£100,000 bet on I Am Maximus wins £800,000 in dramatic Grand National gamble
Even by the standards of the world’s most popular betting event, it was a gamble of the highest stakes.
An unprecedented £100,000 bet at the Grand National handed a bookmaker a bruising Aintree debut. A gamble of gladiatorial courage had been placed on I Am Maximus at odds of 8-1 three hours before the firm favorite roared to victory.
The lucky punter was named by bookmakers only as a “well-established” figure who walks away with £800,000 winnings. Speculation is rife that the mystery punter is the horse’s famous custodian JP McManus, now the most successful Grand National owner of all time. But the biggest mystery of all at the racecourse on Saturday was why Fitzwilliam Sports, a bookmaker which had never before had a stand at the famous race, had agreed to take such a dangerous bet in the first place.
Johnny Dineen, who also works as a pundit, had taken the bet on behalf of the firm, which is only recently established at the biggest jump races. “Whopper,” he said of the bet. “The biggest bet we’ve ever laid by a mile.”
Faced with a potential £800,000 loss, the bookie, backed by prominent Irish racehorse owner Paul Byrne, hedged its own bets by placing wagers elsewhere, but is still thought to have suffered a six-figure deficit on the race.
Dineen explained that the betting firm would “have to do trading” and “move money around the ring at different stages” to offset potential losses. “We don’t intend to go into liquidation after seven days,” he added, having only set up a pitch with a prime spot at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
After handing out the winnings, Michael Gannon, a colleague, joked that Dineen had immediately fled Aintree in disgrace for accepting the bet. “Johnny’s gone for the plane with his a--- handed to him on a plate,” he told Telegraph Sport.
Gannon added: “This is our maiden voyage in Aintree, that’s the biggest bet we’ve ever laid. We started betting in Cheltenham, very good. And in Aintree, our first meeting, business has been very good, traded a good few quid, but still a bad result.”
Most of the major bookmakers suffered major payouts at the hands of I Am Maximus, who was the most heavily backed favorite in recent years.
He first won in 2024 for trainer Willie Mullins and jockey Paul Townend before finishing runner-up to stablemate Nick Rockett a year later. Only the legendary triple winner Red Rum in the 1970s had regained the crown after finishing as a runner-up in intervening years.
???? I Am Maximus REGAINS the Randox Grand National! ????
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) April 11, 2026
The first horse since Red Rum to do so! @PTownend | @WillieMullinsNH pic.twitter.com/k5tHGTvuYm
The triumph provided a joint-record fourth win for Mullins, who was also successful with Hedgehunter in 2005. There is very little McManus has not won during his long spell in the sport, but the enormity of this most prestigious prize once again was not lost on him as he celebrated success alongside his wife Noreen, who has recently suffered ill health, and the rest of his family.
“I’m here with nine grandchildren, all my family and there are lads back at home who play such a big part in it on the farm,” said McManus, also the owner of runner-up Iroko and fourth home Johnnywho.
“It’ll mean a lot to so many. There’ll be a few tears shed along the way, I just saw Noreen there and she’s very emotional about it. Noreen is a fighter. This time last year if you heard you were going to win a Grand National and we’d all be here to celebrate it, it would be a great result. It’s a very special day.”
McManus, who conceded he had a “little on” his heavily backed winner, added: “The Grand National is something very special and there is such a tradition with it.”
Politics Editor
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
