Father of nine can now buy beds

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32614, 24 May 1971, Page 1

Father of nine can now buy beds

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, May 23. An Auckland man with nine children is $98,636 richer after a visit to Alexandra Park on Saturday flight.

The man, who declined to give his name, won the Auckland Trotting Club’s jackpot for this amount by picking all six winners of the jackpot events. Three of the horses he picked were regarded as outsiders—in fact one winner Donna Light in the second jackpot race, P ai d $7O bn the totalisator for the win.

"I picked them all the night before the races,” he said. "This is only the second time I’ve had a go at one of these.” So far, he has no plans for the money. But his wife thought a few improvements round the house might not go amiss. “Up till now, we’ve always had bunks, not proper beds,” she said nervously twisting a ticket for the last race in her hands as her husband confirmed his win with the secretary of the Auckland Trotting Club (Mr J. F. Patten son).

The winner invested only six dollars in the jackpot, although he picked three horses in the last race, just to be sure. More than 17,000 people went to Alexandra Park in pursuit of the jackpot, which was almost twice as big as the trotting club's last jackpot in March. . For most jackpot punters, the meeting started well, arid then almost immediately went sour.

In the first jackpot race, the favourite, Ruling Credit, was scratched on veterinary advice, and under the jackpot rules, all bets on this horse were transferred to another favourite, Roydon Roux, which romped home. However, the next three races were all won by outsiders, and by the end of the fourth jackpot race, there was a steady trickle of disillusioned punters going home. Many, however, did not leave the course as their jack-, pot hopes disappeared, but'

instead transferred their attentions to the totalisator. As a result, betting for the night was up over $lOO,OOO on last year. The jackpot winner is expected to receive his cheque early this week.