'I thought it was a scam' - Tote punter overjoyed after scooping more than £70,000 on Placepot he didn't realise he'd won at York

A punter in Northern Ireland experienced the shock of his life on Tuesday when he was informed he had not claimed a winning Placepot bet of more than £70,000 at York’s Ebor festival.

The customer, who requested anonymity, placed a straight £2 line on the final day of the meeting on Saturday and secured a return of £70,294.80 after all six selections were placed.

The day started off in the Group 3 Strensall Stakes, where the George Scott-trained Phantom Flight finished second at 7-1. Tabletalk, a 12-1 shot, proved a shrewd selection when winning the Melrose Handicap, while Vafortino (second, 22-1), Magical Zoe (first, 11-2), Commanche Falls (third, 10-1) also formed part of the winning bet. Tropical Storm justified 5-2 favouritism in the Listed Roses Stakes to provide the punter with a huge payout.

"I didn’t even know I’d won it," said the punter. "I thought it was a scam when I got the call, but I’m over the moon and it’ll come in very handy. My wife was with me and she also thought it wasn’t real, so we were reluctant to give my details over the phone.

"I was pretty lucky, but funnily enough the day before I’d backed five winners at the meeting. It wasn’t in an accumulator or anything, they were all just singles. I didn’t think I’d get that many winners at York.

"I’m not a professional in picking winners, it really is luck. I do the ITV7 every week and I’ve been useless at that. I just happened to see it coming on my app about the Tote. I put £10 in it for three days and I was down to my last £2, so I thought I’d have one more go as the dividend looked quite good and they were paying four places in some races." 

Explaining his method for making his selections, he added: "I was looking at trainers who were in form and there were a couple like Commanche Falls and Phantom Flight who I’d backed before. I went by the draw and I wanted to favour those drawn low. 

"I wasn’t at York as I live in Northern Ireland, and I only usually fly over for the likes of Cheltenham."

The winning selections

1.50 York: Phantom Flight 2nd, 7-1
2.25 York: Tabletalk 1st, 12-1
3.00 York: Vafortino 2nd, 22-1
3.35 York: Magical Zoe 1st, 11-2
4.10 York: Commanche Falls 3rd, 10-1
4.45 York: Tropical Storm 1st, 5-2

Sandown Placepot tips: Paul Kealy's perm for the £50,000 guaranteed pool on Friday 

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