The 2019 Betting Year In Review: Big Winners & Distraught Losers

Tabcorp has released its 2019 punting list of hits and misses, and there are some huge bets, uncanny multi “hail mary” bets, and misses that would send some “to the gap”.

Horse Racing’s Biggest Bets 2019

Of the 10 largest fixed odds bets placed this year, Winx was responsible for eight of them. As her career edged to a close on April 13 at Royal Randwick in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Tabcorp laid their biggest fixed odds bet, ever. One customer plonked an eyewatering $550,000 on the champ at $1.06. She raced to her 33rd straight victory, the punter collected a $33,000 profit, and smashed the previous biggest bet – a $345,000 wager three weeks earlier also on Winx ahead of the George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill.

Best Sports Bets 2019

The biggest sports bet was $250,000 on Hawthorn at $1.03 to beat the Gold Coast Suns in Round 22 of the AFL. It was a painless watch for the punter as the Hawks romped to a 70-point win resulting in a $7,500 profit.

Biggest Losing Bet 2019

The largest losing bet of 2019 was a $250,000 flutter on Godolphin’s blue colours on a two year old Chenier at almost Winx odds of $1.25 for a race at Sandown on April 10. Chenier had romped to a 5.5 length win on debut the previous month and was earmarked to be winning Group 1’s within weeks. Star jockey Kerrin McEvoy made the trip south to ride the boom colt, but to punters’ horror it quickly became evident the leader Lady Lupino, trained by Danny O’Brien, was galloping clear and scored by almost two lengths from the hot favourite. Injury then ruled Chenier out for the spring.

Best Racing Longshot Winners 2019

There were 20 winners that started at $151 this year. Eleven of them came from harness racing, eight in thoroughbreds, while the lone greyhound to jump at the huge price was Black Reliance in a photo finish at Albion Park in Brisbane back on January 13. Incredibly Black Reliance managed to pay triple figures again on the UTAB tote when it saluted at Grafton just a few weeks later on March 18.

The highest winning tote dividend for a greyhound race in history we could find was $186.40 with SuperTAB at Richmond in October 2000.

UBet is a bit of a theme with long priced greyhound winners, with Ubet providing 2018’s longest priced winner as well. On a lowly 5th grade 390m race, Ubet paid out $156 on Alina Grand to win race 11.

Biggest Major Race Roughie

The biggest boilover in a major race was when $126 roughie Gatting, ridden by Jamie Kah, held off hot favourite Mystic Journey to win the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington. One customer placed $130 on the Darren McAuliffe-trained gelding at $101 earlier in the week to collect $13,130, while another punter in NSW spent $24 and boxed the First 4, which also included Mr Quickie and Hartnell, to pick up the $22,725 dividend.

Gatting’s next race, the Group 1 Underwood Stakes at Caulfield, also produced a blowout when nine year old Black Heart Bart triumphed at $101.

Sports Bettings Best Outsiders

The biggest roughie of the year almost always lobs in golf, and there were a couple of winners at huge odds on the PGA Tour. Back in January Adam Long opened a $601 chance to win the Desert Classic. He made birdie on the 72nd hole to beat Phil Mickelson and Adam Hadwin by one shot.

Then in May another unheralded American, Max Homa, pulled away from the field on the final day to win the Wells Fargo Championship by three strokes. He was $501 with TAB before the tournament and Tabcorp laid four bets on him at that quote ($10, $2, $1 and $1).

2019 Shortest Priced Misses

Taking the shorts and being stung is just about the most painful feeling a punter can endure, and we witnessed some inexplicable losses at the minuscule quote of $1.02 in 2019.

Barcelona tumbled into those odds in the ‘To Qualify’ market after a 3-0 home victory in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Liverpool.

Six days later at Anfield, in the EPL, will forever be etched in history as Liverpool made Lionel Messi and company look like a park football team with a 4-0 thumping to book their place in the Final against Tottenham. One customer even had $500 on the 4-0 correct score at $67 to collect $33,500.

Live In Play Betting Disasters

In live betting Australia were $1.02 after Stuart Broad was dismissed for a duck to be one wicket from victory in the Third Ashes Test at Headingley. Six weeks prior Ben Stokes was England’s saviour in the World Cup Final against New Zealand. In one of the great Test knocks, he did it again, finishing 135 not out, supported by Jack Leach at the other end who scored one. The pair put on 76 for the final wicket to condemn the Aussies to a frightful defeat after bowling England out for 67 in the first innings.

Spare a thought for the punter who had $100,000 on the tourists at $1.32 earlier that day, while the optimist who placed a $50 wager on England at $21 when nine wickets down cheered all the way to a $1,000 profit.

Multi Bets To Make Your Mouth Water

A punter’s dream is to turn a little into a lot and our favourite successful racing multi did exactly that.

On October 17 a TAB customer placed this $1 multi:

• Mer De Glace to win the Caulfield Cup ($8)
• Lys Gracieux to win the Cox Plate ($4.50)
• Warning to win the Victoria Derby ($9)
• Vow And Declare to win the Melbourne Cup ($18)
• Miami Bound to win the VRC Oaks ($6)

And just like that this modern day Nostradamus turned $1 into $34,992. Talk about delving into a crystal ball.

Melbourne Cup / AFL / NRL Multi Bet Of The Year

Melbourne Cup winner Vow And Declare had another punter in raptures. On February 21 they mapped out 2019 perfectly and
placed $20 on:

• Richmond to win the AFL ($5)
• Roosters to win the NRL ($4.50)
• Vow And Declare to win the Melbourne Cup ($201)

The punter collected $90,450, and probably won Powerball multiple times as well.

NRL Single Round Betting Clean Sweep

Before Round 21 in the NRL one punter had a $1 multi across all matches picking a team to win 1-12 in margin betting. They bagged 8/8 and collected $15,129. This was the only full round all season that didn’t have a 13+ result.

US Sports Betting Margin Bet Pays Out 10,000/1

We believe this to be the biggest collect from a $20 wager at TAB. On December 1 an NBA punter had a live bet on Milwaukee and Houston to win by 41 points or more. They won by 41 and 47 respectively and $20 became more than $200,000.

Racing & Golf Multi Bet Ends In Heartbreak

Tiger Woods’ fifth US Masters victory was celebrated around the world, but not by one long-range punter who missed out on a gigantic payday. On October 22 last year the TAB customer placed three multis totalling $375 at the odds of $2,284.80 on:

• Winx to win the 2018 Cox Plate ($1.20)
• Cross Counter to win the 2018 Melbourne Cup ($17)
• Aristia to win the 2018 VRC Oaks ($8)
• Brooks Koepka to win the 2019 US Masters ($14)

All roads led to Augusta in the final leg with the punter looking at a potential collect of $856,800. Koepka finished an agonising one shot behind Woods in a three way tie for second, and the customer didn’t cash out on any of the multis. Agony.

AFL Premiership Betting Near Miss

Spare a thought for the Brisbane Lions enthusiast who had $44 on them to be minor premiers in the AFL at $101 back in March. Not a bad throw at the stumps as the Lions finished 2nd on the ladder on percentage behind Geelong.