Clarence Franklin of Upper Marlboro was in the mood to celebrate as he claimed his Racetrax prize on June 14. |
Upper Marlboro man claims $12,678 prize
Clarence Franklin has been playing – and winning – Lottery games for years.
“But not like this,” Clarence said as he visited Lottery headquarters on June 14. “I never expected something like this.”
The special occasion was a Racetrax winning ticket worth $12,678 that had a smile entrenched on his face as he celebrated in the Lottery’s Winner’s Circle room. Clarence, 52, said he stopped to play his Racetrax numbers for 20 races as he was on his way to work on the morning of June 14, a pattern he follows frequently during the week. His $20 Superfecta ticket bet on the 10, 1, 12 and 2 horses to finish in the top four spots, in that exact order.
“I bought the ticket and left, planning to check the results on my Lottery app later,” he said.
The morning was a busy one at work for Clarence, who owns a gas line installation business, so it was several hours before he could check his ticket.
“I checked each race I’d played and saw no familiar numbers until I got to the 20th, the last race on my ticket.” There they were – 10-1-12-2 – his numbers in the right order. “I said out loud, ‘No way!’ I was shocked. I ran around showing all of the guys there with me.”
Fortunately for Clarence, “the boss” permitted him to leave work to claim his prize.
“I was so excited. I just had to get down here,” Clarence said, adding that he planned to deposit his prize money in the bank and use some of it to help a beloved family member enjoy an upcoming vacation.
His Lottery retailer has reason to celebrate as well. Kenilworth Sunoco at 4836 Kenilworth Avenue in Hyattsville will receive a $126.78 bonus for selling a winning Racetrax ticket with a prize of at least $10,000. The bonus is equal to 1 percent of the prize value.