The hype and anticipation has been building for more than three months and it will all come down to the final race this Saturday night at Woodbine Racetrack.
The Jackpot Hi-5, which has not been won since December 8, 2014, will finally be paid out this Saturday night, as a mandatory payout is in effect.
On a regular evening, the entire Jackpot Hi-5 pool is only paid out if there is a single winning ticket. If multiple winning tickets hit the ‘Hi-5’, half of the wagering pool is carried over to the next card, while the other half is distributed in consolation payouts.
The traditional rules are not in effect this Saturday, as instead the entire Jackpot Hi-5 pool will be paid out and split among all the winning tickets.
A mandatory payout is familiar ground for this wager on the Woodbine Entertainment Group circuit, but the carryover of $847,458.26 is the largest carryover into a mandatory payout in track history.
Since the Jackpot Hi-5 was integrated into the WEG betting menu in October of 2013, two large ‘mandatory payout’ programs have taken place.
The first to draw major interest was on May 17, 2014 at Woodbine. A carryover of $656,383 was brought into that evening and helped generate a total pool of $2,002,026.
The Jackpot Hi-5 race that night featured a field of 11 pacers and was won by Drain Daddy and Jody Jamieson from post position three at odds of 4-1.
The winning trip saw Drain Daddy get away fifth and make a first up move down the backstretch, clearing to the front in the third-quarter and never looking back.
The favourite in that contest finished out of the top-five helping return a $0.20 payout of $8,759.15.
The next mandatory payout on a large carryover took place at Mohawk Racetrack on Canadian Pacing Derby and Metro Pace night, August 30, 2014.
The stakes-filled card and the substantial interest in the Jackpot Hi-5 carryover of $647,331 would lead to a record-setting evening for Mohawk.
An additional $2,026,548 was wagered into the Jackpot Hi-5 to bring the total pool for the mandatory payout to $2,673,879.
The Jackpot Hi-5 dash was scheduled to feature a field of 11 pacers; however a scratch reduced the race to a field of ten with one trailer.
Resistance Futile, the 9-5 favourite, and driver Corey Callahan came away with the victory from Post 2.
The winning duo moved out from fourth in the second-quarter following cover and would clear to the front as they entered the final turn. The public’s choice would pace away from his rivals in the stretch to score a four-length victory.
The second and third choices on the board finished third and fourth, playing a large factor into a $0.20 payout of $1,347.36.
The Jackpot Hi-5 helped propel the handle for that August evening to a new Mohawk Racetrack record of $5,006,896.
If the healthy pools from the past two sizable mandatory payout nights are any indication, this Saturday’s Jackpot Hi-5 race has a chance to generate a large pool exceeding well over any previous mandatory payout pools.
The nearing Jackpot Hi-5 race will also feature a different twist, as a field of 12 horses will contest the mandatory payout dash. Each starter in the field will receive money and the class level itself will receive a purse increase.
The Jackpot Hi-5 offers a 20-cent minimum bet. A horseplayer could spend $19,008 by boxing all 12 horses in the field. Boxing five horses would cost a fan $24.
The combinations appear to be endless, but ultimately if a horseplayer is able to map out a ticket with the top-five finishers, certainly a portion of a hefty Jackpot Hi-5 pool is there to be collected.
(WEG)