An elderly punter who only bets once a year scooped a whopping £26,000 from the Grand National.

A woman in Surrey entered a Ladbrokes shop just four hours before the 2024 Aintree showpiece last weekend. Torn between I Am Maximus, Minella Indo and Delta Work, she decided to back all three horses in a combination tricast.

A combination tricast allows a punter to select three horses which then need to finish the race in first, second and third place, in any order. The stake is then multiplied by six to cover all combinations.

READ MORE: Amateur jockey bought own horse so he could ride Grand National – and got each-way place

READ MORE: Topless Grand National streakers were fined £80 – but Aintree crowd were 'made up'

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Watch football, F1, golf, tennis, cricket and more
Get all the sport you could ever ask for

Sky Sports is bringing you 500 live football games to watch, as well access to Cricket, Golf, F1, Boxing, NFL, NBA and more across eight dedicated channels. Sky Sports is the only way to watch all the action this year.

£22 a month

 Sky

Therefore, when I Am Maximus, ridden by Paul Townend, crossed the line in first place at 7/1, ahead of Delta Work (28/1) and Minella Indo (28/1), the plucky customer won a huge £26,147.60.

Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: “It's tough enough picking out the winner of the Grand National, but this punter has somehow managed to go two steps further by landing second and third in the biggest race of the year.

Is this the luckiest bet you've ever heard of? Tell us in the comments section below

The betting slip that landed one punter £26,000 from the Grand National
The betting slip that landed one punter £26,000 from the Grand National

“This story is made even more incredible by the method of the madness behind the bet. Unsure which horse to back to win, our customer simply decided to back all three, landing – quite comfortably – one of the best racing bets we've seen in a long time!”

As for the next year, I Am Maximus could be entered into the Cheltenham Gold Cup rather than the National again. The horse’s legendary trainer Willie Mullins said: "I Am Maximus is definitely a Gold Cup horse and I couldn’t see much point in going back to Aintree again I’ll be training him for the Gold Cup anyway.”

Jockey Paul Townend celebrates with the Grand National trophy

‌The lucky bet in full

‌Minella Indo

I Am Maximus

Delta Work

£5 Combination Tricast (to finish as front three in any order)

Total stake: £30

Total returns: £26,147.60