Woodbine Winners: Last-Race Jackpot Hi-5 Reaps $56K

Gambling
Turf racing at Woodbine. (Eclipse Sportswire)

Woodbine Winners is an inside look at how horseplayers and bettors  from novices to pros  strike gold when playing the races at Woodbine. As part of the ongoing Woodbine Winners series, we're going to show you tickets that result in life-changing scores, get insights into how the bets were made and learn more about the people who hit those winning tickets. 

The last race each day at Woodbine features a wager called the Jackpot Hi-5. The wager can be played at a 20-cent base, and its objective is to pick the top five finishers in the race. The entire pool is paid off only if there is one unique winning ticket.

On Friday, Oct. 1, a bettor on Woodbine’s HPIBet service took down the Jackpot Hi-5, and scooped more than $56,000 in the process. Here’s a look at their winning ticket.

The day and race: Friday, Oct. 1, Race 9

The play: 20-cent Jackpot Hi-5, 2,10,11 with 2,3,10,11 with 2,3,4,5,10,11 with ALL with ALL = $403.20

The race: The final race on the Friday card was a $10,000 claiming race at one mile on the inner grass course, restricted to horses who had not won three races. A field of 13 was entered but two scratches whittled the group down to 11 at post time. The three favorites at post time were #5 Lucas n’ Lori, at 1.90-1, #4 Kitten’s Boy, at 3.20-1, and #3 Matinee, at 4.90-1. This bettor used none of those horses in the top slot, possibly with their eye on a big score.

Instead, the bettor put three horses in the top slot, each of whom had won recently. #2 Knopfler won a non-winners of two claiming race in his most recent grass start, and was switching back to that surface after a try on the synthetic Tapeta track last out. #10 Final Strike also won a non-winners of two race two starts back and looked like one of the main early speed horses in Friday’s race. #11 Self Inflicted had also recently cleared his non-winners of two condition, and had a great closing kick. All three horses went off at decent prices, and all of them had a minimal number of losses at this level. In cheaper races, that’s always a positive sign.

In the second-place slot, the bettor used those three horses along with Matinee, who also had early speed and a post position toward the inside. In third, the bettor added the other two favorites to the four horses used in the second spot. The bettor used every horse in the race in fourth and fifth, in the hopes that longshots would come in and produce a decent payoff.

The $408.20 ticket was expensive, but had lots of potential. If the ticket hit, it would mean that all three of the favorites lost, and the subsequent payoff would be dramatically inflated.

The bettor’s top picks finished 1-2-3. Self Inflicted, who went off at 6.35-1, rallied in the last few strides and won by half a length. Knopfler, who set the early pace, finished second at 7.65-1. Final Strike, at 13.20-1, made a solid move turning for home, and while he flattened out late, he held on for third.

Majestic Melody (26.55-1 ), breaking from the far outside post, made a six-wide rally and closed for fourth. Favorite Lucas n’ Lori finished fifth and completed a monster Super Hi-5 score.

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