50-cent Pick 5 bet turns into more than $500K

Apr 11, 2020

Ben FawkesESPN Staff Writer

Close
t
• Runs day-to-day editorial operations at Chalk, ESPN.com's gambling section
t
• Joined ESPN in 2010

It was a good Saturday for one lucky horse racing bettor who turned a 50-cent Pick 5 into over half a million dollars.

The bettor won the Early Pick 5 -- correctly picking the winner of the first five races -- of Saturday's 13-race program at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida, and took home $524,966.50.

The payout was the fifth highest for a Pick 5 in U.S. horse racing history and the third highest for a non-jackpot, according to Ed DeRosa, director of marketing for Brisnet.com, the official data source of the Kentucky Derby and TwinSpires.

The winning horses for the first five races were No. 8 Freddy Soto, No. 4 Union Lane, No. 1 He's a Babe, No. 3 Enzoexpress and No. 6 Lashara.

It was a big day for long shots, as Freddy Soto, winner of the first race at 73-1 odds, had beaten a total of five horses in his previous three races prior to Saturday's victory, while No. 4 Union Lane had finished in front of 11 total horses in her previous seven races.

With 100% of commercial casinos closed in the United States, according to the American Gaming Association, and most professional sports on hold, horse racing is one of the few remaining legal wagering options for U.S. sports bettors.