Gulfstream Handle Rises Nearly 11% on Sunny Pegasus Day
Image:
Description:
Photo: Mathea Kelley
Racing Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park
The purses may have been down for the Pegasus World Cup races Jan. 25, but the bottom line was up.
Total wagering on the card at Gulfstream Park checked in at $41,896,435 on a warm, sunny day in South Florida, a nice boost of 10.9% from the $37,786,967 wagered on a rainy Pegasus Day a year ago.
Saturday's handle was a shade under Gulfstream's all-time record of $41,983,882 set in 2018.
Beyond that, it would be no surprise if Gulfstream officials let out a sigh of relief over Mucho Gusto's victory in the $2.94 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes Presented by Runhappy (G1) as he was not one of the five horses who would have generated a single winning ticket and the jackpot payout in the Rainbow Pick 6 wager.
There were five horses who would have produced a single winning ticket, and, quite surprisingly, one of them was Higher Power, the 5-2 betting favorite who finished 10th and last.
The other single winning tickets were tied to War Story (third), Bodexpress (fifth), Tenfold (sixth) and True Timber (eighth).
Without a single winner Saturday, there will be a mandatory payout of the pool Jan. 26 with a carryover of $3,612,594.
Gulfstream officials estimate there could be a Pick 6 pool of at least $15 million Sunday.
The Pick 6 paid $394,349.12 Saturday for a 20-cent ticket.