Todd Clements has a history of putting up high percentages in two fields – training horses and handicapping football games.
His talent for training horses has landed him 168 wins, $918,343 in purse earnings and a hefty UTR of .386 over the course of his career. And while there are no official stats on file pertaining to his prowess for making pigskin picks, he does have a substantial cheque in his possession.
And if that isn't enough proof, his picture can be found on this week's Pro Line game sheet which is available at the lottery counter in convenience stores across the province.
The Dundas, Ontario horseman hauled in a prize valued at $67,657.50 after purchasing $80 worth of Pro Line tickets during last weekend's NFL games. The score came with some astute handicapping, and a little bit of luck.
"I boxed four teams in Pro Picks and hit them all," Clements told Trot Insider. "The funny thing is I accidentally played the Miami Dolphins last week, but when I noticed it after the ticket was printed I refused to cancel it. And fortunately for me they pulled off the upset over the San Diego Chargers."
Clements, who was one of eight people to take home a share of the $541,260 grand prize, came painfully close to hitting for a major score.
"If the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Dallas Cowboys last weekend, I would have got the whole prize," said Clements. "The people from the lottery offices in Toronto told me I would have been the only one to have all the games selected correctly, and that would have given me the whole prize of $541,260."
"I had to go to downtown Toronto to pick up the money this past Tuesday, and it was a lengthy process to get it," he added. "I flew to Newfoundland the next day. It was a trip that I had booked before winning the money. I came home to visit my family for Thanksgiving."
The windfall came one week after Clements came within one win away from picking up a $57,000 payday for his football selections.
"I was one game away from picking up a $57,000 in Pro Picks the previous week. But I'm not complaining!"
When asked what he planned on doing with his winnings, he was leaning towards planning a holiday with his family in addition to scouting around for a decent horse.
"I'm down to one horse right now," said Clements. "I've got KG Survivor, and he'll be racing in the OSS Grassroots semi-finals for three-year-old pacing colts later this week at Flamboro Downs. Hopefully he can make it the Grassroots final the following week."
When asked about today's action, Clements was generous enough to share a selection.
"I really like the Atlanta Falcons over the Chicago Bears," he said. "They played tough against the Green Bay Packers last week, and I think that's a good bet. They're playing very well this year."