Winners eye another jackpot

The whole premise of the bet is that horses are unpredictable animals, but its organisers were probably kicking themselves on Saturday when a ground-breaking rollover for the Scoop6 was divided among eight winning tickets. Yes, the Tote had the relief of being able to report that those who collected £437,011 apiece included one punter who had placed a single £2 line. But the fact is that their determination to make the six necessary winners as elusive as possible backfired after they decided to leave out the one horse capable of stimulating public curiosity in the longer term.

Kauto Star looked an obvious banker in his race at Haydock, too obvious for the tastes of the Tote. Instead four of the six races in the record-breaking win pool were chosen from the all-weather card at Lingfield. As things turned out, Kauto Star unseated his rider and the race went to a 33-1 shot that would surely have blown out even the most extravagant syndicates. And, had the pool rolled over for a 12th week, it would have been time to hold the front page. But hindsight is all very well, and to cavil in this way does no justice to the day the Scoop6 came of age. Introduced nine years ago by Peter Jones, as Tote chairman, the bet was devised to offer life-changing opportunities for small stakes. And there is always a twist. For part of the pool is siphoned into a bonus fund, which also swells week by week, and is opened seven days after the win fund is scooped. Now the holders of the eight winning tickets have the chance to win another £1,529,525 on Saturday, almost certainly in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury.

This next drama, unmistakably, is of a very different kind – replacing common need or greed with voyeurism, sadism and jealousy – but certainly matches the spirit of the reality television age. The record £2m rollover certainly caught public imagination on Saturday, with an unprecedented £4,167,091 staked before the first leg of the bet at 2.10 pm. This was so much more than the Tote dared to hope that last week they laid 50-1 against turnover exceeding £4m. Each £2 line being divided, win and place, the win fund eventually reached £3,496,091. Professional syndicates were heavily involved, and accounted for four of the winning tickets – two being organised by Harry Findlay, the professional gambler who part-owns Denman. Even so, the Tote's public relations director, Damian Walker, was able to hail public involvement that put other, glib marketing initiatives proposed by the sport into due perspective.

"It has been a fantastic day for racing and the Tote," he said. "Turnover easily exceeded our expectations – more money than was bet on Gold Cup day at the Cheltenham Festival. Betting shops were inundated with punters hoping to win a life-changing sum, and one £2 punter from a Stan James betting shop has done just that."

The mystery punter placed the bet in a Stan James shop in Thatcham and company spokeswoman Laura Stephens said: "The winning Scoop6 punter lives in Newbury. He ticked the anonymous box, but we hope he will change his mind about anonymity later in the week and agree to publicity."

One man who enjoyed a slice of the action was afforded no privacy. Peter Naughton (left), who was presenting coverage of Haydock on the subscription channel Racing UK, had put £50 into a successful syndicate. He expected to receive only about 1/60th of its winnings, around £7,500, but his excitement when interviewed by a colleague on air contributed to the infectious atmosphere. "My hands are shaking," he said.

And, with only one or two quibbles, it was time for handshakes all round at the Tote.

Race by race guide to how the Scoop6 £4m rollover was won

*FIRST LEG.....................2.10 Lingfield

Punters are off to a flyer as the first Scoop6 favourite Atlantic Story (7-2) wins, with 508,898 tickets going forward to the next race

*SECOND LEG.....................2.40 Lingfield

Romany Princess (5-1) knocks out over 400,000 tickets leaving only 34,477

*THIRD LEG.....................2.45 Haydock

More than 30,000 tickets are torn up as Possol (15-2) holds the late challenge of Mon Mome by a head. Just 3,768 tickets are still standing going into the fourth race

*FOURTH LEG.....................3.20 Lingfield

Clive Brittain's Yahrab (15-2 ) prevails under Jamie Spencer leaving 389 tickets remaining

*FIFTH LEG.....................3.30 Huntingdon

A tricky low-grade hurdle but 37 tickets were staked on Heathcliff (11-2) and he duly sees off 9-2 second favourite House Of Bourbon to set up a nail-biting finish

*SIXTH LEG.....................3.50 Lingfield

Irish raider Duff (5-1) comes out on top under Derby-winning jockey Kevin Manning to ensure the massive jackpot is split betweenthe eight remaining tickets

*The eight winning tickets pick up justover £437,011 each and all have a chance to go for the bonus fund next week with £1,529,525 on offer