Having been in existence since 1875, The Red Mile is the second oldest harness track in the United States. However, it will move into uncharted territory on Thursday afternoon’s Grand Circuit program.
A carryover in the 20-cent Super Hi-Five of $50,398 will be the largest carryover in the 140-year history of the track. Track officials, in conjunction with the United States Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Program, have placed an ‘Instant Guarantee’ of $150,000 on Thursday afternoon’s Super Hi-Five.
The Super Hi-Five is a daily wager featured in the final race of each program, where fans must select the top five finishers in order. The wager features a 20-cent minimum.
Wednesday afternoon’s Super Hi-Five was made up of a 13-1 winner, followed in by a 9-1, 48-1, 6-1, and 4-1. Despite over $58,000 being wagered into the pool, there were no winning tickets, leaving the $50,398 carryover into Thursday afternoon’s finale.
The 10th and final race on Thursday afternoon is scheduled to go to post at 4:35 p.m. (EST). It will feature 12 two-year-old trotters going to the gate in what appears to be a wide open race. The Perfect Lindy (Dave Miller) has been installed as the 7-2 lukewarm morning line favourite.
Thursday afternoon’s program will also feature a $10,000 guaranteed Pick 4 on races seven through 10, and will be highlighted with five divisions of the $264,000 International Stallion Stakes for freshman colt trotters.
Live racing continues through Saturday, October 10, with a first post of 1 p.m. The closing day card will feature over $1.8 million in purses, highlighted by the $527,000 Kentucky Futurity, third leg of the Trotting Triple Crown.
(With files from The Red Mile)