The growing pot in the Woodbine Entertainment Group’s Jackpot Hi 5 wager has been the talk of the Ontario handicapping scene as of late, as bulging carryovers have started to attract the eyes of many.
The Jackpot Hi 5 requires horseplayers to select the first five finishers in exact order on the last race of WEG’s live Standardbred program. The ‘jackpot’ proviso means that the entire pool pays out only when there is one winning ticket sold that correctly selects the first five finishers in exact order. The wager, which offers a 20-cent minimum and a low takeout of 15 per cent, debuted this past October.
The Jackpot Hi 5 carryover is $595,487.70 heading into Woodbine Racetrack’s Thursday evening program – the largest carryover the wager has seen to this point. The Jackpot has been won 11 times to date, but punters are licking their chops in hopes that a massive Jackpot pool will be available for Woodbine’s Saturday card. WEG announced last week that the mandatory payout for the Jackpot wager is set for Saturday, May 17, the second-to-last card of the current meet at Woodbine Racetrack.
“If it isn't won over the next couple of nights, we figure the core players will jump in with both hands on Saturday,” WEG Communications Director John Siscos told Trot Insider. “It will be very exciting and the racing world will have its eyes on Woodbine late that night."
Siscos told Trot Insider that WEG has been pleased with the Jackpot Hi 5 and that the wager will be offered when the action shifts to Mohawk Racetrack later next week.
"We feel it's gone very well,” Siscos said. “The handle on the bet has reached $50,000 and $60,000 several times over the last few weeks. The 15 per cent takeout has appealed to core players, but we know it has interested the jackpot players mostly.”
The WEG race office has drawn an 11-horse field for Woodbine’s Jackpot Hi 5 race this Saturday, but Siscos told Trot Insider that two-tier fields for Jackpot races should not to be expected as a regular occurrence going forward.
"The wager is an everyday offering for us now and will continue at Mohawk, but the 11-horse field for the Jackpot Hi 5 is just for Saturday night."
To view the harness racing entries for Thursday at Woodbine, click the following link: Thursday Entries – Woodbine Racetrack.
For free program pages (courtesy of TrackIT) for Woodbine’s Thursday, Friday and Saturday Jackpot Hi 5 races, click the corresponding links which appear below
• Thursday
• Friday
• Saturday
UPDATE
The carryover for Woodbine's Jackpot Hi 5 is $620,466.06 heading into the suburban Toronto oval's Friday night Standardbred card. The Anthony Montini-trained and Sylvain Filion-driven Prince Clyde (1) recorded a neck victory in 1:53.4 over Allstar Seelster (3) in Woodbine's tenth race on Thursday night. Hope For Badlands (2), Twin B Spy (9) and Lucky King (5) rounded out the top five, respectively. To view the harness racing results for Thursday at Woodbine, click the following link: Thursday Results - Woodbine Racetrack.