THE chances of picking six winners from six horse races on the same day are pretty slim.

But that is what happened to Petersfield professional gambler Chris Broom, who celebrated his biggest win on Saturday Ð a large share of almost £500,000.

If he was feeling a few nerves before the last race began, it is nothing compared with the pressure he is set to face when he watches this weekendÕs bonus race, which could bring in a further £340,000.

Chris decided to place the Tote Scoop6 bet at the last minute and asked two friends if they would like to chip in.

The challenge was to pick all six winners from six of Channel 4Õs televised races from Doncaster.

The bet has been described as horse racingÕs equivalent of the lottery, but with a much longer wait between each ball.

So when Chris realised his was the only ticket left after the fifth race, he was understandably on a knife edge.

He told The Herald: ÒIt was agonising. I knew after the penultimate race that there was nobody else left in the bet. I was the only one with a chance of winning.

ÒWhen it came to the last race I was very nervous because I knew the amount of money that was involved.Ó

To make matters worse the final race was delayed, adding pressure to the already tense afternoon.

But Chris was ecstatic when his final horse ran past the winning post to win him a share of £473,709.

He said: ÒIt is obviously every punterÕs dream to land a bet like this and it is probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I was absolutely over the moon.

ÒI havenÕt really thought about what IÕm going to do with the money yet. IÕm just waiting for the dust to settle.

ÒMy friends and I are planning to get together for a celebration in a week or so.Ó

Chris used to work for bookmakers Coral at the companyÕs headquarters but was made redundant.

As a professional gambler he was also barred from placing any bets at the Petersfield Coral branch in the High Street.

Although Chris would not say how much he put in the bet, he did say it was a four-figure sum and probably his biggest ever stake.

He said: ÒIt was a difficult weekend to choose the winners because there were lots of horses in all the races, making it hard to pick..

ÒWe picked all 24 runners in the penultimate race because it was just too hard to say which one would win.Ó

The next challenge for Chris is to pick the winner of a pre-selected race at Cheltenham tomorrow (Saturday). If he can pick correctly the trio will land a further £342,491.