Pet groomer Peter Cako’s bread and butter is in the pet industry. But he’s allergic to horses. Literally, they give him hives. Figuratively though, they give him money. Lots of it.
The Elora, ON resident hit it big at his local racetrack, Grand River Raceway, on March 27, winning the lion’s share of the $4,000 final of a free handicapping contest. He’d earned two entries in the Winter Wednesdays Handicapping Tournament during qualifying rounds held throughout January, February and March.
Cako faced off against 98 other entries for a grand prize of $4,000. Contestants selected the winners of races two through seven at the simulcast track of their choice. (In addition to its seasonal live horse racing, Grand River Raceway offers a daily selection of races from tracks around the world, called simulcast racing, which bettors can watch and wager on.) In the contest, a hypothetical $2 win and place wager is applied to each of the players’ six selections, and the contestant with the highest overall bankroll is the winner.
The contest is popular with horseplayers, and while Cako considers himself more of a ‘shot-in-the-dark’ kind of punter, he’s played faithfully each week for the past two competitions.
His simple strategy for the finals was six straight sixes. Two of those number six horses at The Raceway at Western Fair District in London, ON came through for him in a big way. His selection of 85-1 shot Jagger Seelster in race two finished second and paid $52.70. The horse was steered by Mount Forest, ON harness driver Ryan Holliday.
In the final dash of the contest, Mack Baran won by a mere nose and paid $81.50 for the win and $23.70 to place. Cako’s final tally was $157.90, which put him nearly $60 ahead of the runner-up, and earned him the $3,000 first-prize.
Cako has owned Peter’s Pet Grooming in Elora for the past 21 years. He says he expects more fun than fortune from his once-a-week outings to the local track.
With his 40th birthday on the horizon, Cako says he will likely put the windfall towards a trip once his busy season winds down at the shop.
Fellow Elora, ON resident Shorty Tanner earned $375 in the contest when two of his entries finished third and fifth. Frank MacNeil of Kitchener, ON finished second to earn $500. Kerria Hammond of Guelph, ON finished fourth for $125.
(Grand River Raceway)