TwinSpires player scores 299K on Pick 6 at Saratoga

A TwinSpires user in Augusta, Michigan celebrated the win of a lifetime when he raked in $299,000 on the Pick 6 during opening weekend at Saratoga.

The horse racing aficionado was already having a good day at the Spa after he hit a couple of exotic wagers in earlier races on Saturday’s card and decided to play the Pick 6, a bet he rarely makes. Not only was the horizontal wager unique for the TwinSpires bettor, but it was special on Saturday at Saratoga, as it offered a mandatory carryover of $532,907.

“I have a group of buddies ... we’ve been going to the Preakness together … and we’re on a group chat. We were talking all week on opening weekend about the races and the track at Saratoga,” the lucky winner said.

“It looked to me like the favorites weren’t doing so well … so I tried to take some of the second and third choices on the board.”

Fading the favorites turned out to be a sound strategy, as not one of them crossed the wire first in Races 6 through 11. The final race of the night, and final leg of the Pick 6, saw the longest shot reach the winner’s circle, and made the TwinSpires user’s win all the more meaningful because of a special connection the horse had to him and his wife.

“The winner (of the last leg), Lookin to Fly, I actually took him based on the 2010 Preakness winner, who was his (sire, Lookin at Lucky),” he said. “My wife and I’s first date was at the Preakness in 2010 … so, I was like, oh, I’ll throw him in there, that’ll be a good one, good rider up … it worked out well.”

The decision was, indeed, lucky and resulted in a whopping six-figure payout, the largest win to date by the Pick 6 punter. However, before Saturday, his wife had the biggest win of the year in the household.

“My wife actually bet the Kentucky Derby winner. She put $10 on him to win, which she’s now a little bit upset because I’ve taken the glory from her big win this year,” he joked.

But she may still get to ultimately decide what to do with Saturday’s winnings. “We’ve made about 400 plans, and so far it’s just sitting. … But my wife’s lobbying for a house in the Bahamas.”