A trifecta dividend of only $2184 from three outsiders at Forbury Park last Thursday has been explained by a betting mistake with the TAB.
A 67-year-old Auckland family man has collected $5 worth of the trifecta involving the horses Lady Fern (9-9 in the betting), Aveross Ronin (13-13) and Sandinyourpocket (11-11) in race 8.
He was unaware of his good fortune until 24 hours later, according to the TAB.
He had intended to take a $5 bet on four favourites in a trifecta bet on race 6.
He became aware of his windfall when he returned to the Onehunga TAB on Friday night.
TAB investigators, reacting to calls to the helpdesk about the dividend, established that the $5 winning bet on the trifecta had been made at Onehunga.
A search of the TAB security camera footage identified the man placing the bet.
It also showed him watching race 6 and walking out the door, screwing up tickets as he left.
Onehunga TAB agent Pauline Saunders was contacted.
She recognised the man as a regular and found the discarded ticket in a car park.
The winning ticket included a fourth horse which finished fourth.
The TAB said the odds of marking four horses to finish in the first four placings are 17,160 to one.
• Trudy Thornton, the Cambridge jockey, has been disqualified for two months on a charge of misconduct.
She was also instructed to take an anger management course after a judicial control authority hearing relating to the matter at the Waikato meeting on April 30.
Thornton pleaded not guilty.
She was also ordered to pay costs of $1550. The disqualification begins at the conclusion of racing on Saturday and concludes at midnight on August 21.
• Safin, last-start winner of the 3yr-old filly section of the harness jewels, was flown to Australia on Saturday for immediate racing in Queensland.
She flew to Sydney and travelled by road to Queensland.
John Green, her Ardmore trainer and part-owner, flew to Brisbane yesterday to link with Safin.
Her next assignment is the Gold Coast Oaks on Friday week, followed by the Queensland Oaks on July 5.
She will be driven by Greg Bennett, the prominent New South Wales reinsman.
His father, Jim, a trainer, shares in the ownership of Safin with Rod Egerton, a professional bettor of Young (NSW).
Safin was driven in the Jewels by Matthew White, who is in his final season as a junior.
Green has had major wins as a trainer in Australia with The Suleiman (1996 Tasmanian Championship) and Beefy T (1995 Golden Nugget in Perth and 1996 Chariots Of Fire in Sydney).
