was on the back of The Sporting Life.

Dunlaying.

I remember seeing Dolores winning at Crayford.most dogs just seem to run into each other..she would weave around them.never ever seen that before ,or since.What a great dog she was.

In terms of price, Pigeon Island for the grand annual on here at 200/1 (only got just over a quid matched). Also Poker De Sivola to win the 4 miler at over 50/1 and According To John to be placed in the RSA Chase at 50/1 (not sure how I got that price, presumably someone thought he wouldn't run or was just s#it)

Going back a few years in the early years of betfair we had a new office junior start at our place (don't even think he was old enough to open an account but managed to do so anyway!). As we were all gamblers he kind of went with the flow and about a week before Cheltenham called me over and asked what I thought of his bets he had just placed. Once of them was £4 Sporazene for the County Hurdle at 100-1. I instantly told him he had wasted his money as Nicholls said yesterday he was going for the Champion Hurdle instead. The look on his face was priceless it was like he'd lost his weeks pay lol. In the end he had the last laugh though, Nicholls had a change of heart and ran in the County instead going off 7-1 favourite and winning. As soon as it crossed the line he was ringing me up almost crying! I believe it was only his second ever bet, beginners luck hey!

I know Mark Winstanly had it off with Master Of The Oats Gold Cup and that good flat horse beginning with A that won the Champion the same year both @ 33/1

That's the biggest touch I have known.

Alderbrook ?!

Pinot, I was thinking Catford but you are right it was Crayford. Her breeding said by Newdown Heather out of Come On Dolores however the rumour was that she was by Monalee Champion. I do not know if there was any truth in it but she did look more like a Monalee Champion. She went to 100/1 because Postal Vote and Clohast Rebel were flying at that time.

backed Cool Dawn for the Gold Cup at 50/1

.....then went to a wedding in New Zealand, completely forgot about racing for 6 weeks, was travelling on the South Island and saw a newspaper with the result!!

just realised as I was typing this that I had actually not seen the race so went to Youtube to watch it

Harchibald for the Champion Hurdle...No wait.

Biggest win: Lammtarra
Jammiest: Nashwan (cashier gave me both prices and I backed the "wrong" Classic just on price)
One I didn't collect on because the shop closed for ever: Alderbrook
Most confident before the race: Earth Summit when the rains came
Biggest price: Don't Push It at silly prices on here when everyone thought AP would pick the other one

Funny thing is I hardly bet ante-post any more. Not sure if the value's gone or I can't find it.

backed hardy eustace for his second champion hurdle win an hour after his first win...33/1
also a betting shop in croydon (jennings i think) offered pre-trial prices after the classic trial was run...backed salsabil at big prices for 1000gns and oaks after winning the fred darling.

Alderbrook 66/1 for the Champion Hurdle the year he won it.  Had been a backer/fan of the horse on the Flat and even in a tough year I thought he might be fun  e/w speculation.

A rare moment of success in the years when I used to have a few pre-Cheltenham bets, 80% or so of which turned out to be non-runners.

Backed Mon Fils at 100/1 for 1973 2000gns(won) and in an each way double with Noble Decree at 22/1 for Derby (started fav or jt fav but well beaten). Won nice few quid with single and lived a great dream for a few weeks.

Westmead Hawk, Greyhound Derby, first bet was at 40-1

Rarely bet ante-post but many years ago I had one of my biggest ever bets. Fancied a nice 3-y-o of Luca Cumani´s called Lost Soldier to win the Schweppes Mile h´cap at Goodwood one year. Every time I won any money I would have another bet on it each way - all at 20-1.

In a big field the horse couldn´t get a run and eventually flew home to get beat a short head.

That was the best...

That sh-hd cost me about 6 grand...

Laughil Blake 100/1 Irish Greyhound Derby or Slippery Robert 66/1 Irish Greyhound Derby (both posted on the greyhound forum on here pre comp)

Laughil Blake won the final @ 4/5 and Slippery Robert won the final @ 5/1

Price wise Little Polvier for the National at 66-1.

