Clare Baldings dad wins 5,000 on 100-1 bet he placed over two decades ago

Publish date: 2024-10-03

Clare Balding's dad has won £5,000 from a 100-1 bet he placed over two decades ago.

Former Royal trainer Ian Balding struck a bet with his friend and Tote chairman Peter Jones back in 2001 that William Buick would one day be crowned champion jockey. Balding made the £50 wager after seeing a then 14-year-old Buick riding during the summer holidays and realising the potential the Norwegian-born jockey had.

More than two decades on, Buick is set to be crowned champion jockey at Ascot on Saturday after a stunning 2022 season that has seen him ride 178 winners and win almost £6million in prize money.

READ MORE: Jockey suffered stroke mid-race and went blind in one eye after horror fall

Buick agonisingly missed out on becoming champion jockey last year, with Oisin Murphy claiming his third straight title in controversial circumstances.

Murphy rode 11 winners in September 2021 despite the fact that he should have been isolating after returning from a holiday in Greece.

However, there will be no such heartbreak for Buick this time around, as he goes into Champions Day comfortably ahead of nearest challenger Hollie Doyle.

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All that is set to land Balding a tidy payout, with Tote honouring the bet despite it never formally being recorded, and he is set to donate his winnings to the Injured Jockeys' Fund.

"I am absolutely thrilled he has fulfilled the potential I always knew he had - and I have finally had a successful bet!" explained Balding to The Sun. "My late brother Toby, who won the Grand National as a trainer, would be proud."

Buick will have a chance of another winner on Saturday when he rides 2021 Derby winner Adayar in the Qipco Champion Stakes. He is set to go up against 1-4 favourite and best racehorse in the world Baaeed in the race.

The 34-year-old has played down his celebration plans ahead of his crowning moment, though, admitting: "I went out last year to be champion jockey so to go down by one or two in the end, you are thinking I don't want to get into that situation again.

"My agent [Tony Hind] said we are going to have to go hard early - go as hard as we can for as long as we can. We kept the ball rolling - you can never predict for it to go how it did. We worked towards it and got all the support we needed.

"It's something that I've enjoyed - although it's hard work, I think I've thrived on it. It's something I've always wanted to do but I don't know how I'll react. How I'll celebrate? I can't tell you that!"

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