Could a half-million dollars or more change your life?

If the answer is ‘yes’ then you need to be watching and wagering on this Saturday’s (July 15) card at Hawthorne Race Course.

Once again, track management has joined forces with the United States Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Initiative offering up a whopping $500,000 guaranteed pool on the track’s 20-cent Jackpot Hi-5 wager.

The total is one of the largest guaranteed pools in North American harness racing history.

The hugely popular wager, which requires horseplayers to select the lone winning ticket on the top five finishers in a designated race, has gone unclaimed through the first 38 nights of the meet, resulting in a carryover pool of $224,190 heading into Saturday’s card.

Similar situations at Woodbine-Mohawk and the Meadowlands have resulted in huge sums of ‘new money’ being wagered into the pool, so don’t be surprised if Saturday’s pool far exceeds the guaranteed number of $500,000.

Handicappers across North America can get a head start on their competition with free 12-line program pages for the guaranteed pool courtesy of the USTA Strategic Wagering Initiative and Track Master on the handicapping section at ustrotting.com.

For those coming out to Hawthorne for the live action, this weekend also marks the return of the festive Americana Nights promotion featuring live music, family fun, a celebrity race and the wildly popular wiener dog races on the track apron.

Post time for Friday and Saturday’s opener at Hawthorne is 7:10 pm (Central). Post time for Saturday’s 10th race and the Jackpot Hi-Five guarantee is tentatively scheduled for 10:45 p.m. (Central). A 12-horse field is scheduled to greet the starter for this event.

(Hawthorne Race Course)