Not many 1000 pokes on this thread...

Kicking King, Gold Cup
Binocular, Champion Hurdle
Makfi, 2000 Guineas
Danedream, Arc

Backed Neptune Collenges at fancy prices on here to win over £10,000 and was at the National 2012 to see it get up by a nose. Celebrated my 60th same day. Happy times.

Great Thread Seaside
Apprentice wages in 1981 approx £38 Pw, fresh into racing and had something to prove in the local independents, book and the old lads used to take mick, freezing cold Jan 1981 everything off bar dogs, muggings still went in of course, copped for a nice FC as you do, bookie shouting owt to all and sundry that I had got one, Cheeky tw@t me shouts back, go on then lay me double figures little owl for the gold cup! Couldn't refuse £55 @ 10's tax paid, thought I was a pools winner when I collected. Returned 11/2 As I recall

in terms of money won/lost,phil mickelson 2013 open ,brownes gazette ch hurdle

Another the following year, Kalaglow in the 1982 King George at all rates from 16s to 10s in several £20 pound bets week after week, never shouted for Grev Starkey more till the infamous **** up in the Derby of 86.

never realised rock hopper was at one stage 3/1 favorite for the derby.

headmaster

why on earth would anybody want to lay danedream at a 1000 for the arc ?

Despite the fact that it was stated that Wimbledon beating Liverpool in the 1988 FA Cup Final was the "biggest shock ever" (with respect to Sunderland V Leeds) it was nothing of the sort.I seem to remember that Wimbledon were in the top five in the old First Division when the Third Round Draw was made.I had a few quid on at 40/1 and the rest is history..

One absolute life changer and one that also changed the face of racing for ever.
For the first time in my life was getting a few vibes from the inside circle of JJ stables via a mate of a mate, hard to come by info! They had took one in that was too good for NH and would never be a chaser but the owners were insistent that it was a NH horse, you don't argue with this owner, the champion bumper was the target and it was in the bag no questions.
At the time Nov/Dec 2001 I was saving for my first house, for whatever reason they didn't want to run it until early Feb of 2002, I patiently waited until betting on the champion bumper came out, 20s 16s 14s 12s went within the first few days, I'd got on approx a huge bet for the day and me in the region of £1,500, knowing that I'm buying my house with the returns no questions asked even looking at property's it was such a good thing!
Horse bolts up in its first race Feb 2002 Norman Williamson steering @6/4 with me on to 4 figures at rates upwards, horse gets put in at top of market for Champion Bumper every rate goes and with no other prep race needed it's straight to Cheltenam.
Never saw so much money turn over that fateful day In march 2002 but the books stood there ground and returned it 5/2 Fav, it had been lower ante post.
I can still see it in my head as the horses turn for home, it's going to win its going to win! Oh dear who that young jock Jamie Spencer whom has come right across the course and put ours nearly through the rail?
Jamie wins on Pizzaro but we know it will get turned around in the stewards room don't we?  No alas it was the very first time the new rules had been applied in a major race and the eruptions from that race sent shockwaves around the racing world, six months before I had a winner disqualified for taking someone's ground after the stalls had opened at Doncaster now we have a horse all but putting another into orbit and it keeps the race.
Crazy but that is the race for years afterwards that stewards were trained with and to watch and apply there judgement on!
I never got over my loss and what could of been.
The horse of course Rhinestone Cowboy!

Not ante post but Riston Lady beaten a short head in a nursery at Glorious Goodwood, think it was 1992, cost me £27 grand, doubles and treble with Lochsong and Philidor

Christ that's a painful one Blackorred

remember the rhinestone cowboy race,if memory serves magnier had his son riding,not having a pro jockey cost him the race.

500 quid on pennekamp at 5s to win the guineas.

Loved having an ante post bet pre godolphin era.

