by Gabe Prewitt, for Red Mile
Lexington, KY — For the second consecutive racing program, the Pick-4 eluded patrons on Thursday night (Aug. 24) at The Red Mile, resulting in a track record carryover of $16,148 heading into Saturday night (Aug. 26).
The sequence started easily enough, with the 8-5 favorite, Tequila Sunrise As, winning the seventh race and returning $5.40. In what is almost a statistical improbability, it took only one more race for every single player to be eliminated, as Certitude rallied from eighth at the three-quarter pole to spring the upset at 19-1, returning $40.60.
Shortly after the eighth race, track officials, in conjunction with the USTA’s Strategic Wagering Program, announced an ‘instant guarantee’ of $40,000 for the total pool on Saturday night. It is the largest guaranteed Pick-4 pool in the track’s history.
The Pick-4 is a nightly wager featuring a one-dollar minimum covering races 7–10. Saturday night’s sequence features three $30,000 divisions of the revamped Kentucky Sires Stakes, and concludes with a wide-open 10 horse shootout in a 10th race overnight. First post is 7 p.m.