http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/horseracing/8369528/Racegoer-wins-1.5m-jackpot-with-2-stake.htmlSteve Whiteley, 60, went to the racecourse at Exeter for free using his bus pass, then entered the grounds for free through a promotion.
Mr Whiteley, a heating engineer who only goes to the races twice a year, put his money on the Tote Jackpot, which requires punters to pick every winning horse in six races.
As each race takes place, those who did not pick the winner are eliminated and the field of gamblers rapidly thins. If no one picks all six winners, the winning pot rolls over to the following event.
Yesterday, 363,000 tickets picked the winner in the first leg, but just 9,076 tickets then repeated their success in the second. The field was slashed again after the third race, which saw 571 punters go through. Only seven people picked the fourth winner, and Mr Whitley was the only ticket left for both of the final races.
The winning horses were Semi Colon (at odds of 2-1), Black Phantom (12-1), Ammunition (16-1), Mr Bennett (16-1), Lundy Sky (5-1) and Lupita (12-1).
The odds against achieving this feat are 368,639-1.
Speaking after the win, Mr Whiteley said: "The most exciting bit was when my mate said to me after the fourth race that there were only seven people in the whole country left in the jackpot. And then at the last he said 'There is only one left and it’s this one'.
"I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t look – I am shaking like a leaf.
"I am not a horse racing man. I go out once or twice a year."
He said his wife learned of his fortune as he was interviewed by the horse-racing programme At The Races, adding that his previous biggest win was £300.
In the Tote Jackpot, the total stakes entered are put into a pool, which is shared by the winners, rather than a fixed price being offered and every jackpot winner getting a set amount.
The total pool for yesterday's jackpot was just over £2million, which left Mr Whiteley with £1,425,309 after the Tote's deductions.
The jockey of the final winning horse was Jessica Lodge, who had ridden in 28 races without a victory before yesterday.
Asked how he picked her at 12-1, Mr Whiteley said: "Lodge was a name that was hanging in my head."
He insisted that his jackpot would not stop him working, adding that he would continue in his job "until I die", and said: "My wife just saw me on TV – she can’t believe it.
"I’m not really a gambling man. I phoned up today and it was free and I used my bus pass to get here."
George Primarolo, of Totesport, which organises the jackpot, said: "This is an incredible fairy story - Steve has won a fortune for two quid.
"It is the type of win that dreams are made of."
Graham Sharpe, of the bookmaker's William Hill, said: "Most punters aren't looking to win a million quid so it's a dream come true.
"I'm just glad he won it on the Tote and not with a bookmaker. Maybe he'd like to come to us now and spend a bit of his winnings."
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