Luke Littler lands huge Cheltenham Festival bet days after darts star wins £120k

Luke Littler lands huge Cheltenham Festival bet days after darts star wins £120k

Luke Littler’s golden week showed no sign of stopping at Cheltenham — with the darts world number one landing a tidy betting windfall just days after pocketing £120,000 at the UK Open.

The 19-year-old was back at Prestbury Park for Ladies Day on Wednesday, returning for a second consecutive day at the Festival alongside girlfriend Faith Millar after spending Champion Day on Tuesday with fellow darts stars Luke Humphries and Nathan Aspinall.

And The Nuke wasted no time making his presence felt in the betting ring. Littler placed a £250 bet on King Rasko Grey in the opening race of the day — the Turners Novices’ Hurdle — at odds of 9/1. The horse delivered, narrowly holding off Act Of Innocence and a field of rivals to win, with Littler erupting into his trademark celebration in the stands as it crossed the line. The winning return of £2,500 was promptly shared on his Instagram story, to the delight of his two million-plus followers.

It was not the biggest win of the race. Standing next to Littler at the time was online tipster Robert Heneghan of Pro Sports Advice, who had backed the same horse at the same price but with a £5,000 stake — netting a staggering £50,000 return. The pair celebrated together, with Littler applauding and cheering as the result came in.

The racing success came just four days after Littler retained his UK Open title at Butlin’s Minehead, beating veteran James Wade 11-7 in the final to claim £120,000 in prize money and a 12th PDC major title. That victory moved him to third on the all-time list for PDC major wins, behind only Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen.

It has been that kind of week for the Warrington teenager. On Tuesday, rival Luke Humphries had set the tone by backing 9/4 favourite Old Park Star in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle for £1,000 — landing £3,250 in return before donating the entire sum to charity.

Littler has become a familiar face at major sporting occasions beyond the oche in recent months, attending Premier League nights, the Brits, Valentine’s dinner and now multiple days at Cheltenham. His passion for horse racing, like football, is well documented — and with Gold Cup Day falling on Friday, there is every chance he will be back at Prestbury Park before the week is out, chasing another winner.

First, though, comes the small matter of Night Six of the Premier League in Nottingham tonight, where a quarter-final against Gerwyn Price awaits. Fresh off a 6-3 semi-final win over Price in Cardiff last week, Littler will be looking to make it a winning double — on the oche and on the racecourse — before the week is done.