Home of the 134th Kentucky Derby
The largest betting pool in the brief history of Churchill Downs' new Super Hi-5 wager was distributed among 80 happy bettors who correctly selected the first five finishers in order in Thursday's 9th race at the home of the Kentucky Derby and collected $26,922 for their efforts.
Fueled by a record two-day carryover of $866,712, the wagering pool on the $1 minimum bet had grown to a massive $2,451,931 by the time a field of 11 claiming horses broke from the starting gate in the day's final race. When Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Unbridled Spring ($5.60) rolled to victory over a "sloppy" track under jockey Miguel Mena, the correct order of finish of 4-3-7-11-9 was included on 80 Super Hi-5 tickets sold across North America - including a pair of tickets purchased at betting windows at Churchill Downs.
The winning tickets on the grounds at Churchill Downs covered both ends of the betting spectrum. One was a straight $1 ticket purchased by an unidentified bettor. The other winning Super Hi-5 ticket sold at the historic track was held by an unidentified player whose betting combinations on the $2.4 million pool had totaled $55,440.
The winning payout on the Super Hi-5, which was introduced at Churchill Downs during the opening day of the track's 52-day Spring Meet on April 26, was the second largest in the wager's nine-day history. A record payout of $33,013 went to single bettor during Kentucky Derby Week following a one-day Super Hi-5 carryover.
The Super Hi-5 is a $1 minimum bet that requires fans to correctly select the top five finishers in order in a designated race. If there are no correct tickets, the wagering pool carries over to the next day's designated Super Hi-5 race.
Thursday's Super Hi-5 payout continued a week of big wins by fans of Churchill Downs racing. On Wednesday a single bettor in Las Vegas collected a prize of $1,127,774 when that person had the lone winning ticket in the track's Pick 6 wager. The winning Pick 6 payout, fueled by a carryover pool of $410,599 from Kentucky Derby Day, was the second largest in track history and fell just short of the record $1,168,136 payout that went to a single ticket-holder on June 25, 2003.
The victorious Unbridled Spring was the the 6-5 favorite in Thursday's Super Hi-5 race. The horses that completed the top five in the race's order of finish (with closing odds) included runner-up Ready's Rocket (10-1), third-place Delightful Demi (21-1), fourth-place finisher Turntwo (29-1) and fifth-place Stop the Race (6-1).
Racing continues on Friday, May 9 at Churchill Downs with the kickoff of the track's popular "Friday Happy Hours" sponsored by Budweiser Select and Fischer's. Post time for the first of 11 races on Friday's Churchill Downs program is 2:45 p.m. (all times EDT). Fans will enjoy $2 beer and $2 hot dogs in the paddock garden from 4-7 p.m. Admission gates open at 1 p.m.
General admission to Churchill Downs is $3, and $1 for members of the Twin Spires Club and seniors 60 and older. Admission is free for children 12 and under.
