A PUNTER shocked the staff of a William Hill London betting office yesterday when producing £22,000 in cash to back Mattell Grand National hope Time For A Run to relieve the firm of £450,000.
The mystery client staked £10,000 to win, £1,000 tax paid, at 25 to 1 and the same stake at 20 to 1. Time For A Run, who is owned by J P McManus and trained by Edward O'Grady, is now a 14 to 1 chance to win at Aintree on April 5th.
Time For A Run was beaten a neck in last week's Kim Muir Chase at Cheltenham.
"The client came in and asked the cashiers what price we were about Time For A Run in the Grand National," explained William Hill PRO David Hood.
"The customer was a stranger to our staff and they quoted him our price of 25 to 1.
"I think they expected him to want £20 and they nearly fell off their chairs when the customer produced a stack of cash and asked for a bet of £20,000, tax paid.
"We laid the client £10,000 at 25 to 1 and £10,000 at 20 to 1 to take out a cool £450,000. Moreover he won't hear of defeat because the whole bet is on the nose, not even each-way.
"The punter has picked his moment well because we only knocked the horse out yesterday from 20 to 1 to 25 to 1 in order to lay a bit. But we didn't expect this.
