Punters eyeing £3m racing jackpot

Customers pay £2 for the chance to pick the winners of six races

Thousands of people are hoping to win a share of a record jackpot of more than £3m in a weekly horse racing competition.

The Tote Scoop6 challenges punters to pick the winners of six televised races on Saturday with a minimum £2 stake.

Its jackpot has rolled over for 11 weeks and the Tote is expected to take £4m on this weekend's bet.

The Tote, which has bookmakers at 59 racecourses and 540 UK shops, says many syndicates are expected to take part.

Spokesman Damien Walker said first-time visitors to betting shops had been asking about Scoop6 and that many regular racing fans had started playing it.

"The level of interest is huge. We've had big winners for small stakes and there's no question it can be won by the small-stake punter," he said.

SATURDAY'S SCOOP6 RACES Leg 1: 2.10pm Lingfield Park Leg 2: 2.40pm Lingfield Park Leg 3: 2.45pm Haydock Park Leg 4: 3.20pm Lingfield Park Leg 5: 3.30pm Huntingdon Leg 6: 3.50pm Lingfield Park Source: totesport.com

The biggest was Ron Nicholson, who collected £878,939 when winning the Scoop6 from just a £4 stake in April 2004.

Mr Walker said: "If turnover is what punters think there will be £5m in a combined pool, which is enormous."

To take £4m on one day would be "extraordinary", given the record receipts at Cheltenham on Gold Cup day amounted to £3.8m, he added.

For a minimum £2 stake, customers have the chance to pick a horse in each of the six featured races or "legs".

Any number of horses can be selected in each leg to make various permutations, each costing £2.

If a customer picks all the winners, they take home a share of the jackpot which this week stands at over £3m. If all are placed, the customer gets a share of the place fund which this week adds up to more than £130,000.

One of the unluckiest punters last week was Robert Jones, from Bradford.

His Scoop6 line featured the first five winners and had backed Busker Royal, who was going well in the last race until he fell at the second-last hurdle.

Mr Jones, a landscape gardener, said: "I'm definitely having a go. You've got to have a go with that money."