Cheap N Easy (driven by Dan Clements) may have kicked off the Pick 4 on Monday evening at Pompano Park, but it was far from an accurate description of how the sequence would end up for patrons.
Cheap N Easy bested seven other rivals to the tune of $70.20, in a wild finish where less than four lengths covered the lot as they crossed under the wire.
Despite consecutive post time favourites in the middle legs of the Pick 4 sequence, the wager eluded fans after Beach Bluster (David Ingraham) rallied from far back to finish a nose the best in the decisive leg at odds of 10-1.
The result is a $7,691 carryover into the Tuesday night (December 23) Pick 4, where track officials have partnered with the USTA Strategic Wagering Program for a $25,000 guaranteed pool. The Pick 4 is a nightly wager on Races 5 – 8, featuring a 50-cent minimum and an industry low takeout of only 12 per cent.
The 20-Cent Jackpot Hi-Five carryover narrowly escaped on Monday night as well, with only three tickets out in the finale even with the 5-2 favourite, Taylor B Swift (Bruce Ranger), picking up the victory. The consolation payout returned $802.68 to the three winners on Monday night, with $8,968 carrying over into the Tuesday nightcap.
In order to win the entire ‘jackpot,’ there must be only one ‘unique’ winner in the Hi-Five. If there are multiple winning tickets, half the nightly pool is paid out with the other half adding to the carryover.
The ‘jackpot’ has been paid twice in the last two weeks returning $10,889 on December 9, and $6,973 on December 15. Oddly enough, the same horse (Taylor B Swift) won on both evenings as the post time favourite. The win on Monday was her third consecutive as the favourite in a ‘Jackpot Hi Five’ race, but the carryover remained with multiple fans coming up with the winning combination.
Live racing continues at the Isle Casino Pompano Park on a five-night per week schedule, with live racing on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday evenings with a first post of 7:30 p.m. There will be no live racing the next two Wednesday nights (December 24 and December 31).
(Pompano Park)