King George, Va. resident John Cabral happily hoists his check showing a $33,054 Racetrax prize. |
Virginia man credits luck, pop singer for his good fortune
A long-shot Racetrax wager, a riverside restaurant and award-winning singer-songwriter Taylor Swift possibly all played a role in Lady Luck giving a King George, Va. man a $33,054 Maryland Lottery prize.
John Cabral links his latest Lottery success to the pop superstar, who he met years ago at the same Potomac River restaurant and bar where he placed a bet on a different Lottery game with a similar winning result. In November, the loyal player was back at Tim’s II at Fairview Restaurant & Crabhouse, watching the Racetrax horses and race results.
The 58-year-old decided to change his routine and placed a long-shot Trifecta Box wager for several races. He added the game’s optional bonus feature, which increases the cost of a wager but gives players a chance to multiply their winnings.
Just a few minutes later while he was on the phone, John’s friend pointed out that his boxed horses had crossed the finish line. After comparing the result and his ticket, he realized the Racetrax bonus had multiplied his win to $33,054. And then, the celebration began!
Now a maintenance man at the nearby establishment Rick’s on the River, John told Lottery officials that he began his post-retirement profession at Tim’s II in 2007. His previous brush with Lottery luck came at the restaurant when Swift played a concert from a floating stage in the Potomac as part of AquaPalooza.
“She was the sweetest girl and we boated her out to the stage,” he said. “That was the night I won a pretty sizable Pick 3 prize.”
Could John’s luck somehow be intertwined with the singer’s success? Just two days after he won his Racetrax prize, John said, Swift won six awards at the American Music Awards including Artist of the Year and Artist of the Decade.
“Maybe she’ll write a song about me,” John said. When asked what he had planned for his winnings, he laughed and said, “Ho, Ho, Ho, Santa’s been really good to me this year. Now I think the holidays are taken care of.”
His lucky Lottery retailer is located at 5411 Pavilion Drive in King George, Va. The retailer is one of two dock-based Lottery retailers that sell Maryland Lottery games from the portion of their property situated over the state line. For selling a winning Racetrax ticket of $10,000 or more, the retailer will receive a $330.54 bonus from the Lottery. The bonus is equal to 1 percent of the prize.