How does earning a cool half million dollars off of pocket change sound? For one Florida bettor this past Saturday, that dream scenario turned into a reality.
The early races at Gulfstream Park saw some longshot winners, including a 73 to 1 and a 34 to 1 shot. One prescient bettor had himself quite a run and picked the winner of the first five races.
That translated into winning the early Pick 5, which paid out a staggering $524,966.50. So how much did the bettor drop to earn such a massive haul? A grand total of 50 cents.
As CBSSports reports, the win was one for the record books.
The payout is the fifth-highest 50-cent Pick 5 payoff in North America history, according to Ed DeRosa, the director of marketing for Brisnet.com, a horse racing info site for handicappers. The winnings are also the third-highest for a non-jackpot.
While the stars aligned perfectly for this bettor to cash such a massive ticket, the old adage of ‘you gotta be in it to win it’ also applies. For the week ahead, there are at least a trio of opportunities for horse players across the nation looking to take their shot.
This Week’s Carryovers to Watch
Multi-race bets such as Pick 3s, 4s, and 5s can pay off quite handsomely when some longshots cross the finish line first. And then there are the pools that continue to rise until they are claimed by a single bettor.
Carryover pools offer the opportunity for some big wins off of miniscule investments. While very tough to hit with a unique ticket, these pools will pay out a portion when there’s multiple winning tickets while the remainder stays in the pot and rolls over.
As the pool continues to grow, that presents the opportunity for nice paydays for correct tickets. For example, here are the payouts for the last three Rainbow Pick 6s at Gulfstream, a pool which continues to rise.
Friday, April 10 – $4,985.54
Saturday, April 11 – $33,777.38
Sunday, April 12 – $27,407.56
The Gulfstream carryover is just one of three pools to watch as we begin the week. Here are the details and the next racing day for each of them.
Gulfstream Park Pick 6 – $905,127 – Thursday, April 16
Tampa Bay Pick 6 – $51,835 – Wednesday, April 15
Fonner Park Pick 5 – $33,949 – Monday, April 13
Rest of This Week’s Schedule
The overall schedule remains incredibly light due to the Covid-19 crisis, but six tracks have cards scheduled for the coming week. Here’s the current schedule for the week ahead through Friday.
Fonner Park
Monday, April 13 – 9-race Card Beginning at 4 PM ET
Tuesday, April 14 – 9-race Card Beginning at 4 PM ET
Wednesday, April 15 – 9-race Card Beginning at 4 PM ET
Will Rogers
Monday, April 13 – 10-race Card Beginning at 1:15 PM ET
Tuesday, April 14 – 10-race Card Beginning at 1:15 PM ET
Wednesday, April 15 – 10-race Card Beginning at 1:15 PM ET
Tampa Bay
Wednesday, April 15 – 8-race Card Beginning at 12:30 PM ET
Friday, April 17 – 8-race Card Beginning at 12:24 PM ET
Gulfstream Park
Thursday, April 16 – 11-race Card Beginning at 1 PM ET
Friday, April 17 – 10-race Card Beginning at 1 PM ET
Oaklawn Park
Thursday, April 16 – 9-race Card Beginning at 1:05 PM ET
Friday, April 17 – 10-race Card Beginning at 1:05 PM ET
Remington Park
Thursday, April 16 – 10-race Card Beginning at 6 PM ET
Friday, April 17 – 10-race Card Beginning at 6 PM ET
As has been the case for the last several weeks, consider the schedule to be fluid and subject to change just in case any other postponements or cancellations pop up.
