A LEGENDARY owner has promised to buy 40,000 beers if his horse wins a race – and couldn't care less about the massive bar bill.
Millionaire businessman John Singleton is desperate to see his nag Hawaii Five Oh win the £10.3million Everest in Australia on Saturday.
So much so that he promised to buy a lager for every single one of the 40,000 punters expected to flock to Randwick racecourse in Sydney to see the action.
That is expected to set him back a staggering £155,000.
But in truth it barely makes a dent in the £4m he wins if his four-year-old – priced up at 11-1 – wins the 6f contest.
Singleton made his money in advertising but its horses that are his true passion… and drinking.
A renowned party animal even at the age of 81, his pledge to punters comes after the Australian Turf Club said they would buy their members a drink if Overpass wins the race.
Singleton blasted their plans and said his offer is open to anyone and everyone.
He told the Daily Telegraph: "Most of the committee are freeloaders anyway.
"They have lost the common touch if they are only going to shout the members.
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"If Hawaii Five Oh wins, of course I will shout (buy beers for) the public. It will be a bit of fun."
Singleton reckons his money-making horse, who has earnings of over £440,000 and will be ridden by top jock James McDonald, has a great chance.
The colt is trained by Gai Waterhouse and Singleton said she has him primed and ready to go.
He added: "I know Gai is very confident – so if Gai is very confident, then so am I.
"The horse is really well, we've got the right jockey… so we just need a bit of luck now."
Singleton is famed for dipping into his own pockets to provide punters with a pint.
He paid for racegoers' drinks for an hour at a meeting in Menangle in August, saying: "Why should the people trackside have to wait without a drink?"
In 2008 he bought every single punter in 19 pubs along a 45-mile stretch of road drinks too.
But his biggest spending spree came after he won the 2000 Golden Slipper with Belle Du Jour.
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Recalling that epic bender, Singleton said: "You don't often win $1 million in gambling. It was one of those days that'll never be repeated, not for me and not for many who were there.
"We let it flow and I know that when the bill came in, it was a lot, but a lot less than I had imagined."
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Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chases their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
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