Jackpot 8 winner: Quick Pick is 'the best thing ever'

One TwinSpires player from Maryland turned a $1 Quick Pick into a staggering $691,401.62 payout by hitting the new Jackpot 8 wager during Churchill Downs’ Twilight Thursday card on May 7.

The jackpot was up for grabs in Race 8, a contentious 1 1/16-mile turf allowance/optional claimer for three-year-old fillies. The unique winning ticket correctly identified the first eight finishers, in exact order, to take down the “octafecta.”

TwinSpires.com’s Blaise Bollman caught up with the lucky horseplayer for an exclusive interview to learn more about the winner’s betting background, strategy, and what it felt like to sweat out a stewards’ inquiry and a jockey’s objection in the final leg with nearly $700,000 on the line.

The Marylander, who wished to remain anonymous, had not previously played the Jackpot 8, but the appeal of the big carryover – and the statistical chances of hitting it – made it worth a try. 

“I’ll be honest – what caught my attention was the huge carryover score when I heard about it at 4 p.m. and knew that the pool would increase,” the horseplayer said. 

By comparison, the chances of hitting the top Powerball prize are approximately 1 in 292.2 million!

Also enticing was the ease of the computer-generated Quick Pick for the Jackpot 8, rather than laboriously trying to construct a ticket.

“I’ve played the Super Hi-5 at Woodbine Mohawk and have taken a lot of time to handicap and have never hit big on their carryover nights,” the horseplayer said. 

“I love the Quick Pick feature. It’s the best thing ever. It would take me four to six hours on creating tickets versus just a few minutes.”

The winning player again noted the importance of statistics in wagering strategy. 

“I like boxing supers and super wheels. I like increasing the statistical chances of winning with wheels. I’ve played Pick 4s and 5s but have never hit one and stick with superfectas. I have tried the Super Hi-5s too.

“I got into it when I was 21 years old. As a kid, my mom would take me to Harrington Harbour, and I would watch the Kentucky Derby (G1) with family and always wanted to bet on it.”

After that first Derby in 2015, won by eventual Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, the racing fan turned into a horseplayer via the TwinSpires app.

Churchill Downs is one of the winning player’s favorite tracks, not only for the Derby but for races with big fields and lucrative superfecta potential. 

Superfectas and Super Hi-5s are typically the preferred wagers at another favorite track, Gulfstream Park, for year-round action and not just the Championship Meet. Santa Anita, Parx Racing, and Laurel Park round out the player’s personal top five. 

“I love playing the Super Hi-5s” at Santa Anita, while Parx is “good for my superfecta box plays at a $5 bet for $120 total ticket,” and Laurel is “close to home.”

So what was it like to watch the Jackpot 8 race last Thursday night?

“I was at home watching on the mobile app,” the horseplayer said. “I was going to watch it on my TV, but stuck to the phone. 

“It took me a good five to 10 minutes to realize what actually happened. It was pretty shocking, dude.

“When everything went official was when I started thinking this is real.”

The $691,401.62 prize dwarfs another noteworthy score that the player recalled, in a different arena a while ago.

“The biggest sports bet I’ve won was $14,400 on baseball, but have not bet for a long time.”

The winning player offered advice to anyone thinking about trying the Jackpot 8. 

“Definitely use the Quick Pick…I feel like the randomization is the best part about it. Putting your own tickets together could create a bias. But people can do whatever they want to win.”

The Marylander plans to put the Jackpot 8 windfall to good use, as a nest egg for the future. 

“I’m looking at ways to invest what I have won, doing something smart with the winnings.”