I won £500 from a £5 Grand National bet made before I was even BORN – it was the perfect birthday present

A COLLEGE student won £500 in Saturday’s Grand National – from a bet made before he was even born. Isaac Whitcombe discovered the slip for a £5 each way bet in a time capsule given to him for his 18th birthday by his uncle. As well as a copy of Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident […]

A COLLEGE student won £500 in Saturday’s Grand National – from a bet made before he was even born.

Isaac Whitcombe discovered the slip for a £5 each way bet in a time capsule given to him for his 18th birthday by his uncle.

As well as a copy of Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and romcom Love Actually, the haul also included an each way bet at 50-1 on Horse Number 3 for the 2022 Grand National.

Isaac was finally given the ticket last month after turning 18 and won £500 after the 8/1 horse Delta Work placed third in the race.

Isaac told The Sun: “The Grand National was an amazing race and it was brilliant to see Delta Work going so close.

“My uncle has won me £500 and  I’m delighted – it’s a great birthday present.

“It was a really thoughtful idea and now I’ve got a bit of extra cash to go on the drum kit. It was the perfect birthday present.”

The wager was placed for him by his uncle Daniel, 42, just days before the student from Guildford, Surrey was born in 2004. 

Isaac was finally given the ticket last month and stood to win over £3,000 – but missed out on pocketing the highest possible winnings from his first-ever legal bet.

He put the money on Delta Work to romp home, but sadly the horse only managed third place at 10/1.

Isaac instead cashed in £500 on the each way ticket after bookies increased its value from £5 to £50.

The family huddled around the TV yesterday – along with half a billion others – to see how Delta Work faired.

Grand National LIVE – latest race results from Aintree

Noble Yeats romped home to win the Grand National, at 50/1, and Any Second Now came second at 15/2.

Isaac’s dad Andrew, 46, added: “My brother did it for a bit of fun 18-years ago when we had our first child.

“But as soon as we realised Delta Work had a chance, we’ve all started really looking forward to the Grand National and getting pretty excited.

“We had the bet slip framed, but I did have to check back with JenningsBet to see if they would honour it, considering it was placed so long ago.

“When they said they would, and they would increase the bet, we were delighted and Isaac started getting really excited.

“He’s a very keen drummer, he’s already thinking about whether he could get some new kit.”

The bet was placed in a “time capsule” gift box for baby Isaac by his uncle in 2004 who now lives in Africa where he runs a charity.

Vicky Knight, Compliance Manager at JenningsBet, said: “We couldn’t believe it when we heard about this birthday bet.”

Betting and Gaming Council CEO Michael Dugher, said: “This is a wonderful story and typical of the enduring love affair this nation has with the Grand National.

“Betting shops are a huge employer and do so much to support hard-pressed high streets and local economies, it’s great to see them back open this Saturday.”