WEST Somerset horse trainer Derrick Scott hit the national headlines this week after his mare Lupita helped make a North Devon man an instant millionaire.

The seven-year-old was the last of six horses picked as winners by heating engineer Steven Whiteley in a £2 accumulator bet at Exeter Racecourse on Tuesday.

And his luck was certainly in as jockey Jessica Lodge rode the mare to victory in the Upton Lakes and Lodges Amateur Riders' Handicap Hurdle - landing Mr Whiteley a whopping £1.4 million jackpot.

Back at his stud in East Lynch on the Holnicote Estate, Mr Scott said he was thrilled to have been part of Mr Whiteley's fortune and equally pleased for both Lupita and Miss Lodge.

He told the Free Press: "We bought Lupita a couple of years ago and she's a really nice mare who just loves racing and she deserved to win.

"It was Jessica's first National Hunt win and she was thrilled as well.

"It's unbelievable all round - we would be quite happy to share the win with him, though!"

Mr Scott has been training winners at his stud for nearly 50 years with the help of his wife Rosie and son James.

Lupita had already chalked up two wins on the flat in Ireland and another in Bath before being bought by the Scotts and has been placed in every race since.

Mr Scott, whose father Leslie bred champion stallions before him, said he trained racehorses as a hobby and for "a bit of fun".

In the past, he himself was an accomplished horseman, having ridden successfully in the show ring and graduated to National Hunt racing and point to pointing.

Mr Whiteley, meanwhile, is still trying to come to terms with his seven-figure payout.

"Why did I pick the last one? Lodge is just a name that sticks in my head. I didn't know anything about her. I'm not a horse racing man, I only go once or twice a year.

"I'm a heating engineer – well I was!" Mr Whiteley, 61, said.

Unfortunately, he missed out on Lupita's big win after nerves got the better of him and he could not bear to watch.

"The most exciting bit was after the fourth race when my mate said only seven people in the whole country were still in it. I couldn't watch the last race. I was shaking like a leaf, I can't believe it," he said.

Mr Whiteley's winners, were Semi Colon at 2-1, followed by Black Phantom (12-1), Ammunition (16-1) and Mr Bennett (16-1).

When Lundy Sky (5-1) got the better of odds-on favourite Glitzy D'Ocala in the penultimate race the whole bet was down to just Mr Whiteley's ticket, Lupita and Miss Lodge.

Up until that point, Miss Lodge, who lives in Berkshire, had only ever had one point-to-point winner and managed to close down on Only Hope to change Mr Whiteley's life forever.

"I'm very pleased for them, it's brilliant news. It's my first winner under Rules so it's a nice story all round," she said.

Photo: Steve Guscott