Spectators may win $1 million on Derby Day
$5,000 Welcome Bonus
With spectators now being allowed to watch the races from the tarmac at Assiniboia Downs, the track is cranking up the excitement of Manitoba Derby Day this holiday Monday by offering $1 million to a player who has the only correct ticket on the Jackpot Pick 5.
The Jackpot Pick 5 is a 20-cent wager in which a player attempts to pick the winner of five consecutive races.
"We really wanted to make a big bang this year with the Derby," said CEO Darren Dunn. "And what better way to do that than with an unprecedented $1 million guarantee for a player with a single winning ticket? With the excitement from this, it is quite possible that the pool could even be more!"
(The $1 million guarantee assumes the current Jackpot Pick 5 pool, now at about $300,000, is not won before then. If it is won, then the guarantee for a single winning ticket on Derby Day will be $250,000).
If there is more than one correct ticket sold on the Jackpot Pick 5 on Derby Day, those players will share in the mandatory payoff of the pool that is likely to grow beyond $1 million.
And, if that doesn’t inspire visions of grandeur, how about this:
Dunn promises to keep the Big Money opportunity going right to the end of the race meet on Sept. 15. If anyone playing the Jackpot Pick 5 in race cards after Derby Day has the sole winning ticket, that person will be guaranteed a $250,000 payday.
Having the only winning ticket in the Jackpot Pick 5 will obviously depend on the odds of the horses winning each race. When longshots win, the chance of there being one correct ticket increases. Note you may play quick-pick tickets for 20 cents.
"We think that this is a great bonus for players, particularly for weekday racing," Dunn said.
No kidding. So there will be great racing — with lots of stakes action — combined with a chance for a life-changing score every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
The other good thing is, you can actually hear the thundering of hooves down the stretch because the track has received provincial approval to open the tarmac to 50 per cent capacity for all live races from now on. Spectators must show proof of being fully immunized, either through the QR code on their phones or a vaccination card from the province and photo ID.
(The Terrace Dining Room and large VLT lounge in the second-level Clubhouse also have capacity limitations but full immunization is not a requirement to attend.)
If you don’t have an online betting account, you may set one up quickly at HPIbet.com and, if you make $120 in wagers in the first 30 days, $120 will be deposited into your account regardless whether your initial $120 in wagers win or lose. In other words, you can’t lose!
The Derby Day card begins Monday at 7:30 p.m.
Ivan Bigg
At the Races
Ivan Bigg is a railbird and handicapper at Assiniboia Downs.
