One of Del Mar’s new bets this summer – the .50¢ late Pick Five on the day’s final five races – has had a healthy bonus factor tied to it that might provide a racing fan with a million-dollar payoff when the seaside oval gets off and running for its 79th summer this Wednesday.
The wager will provide for a “bonus” $1-million payout on Saturdays and Sundays – or a “bonus” $500,000 payout on weekdays – to any fan holding the lone winning ticket on the exotic bet.
Del Mar had introduced the single ticket “jackpot” concept to its Pick Six bet in the fall of 2016 which led to some life-changing payouts on that wager. The Late Pick Five “bonus” bet, while not quite the same, also carries the potential for powerhouse payoffs.
The bet ensures a minimum payout of $1-million (weekends) or $500,000 (weekdays) to a lone ticket holder. So in the scenario where a fan is the only one to tab the last five winners on a Saturday and the late Pick Five payout amounted to $650,000, Del Mar would pony up an additional $350,000 to make the $1-million “bonus” payout prove true. A similar scenario could unfold during the week where Del Mar might add extra monies to the payout to assure a minimum $500,000 prize is reached by a lucky single ticket holder.
Closing day at the meet – Labor Day Monday, September 3 – will be treated as a weekend day and a $1-million late Pick Five “bonus” will be in effect that afternoon.
“When we announced them several weeks ago, we got very positive responses to the addition of our new bets for this season, including the late Pick Five,” said Del Mar’s executive vice president and chief marketing officer Craig Dado. “The addition of this “bonus” money to that bet is just going to make a good thing even better.”
Besides the late Pick Five, Del Mar also will feature this summer a new early .50¢ Pick Four starting on Race 2 each day and a $2 Win, Place, Show Parlay bet available for a minimum of two, and a maximum of six, races.
The single ticket “jackpot” bet on the Pick Six once again will be in play throughout the 36-day stand. Last summer a single ticket holder cashed in for $603,613.80 on the wager on August 2.
Racing will be held on a Wednesday through Sunday basis throughout the summer. First post is 2 p.m. for all days but Friday when they’ll be off and running at 4 p.m.