A victory by a 49-1 longshot in Churchill Downs' 9th race on Wednesday made a single bettor an instant millionaire with the second-largest Pick 6 payout in track history. But the prospect of another mammoth win remained in play as the track's new Super Hi-5 wager was not hit and a record carryover pool of $866,712 will be available for the wager on the final race on Thursday's nine-race card.
A win in Wednesday's finale by Lucille Davis's Future Prospect, who paid $100.80 to win as the second longest shot in a field of 11 claiming horses, allowed the entire Pick 6 pool of $1.127,774.60 to go to an unidentified bettor who wagered through the Nevada betting hub. The winning Pick 6 ticket consisted of numbers 5-6-1-5-1-6. Consolation payouts on tickets that contained five winners returned $3,065.60.
A one-day carryover pool of $410,599 that was created when no one hit the Pick 6 on Saturday's Kentucky Derby Day racing program fueled Wednesday's Pick 6 betting. The Pick 6 is a $2 minimum wager that requires fans to correctly select the winners of six consecutive races.
The massive Pick 6 payout fell just short of the record $1,168,136 payout that went to a single ticket-holder on June 25, 2003. Wednesday's wager included races 4-9 and the winning horses were:
4th - #5 Adhrhythm ($18.40)
5th - #6 Segal ($4.20)
6th - #1 Trainee ($8.80)
7th - #5 Appellate ($29)
8th - #1 Sprung ($6.40)
9th - #6 Future Prospect ($100.80)
While the Pick 6 went down, the new Super Hi-5 wager continued to soar into record territory with its three-day carryover pool of $866,712. The Super Hi-5, which was conducted on Wednesday's 9th race and will be offered on the same race on Thursday, is a $1 minimum bet that requires fans to correctly select the top five finishers in order in a designated race.
Scheduled post time for Thursday's 9th race is 5:17 p.m. (all times Eastern).
The wager was offered on Saturday's Kentucky Derby, but there were no perfect Super Hi-5 tickets on the "Run for the Roses" and that created a carryover pool of $331,928 for Wednesday's card.
The Super Hi-5, which has been offered once per day since the Spring Meet opening on April 26, has already produced a winning payout of $33,013. That went to single bettor during Kentucky Derby Week following a one-day carryover.
Post time for the first of nine races on Wednesday's Churchill Downs program is 1:15 p.m. Admission gates open at 11:30 a.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.
Churchill Downs, the world's most legendary racetrack, has conducted Thoroughbred racing and presented America's greatest race, the Kentucky Derby, continuously since 1875. Located in Louisville, the flagship racetrack of Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN) also operates Trackside at Churchill Downs, which offers year-round simulcast wagering at the historic track. Churchill Downs will conduct the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2009. The track's 2008 Spring Meet continues through July 6. Churchill Downs has hosted the Breeders' Cup World Championships a record six times. Information about Churchill Downs can be found on the Internet at www.churchilldowns.com.