For the second consecutive racing program, the Pick 4 eluded patrons on Thursday night (August 24) at The Red Mile, resulting in a track record carryover of $16,148 heading into Saturday night (August 26).

The sequence started easily enough, with the 8-5 favourite, 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 seven through 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.

(The Red Mile)