Craig Williams became one punter's biggest hero after riding Vow And Declare to victory. Photo / Getty
Craig Williams became one punter's biggest hero after riding Vow And Declare to victory. Photo / Getty
The Melbourne Cup's luckiest punter has revealed he was brushed by the woman he was with moments before realising he had won nearly $800,000.
Kenny was on a date with a high school friend at Crown Casino during the Melbourne Cup races on Tuesday.
In the aftermath of the mainevent's stewards inquiry — which saw Master of Reality demoted from second to fourth for impeding eventual third-place finisher Il Paradiso — Kenny wasn't aware he had won $793,000 from a $10 bet, thinking initially he had picked the correct top four horses but in the wrong order.
But the protest — which also saw Prince of Arran bumped up from third to second — was a godsend.
Speaking to former AFL stars Garry Lyon and Tim Watson on SEN Breakfast today, Kenny explained minutes after the race that stops a nation, his date brutally told him she wasn't interested and was eager to catch the next train home.
"I was completely oblivious. The girl I was out with said, 'Did you win?' and I said, 'Oh, I put those horses, but I don't know, I'll check later'," Kenny said.
"I had another couple of drinks … and she pretty much told me, 'Listen, I don't really feel it. You know, this isn't going to go anywhere. I want to get the five o'clock train' and I said,'Ah well, no worries, thanks for being honest'.
"I thought at least the day's not over, I'll open up the Sportsbet account, because there's still a couple of races to go in the Majors. I open up the account and I suddenly started screaming.
"I'm seeing all these numbers mate and I'm like speechless, I'm gasping. I'm like, 'Oh my effing god, oh my god' and everyone at the restaurant is looking at me like, 'What's wrong with this clown?'"
Craig Williams became one punter's biggest hero after riding Vow And Declare to victory. Photo / Getty
The Melbourne-based carpenter was not surprised by the date's reaction when his mammoth winnings were unveiled.
"She said, 'Sit down, what are you doing, you're embarrassing me' and I've gone, 'Can you just look at this for me?' and then she started screaming," Kenny laughed.
"The five o'clock train turned into a seven o'clock train. She kept going to the bar and getting more drinks.
"I paid for lunch, I paid for all the drinks. We had a bit of a laugh about it. She was ringing her girlfriends, she was ringing her old man as well."
Kenny admitted to gambling heavily in the past, but was adamant he would put his new-found fortune to good use.
"I'm a gambler, I always have been. My family gambles, they always have and always will. I like a punt, you know. I know you're not going to believe this, but I've been one number off Lotto six times," Kenny said.
"I went back to the Crown after the date got on the train, had a couple of drinks, took a taxi home. I haven't spent a cent.
"I'm going to keep my job and I'm going to go back to work. I'm going to buy a house on the Gold Coast and happy days."
