The Maryland Lottery’s largest ever prize on the game Racetrax, a $660,414 win on a superfecta bet, was claimed Jan. 15 by an Army veteran from Prince George’s County.
An Army veteran from Prince George’s County was on the verge of tears Jan. 15 at Lottery headquarters after claiming a $660,414 prize on the game Racetrax, the largest ever since the game made its Maryland debut in August 2006.
After finishing the paperwork involved with making his claim, he shared stories about his life, including the tale of discovering his big win.
“I’m surprised I didn’t have a heart attack,” he said.
The winner, who chose the alias “Irish Luck” while claiming his prize, placed a $1 superfecta bet Jan. 12 for 10 races, adding the bonus option (for a total ticket price of $20) and choosing the horses numbered 12, 10, 8 and 7 to finish first through fourth.
He placed his bet at the American Legion Cummings-Behlke Post 226 at 830 Mayo Road in Edgewater.
“Irish Luck” characterizes himself as an occasional Racetrax player, and he never watches the games as they play out on the monitor. Instead, he puts the ticket in his pocket and checks it after he gets home.
“That night, I scanned the ticket on the Lottery app and couldn’t believe what I saw,” he said. “I quickly yelled for my wife to come over and see what I won.”
When his wife looked at his phone, she thought the win was just over $6,000.
“I told her to look closer,” he said. “She then thought it was $60,000, so I told her to look again.”
To win on a superfecta wager, the four horses must cross the finish line in exact order chosen. This ticket would have been worth $220,138, but “Irish Luck’s” addition of the bonus option kicked in. The randomly selected multiplier for his winning game was X3, increasing his prize to $660,414.
The tearful winner plans to share his winnings with his family.
The Anne Arundel County American Legion post will receive a $6,604.14 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
Prior to “Irish Luck’s” Jan. 12 win, the largest prize ever claimed on the game came in 2016 when a Washington, D.C., resident won $361,842 on the game.