Jack hobbs to win derby 50/1..

norman williamson rode the cowboy aginst pizzaro

jp magnier took over the next season

Yea stormin norman ..,,young jamie did emm ,E J Ogrady had the 3rd as well the good un ,rhinstone never delivered on the hype ,nice horse ,until it came off bridal ,turned out to be tripless ,remember the long stewards ,backed both the 1st and 3rd  ,pizzario was given a good ride and the fact he was a young flat wipper snapper beating up stormin norman really stuck in the craw of the fav backers .......funny old game ,unlucky blackfored

Nothing like a ante post bet placed in the winter and dreaming of having a draw in the summer the next year going through the Timeform book trying to find one.

I know Raymond Guest the owner of Sir Ivor backed his horse to win the Derby before it ever run.

£500 @ 66/1 with Billys if I remember right

Some great memories but is it a commentary on the poor quality of racing this week that this thread gets the most attention?

Oh I do like to live beside the seaside...

Just as well you are an old timer as the present "billies" would not lay an egg..

And as an aside the former betting shop operatives profits have been decimated..

That is what happens when you you close down bettors after a single successful bet and have no traders..

Having said that they were right to get rid of the "traders" as they were clueless...

Happy Days - just what can they do...

If you have shares in the runts ..

Sell Sell and then Sell them again..

Winnie The Witch to win a seller at Leicester @33/1

ok it was a seller to me and deffo antepost lol

Could also put up Frankel to remain unbeaten during his guines season but Corals only allowed me 2x £30 bets @12s

Pasternak for some cavalry charge was another nice one

foxy - I have no idea why she was that price.  Maybe the layers thought she was German and a 3yo filly (at that time a negative), had got beat a few times early to mid season and had only won a couple of 'soft' (ho ho) German G1s?

I can unfortunately confirm that price would be hard to find these days.  Either the layers have wised up or we've cleaned them out but it's been pretty much downhill ever since

I don't often bet antepost but I have backed a couple that won at practically the same price! a good example being I thought I had got a great price on Silver Birch for the GN a few years back, took 33/1, it's SP? 33/1

lol Bloob, at least you had the winner. Same year I bet Colnel Rayburn 33's ante post, and the sp was 66's, not my finest moment

bloob the year silver birch won gn i had 29e on mckelvey at an average price of 670/1   he jumped the last ahead of yours but hit his knee off a branch in the fence and veered off right....nightmare for me..glory for you

Seem to remember SB Never trading above 25 in hills or lads  lists for most of the year , think it started quite short the previous year ,was very strange ,and sore to bare ,thought the world of the horse and really thought it had a big race innit ,one that got away ,what was the story ? PN 's vet told him it had a bad leg and he sold it for a tin of beans  ..., ? 25k i think .

500 at double double the new leader

Sorry a monkey ...

Got on Frankel at 1/6 for the Juddmonte. Can't really explain why, just had some bonkers notion in my head he might run a big one and followed my heart. Anyway, absolutely hosed up and I felt like the daddy as he went off 1/10. I knew.

Many Clouds at 100 on BF two or three weeks before the National. It wasn't certain that he would start but no way if he did he would be a 99/1 shot so had to go for it

Rock Of Gibraltar was another one I backed for the 2,000gns @ 20/1 just beat the fav from the same stable lots of people unhappy because the fav had been well backed ante post.

The reason was because I liked the way it won at Doncaster as a 2 year old.

I got a good price from laddies because they were told it was not going to run.

Think the sp was about 9/1 ?

Some great stories on here, someone should write a book about it.
"Fantastic tales of the ordinary punter", not the fairy stories that the so called professionals have trotted out over the years.

Ive had a few good ante posts bets either go in or go close - Balapour at 66-1 in the 2003 County Hurdle springs to mind and the earlier mentioned McElvey at 40's but in terms of satisfaction,winnings and post race celebrations it would have to be Run For Paddy winning the 2006 scottish national. I told anyone who would listen to back him for the race in 2005 and felt a right twerp when he wasnt even entered!
However I followed him the following season and got stuck in at 25's all the week of the race and went along with a few mates to the race.
The bloke next to me had backed Ladalko who looked home and hosed turning in but Carl Llewellyn who had only just taken over training the horse from Mark Pitman gave him a stunning ride and pit him in front on the line - think I nearly burst the ear drums of Mr Ladalko!!

