Kauto Star wins million pound Betfair jackpot

Jump racing's first million pound bonus has been won in tremendous style by the sport's new hero, Kauto Star. Winning the Gold Cup at Cheltenham secured not only this prestigious title but a one million pound jackpot for the horse's connections. The bonus prize was offered by Betfair, the world's leading betting exchange, for any horse which could win the Betfair Chase at Haydock, the King George at Kempton and today's Gold Cup, in a single season. Owner Clive Smith was celebrating his massive payout at Cheltenham. He said on winning: "I can't tell you how thrilled I am. This is a very generous offer from Betfair. It is good for racing and it has created interest from outside of the sport." Clive Smith has had faith in the horse's ability from an early stage. He started backing Kauto Star on Betfair for the Gold Cup last year at odds of 139-1 and he continued to back it up until the day at odds as short as 6-4. Whilst the owner stands to win the bulk of the bonus, this is also an enormous fillip for the other connections of the horse. Trainer Paul Nicholls and jockey Ruby Walsh win ten per cent each, whilst the stable staff will see a £50,000 jackpot divided between them. Betfair's Managing Director, Corporate Affairs, Mark Davies, said: "We are absolutely delighted that the Betfair Million has been won, particularly in such impressive style by such a talented horse. We created what we believed was a challenging yet winnable bonus to bring fresh excitement to the jumps racing season. We hope that we have achieved that and we offer our warmest congratulations to all the connections."