Royal Ascot punters landed the coincidence bet of all time on Saturday.
Football fans of a certain age will never forget the quarter finals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. England met Argentina in the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City for a place in the semi-finals. But the match was remembered as one of the most controversial of all-time as it turned on one moment involving Diego Maradona.
With the score nil-nil, Maradona contesting a ball with England goalkeeper Peter Shilton, and with an outstretched hand punched the ball into the net. Despite the protests the referee eventually gave a goal and Argentina went on to win the match 2-1, with Maradona settling it with the ‘goal of the century’.
The date was June 22 1986 and 38 years to the day since the match, Hand Of God lined up in the Golden Gates Stakes at Ascot
The three-year-old colt, trained by Harry Charlton for Mohammed Jaber, went off a well-backed 9-4 favourite to take his record to three wins from five starts. He went on to win emphatically, driven out by William Buick to score by a length and three quarters. landing some hefty bets in the process.
William Hill spokesperson Lee Phelps said: “38 years on from Maradona's infamous goal against England, another Hand Of God has caused us misery today!
"The winner of the Golden Gates was very well-backed, and Saturday has been a day for the punters overall. It's been a to-and-fro battle all week, but it's the punters who have edged us over the course of a brilliant five days of action.”
Jaber’s King’s Gambit had been an unlucky second in the Hampton Court Stakes on Wednesday and after Kikkuli was beaten a short head in the Jersey Stakes, Charlton was enduring a frustrating wait for a first Royal Ascot winner.
“Obviously Mohammed Jaber has had a tough week, watching King’s Gambit, and we all thought we were a bit unlucky that day, so for him to get a winner is so important,” said Charlton..
“I think he’s still a 10-furlong horse; he’s got a great mind and is good physically. He’s not done much wrong and I guess he’s probably due a step up in class. He works with King’s Gambit, so we were all quite confident, and Kikkuli was another positive.”