Got absolutely wasted in the champagne bar afterwards and the last thing I remember is throwing up on the train back north - smoked salmon bagel, whiskey, beer and champers everywhere. Happy days...

Beech Road - £3 on at 100's.......started my rocky gambling road as a kid. Most memorable was Alderbrook in CH. Backed it AP at 40's before it ran in a less than noteworthy race in Wincanton or somewhere. Happy days.

£2 @ 11/2 on Time Charter my first bet Wish it had got gubbed !

Kings Curate - Stayers Hurdle

All rates down from 33s, cried when it won


Never done ante post since

^ lol must have meant a lot DIFFERENT ?

won about 16k, used it all for a deposit on my 1st house

A couple of years later I went to watch it at my local track(Haydock) it fell
and broke its back

Cried again


Still got the house and my prized possession is a photo of the horse in winners
enclosure at Cheltenham

betil

Those smoked salmon things can be a right choker sometimes

I had 3 out of 3 in a lucky 15 on the 1st day of the Cheltenham festival waiting on Kings Curate for all 4 . Am sure it fell 3 out. The winners were Forest Sun, Comandante and Kribensis.

Im talking rubbish. Wasnt Kings Curate, was Ryde Again,, just checked.

£100 Belmez for the 1990 Derby at 50/1.

Another £100 at 40/1.

A fiver at 33/1 when I persuaded all my mates to lump on.

Won first time out at three and was down to 16/1.

Won the Chester Vase and became ante-post favourite.

Got injured the following week and didn't run and the race was won by Quest For Fame who had run second to Belmez at Chester.

Monsignor, 14/1 Sun Alliance Hurdle. Bookie offered it up when it was averaging 6's with others. He just didnt like the horse!

Backed Nashwan for Derby 33/1 before made its debut also was on at 8 for Guineas also had Kings Best at 25/1 for Guineas,I am on Emotionless for Guineas at 25/1 probably get bigger than that now still think if it lines up will not be beaten.

shouldn't think many will remember this

3 doubles and a treble

flying water
wollow
pawneese

can't remember prices of the guineas horses but do recall had 5/1 on pawneese

1988 Greyhound Derby backed Hit The Lid 33/1.
Only time it got trap 6 was in the final.
Ginger Mcgee could get em ready!!

Near miss was 1994 Grand National
Just So 2nd at 66/1 btn 1 1/4 lengths by Miinnehoma.

In 1988 I had convinced myself Kahyasi was going to win the Derby. In those days I was paid weekly so after he won the first race of his 3 year old career, every week I put on a fiver or tenner ante post right up to the week of the race.

When the day came around I had just over £50 in total on him at prices from 25/1 down to 14/1. At the time, being barely out of my teens, this was a huge amount for me. I took the day off work, watched it in the bookies and I'll never forget the feeling of seeing him swoop down the outside.

Walked out of the bookies with just over a grand that day which seemed a ridiculous amount to win on a bet at the time.

Not really antepost but Onslow's post reminded me what I regarded as one of my bests ever (yeah they always good when it comes in) but the day before Just So's Grand National with rain falling, I backed "the stay for ever slowly" Just So to be placed at 28/1 (his SP to win was 20/1 on the day).

Wont bother you with the story but in 1992 I got 100/1 Ronnie O Sullivan would win the world snooker championship by 1999.

His first win was in 2001

My first notable ante post wager was First Bout at 33/1 for the 1985 Triumph Hurdle (SP around 5/1). Only regret was not doubling it up with See You Then for the Champion Hurdle (SP was 16/1, don't know price when I struck my bet) like the person who had a connection with the Henderson stable and who tipped me the horse before Christmas.

