A SECOND punter to scoop £500,000 when Frankie Dettori rode all seven winners at Ascot yesterday told how she turned the television off as the jockey neared the record mark as she was too nervous.

Mary Bolton, who works with children with learning difficulties, was bought the £216.91 bet as a 19th wedding anniversary present from her husband John.

The other £500,000 punter, joiner Darren Yates (30) of Morecambe, Lancs, placed his £60 bet against the advice of his wife on Saturday.

Mrs Bolton watched the races at a hotel in Mayfair, central London, in which the couple were staying on their anniversary night, while her husband cheered Dettori on from the stands at Ascot.

She said: "I'd wanted to go out shopping and when I got back to the hotel and switched on the television, Frankie had won at least three of the races.

"Then in one of them, there was a stewards' inquiry and I couldn't bear to watch it any more.

"After the last race, my husband phoned me from the station and said `we've won' or `you've done it', something like that."

But Mrs Bolton, of Glastonbury, refused to let the jackpot win go to her head and turned up for work as a day care officer with Somerset County Council as normal yesterday, saying: "I couldn't let the children down, could I?"

Mrs Bolton, who is in her late 40s, said she was very much a part time gambler.

"I know the names of the jockeys but normally only bet two or three times a year, on the Grand National, the Derby, or on horses with names in the family.

"But my husband was going to Ascot while I went shopping in London so we bought the paper on Friday and sat up that night working out a bet as I didn't want to be left out.

"We decided on Frankie Dettori so I said `what about all seven'. It was because of his character - he's one of the nice guys of racing."

She added: "When I heard he'd won all seven races, I just wandered about the hotel in shock, while my husband's friend, who he was with at Ascot, said he went a horrible colour with all the excitement."

At first, the Boltons thought they had won £300,000 but then the size of the win began to dawn on them.

"We're still in shock. It's a really nice amount without being greedy," said Mrs Bolton.

"It means we can live comfortably. When we won, my first thought was `no more worries'."

Their racing win came from 21 £9 doubles and a £5 each way accumulator. It would have won them more than £900,000 if bookmakers did not have a £500,000 limit on payouts.

The win matched that of another successful punter, self employed joiner Darren Yates, who came face to face with Dettori yesterday and told him: "You're the best."