 Gordon Elliott with Silver Birch gave regulars a �25,000 windfall |
A group of drinkers won thousands of pounds on the Grand National by betting on their pub's namesake. Silver Birch regulars in Bracknell, Berkshire, estimate they won up to �25,000 from their local bookie.
About 150 locals queued up at the local Coral to collect their winnings after jockey Robbie Power rode to victory.
But landlord Phil Clark missed out on a share of the winnings after deciding not to "jinx" the fortunes of his customers with his gambling bad luck.
Mr Clark, 30, told the BBC he had only ever bet on three horses in his life, all convincing losers, adding: "If I had bet on Silver Birch I would only have jinxed it for everyone else."
He added that the celebrations after the win at the 160th Grand National at Aintree saw regulars, who had put on individual bets of between �1 and �30, "drink me out of beer".
A Coral spokesman said: "It was a fantastic result for bookmakers but it was just our bad luck to have a shop next to the Silver Birch."
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