Best Christmas present I ever got from a bookie was the 33's from Billy's for Sea The Stars Derby in Dec 2008.  Backed him thru out his 3yo season getting 16's for 2000gns and 8's for Irish Champion early the week of that race when it looked like the weather might prevent him running.
On here the 320's on Sublimity toppled up the 66's from the books.
AP getting harder in recent years...

backed unite for the 1987 1000 guineas at 50-1 and she won the oaks instead  

did back sayyedati for the 1993 1000 guineas though  from a two year old onwards 33-1 25-1 20-1 etc and was there on the day , and backed her again !  so thats the best one i guess

Blackburn Rovers each-way (1/4 1.2.3) 2nd Division 1991/92 @ 28/1

I placed the bets in London bookmaker shops in early pre-season when multi-millionaire Jack Walker had made it clear that he was going to invest heavily in the team. Bookies were slow to move.

I think they started the season at under 10/1 generally. As it happened, I recall they began the campaign badly and drifted back out to around 25/1. Then Kenny Dalglish was appointed Manager in October, replacing Dave Mackay, and everything changed. They were going so well that I remember seeing a Surrey Racing advert in The Sporting Life around Feb '92 offering 7/2 on Blackburn NOT to win the 2nd Division. It loked a good price  but, despite considering it, I didn't take it. After a poor finish to the season, Blackburn finished in 6th place; they went on to win the play-offs and achieved promotion.

I can't remember how much I had on it exactly but I know, had they won it, the bookies payout to me would have been in excess of £12k. I learned a hard and expensive, but valuable, lesson.

Another bet that sticks out whilst at Uni was a Cheltenham double I placed around Christmas time.  I placed a £25 double on Desert Orchid to win Gold Cup and Highland Bud to win the triumph hurdle.  Think they were both around 5 or 6/1 at the time.

Given I was a student and my rent was £17 per week, £25 would have been "year changing".   Dessie obliged, Highland Bud, done by 66/1 skinner Ikdam.

Probably my best were Lamtarra 33/1 for Derby, Boris Becker 33/1 for wimbledon after winning queens Loads of others like Frankel £500 at 7/4 to win guineas after royal lodge but also many others that sunk without a trace Got a very nice wager on Bradley Moore to win a major before he's 25 which was placed 5 years ago and since then as posted the best under 18's set of results including beating Rory's so fingers crossed.

Interesting posts on this thread

One that got away was Reading backed them @ 16/1 to win 3 large

Them my wife said take it easy on the football this year as we need money to do the house up.

Reading kept winning and normally I would have kept backing them but I listen to my wife.

What happened was that Reading won by the biggest points margin ever.

The one year I had the right team and should have won big.

My biggest ever win was in the 1992 Grand National.

When the weights were announced I had a bet of £3000 to £90 on Party Politics and bet Cool Ground to win something like £1800 at 28/1.

On the eve of that year's Gold Cup I had an each way bet on Cool Ground at 50/1,one quarter the odds the first three in an eight horse race with a local independent on the basis that if Carvills Hill jumping went to pieces then surely Cool Ground would be placed.

In those days I used to attend the Gold Cup.Given the thrashing that Adrian Maquire gave the horse to get up I thought that there's no way that he could go on to win the National so had a further bet of £5000 to £150 on Party Politics.

I was surprised that the horse was still available at 33s in mid-March and even more so when he was returned at 14s a few days away from the General Election as one would have thought that his name alone would have attracted the mug punters money.

sublimity at 66/1 for the champion hurdle in 2007. i got 25ew on it that xmas off paddy powers after watching him hack up at navan. backed it at 16/1 on the day too
sweet

Pre season starting and up to the 3 rd round, kept doing silly doubles for 10p and 20p, or basically any spare change in my pocket.
Celtic prices escape me think around 2/1, Wimbledon 80/1, 66/1 and 50/1 was the lowest I took.

Stood to win just under £12,000 for pennies. Was the Final we done Liverpool, heard Celtic were losing then someone as we left said
Celtic got a late winner and the double was up.

THE YEAR 1988................A great year. Wish I could say the same about most of my punting since. However had the sense to put the winnings
on a deposit for our 1st horse................a great day.

ALIEN, "However had the sense to put the winnings on a deposit for our 1st horse"!!?