Eight-Race Program Begins with 1:10 P.M. First Post

BALTIMORE – Coming off a spectacular weekend that saw records fall on both Preakness (G1) and Black-Eyed Susan (G2) days, live racing returns to Pimlico Race Course Thursday, May 23 with a carryover jackpot of $198,373.42 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6.

No single bettor solved the Rainbow 6 sequence that ended with War of Will’s $14.20 upset in the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown May 18. Other winners included Catholic Boy in the $250,000 Maker’s Mark Dixie (G2), Lexitonian in the $200,000 Chick Lang (G3), Mitchell Road in the $150,000 Stella Artois Gallorette (G3) and New York Central in the $150,000 ClearSpan Maryland Sprint (G3).

The carryover jackpot is only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 60 percent of that day’s pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners while 40 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Maryland’s state-record Pick 6 carryover is $345,898.33, reached heading into the April 15, 2018 program at Laurel Park. It was solved that day by a single bettor for a jackpot payout of $399,545.94.

Thursday’s Rainbow 6 sequence is highlighted by Race 7, a $45,000 optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/16 miles on the grass that attracted a field of 13 led by 2017 Arlington Handicap (G3) winner Ghost Hunter. The Ghostzapper gelding opened his 9-year-old season with a half-length victory at 1 1/16 miles May 3 at Pimlico, his 20th win from 60 career starts, pushing his purse earnings over $800,000.

The 144th running of the Preakness anchored nine stakes, five graded, worth $2.8 million on a 14-race program that set an all-time total handle record of $99,852,653. It surpassed the previous mark of $97,168,658 from 2017. Attendance was 131,256.

The 95th renewal of the $250,000 Xpressbet Black-Eyed Susan topped seven stakes, four graded, worth $1.15 million in purses May 17 that drew a record crowd of 51,573 and set a total handle record of $22.281 million.

Pimlico’s 12-day Preakness meet concludes with a special Memorial Day program Monday, May 27 before racing moves to Laurel Park for its summer meet beginning Friday, May 31.