$759,025 Wagered into Late Pick 5, All Five Winners Paid $3,849
Exculpatory Returns to Maryland a Winner in Friday Feature

BALTIMORE – A special Memorial Day weekend schedule of live racing continues Saturday with the Maryland state record jackpot carryover having grown to $747,098.73 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 after going unsolved Friday at historic Pimlico Race Course.

No horses were live to take down the jackpot heading into Friday’s ninth-race finale, won by My Man Pots N Pans ($9.60). A total of $119,522 was bet into the popular multi-race wager, which began with a carryover of $708,857.82 from the last live program May 23. Multiple tickets with all six winners each returned $2,493.96.

The Rainbow 6 jackpot is paid out only 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.

Introduced in Maryland April 2, 2015 on opening day of Pimlico’s spring meet, the Rainbow 6 had its previous state record carryover reach $345,898.33 spanning 31 racing programs before being solved by one lucky bettor for a life-changing $399,545.94 payout April 15, 2018 at Laurel Park. The winning ticket was purchased through Maine off-track betting.

Post time for Saturday’s nine-race program is 12:40 p.m. The Rainbow 6 begins in Race 4, a six-furlong claimer for 3-year-olds and up which have never won three races, or 3-year-olds. The feature comes in Race 8, a 1 1/16-mile allowance for Maryland-bred/sired 3-year-olds and up, where Artistic Reason – a half-brother to 2020 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie (G3) winner Majestic Reason – is set to make his 4-year-old debut off more than a nine-month layoff. Among the competition are four six-figure earners with a combined 69 starts as well as last-out stakes-placed Doubleoseven.

Saturday’s card also includes a maiden special weight in Race 3 for fillies and mares age 3, 4 or 5 sprinting five furlongs on the turf. The narrow 4-1 program favorite is R. Larry Johnson’s In Vain, a 3-year-old Maryland homebred daughter of Congrats that has ran third in three consecutive races over the winter at Gulfstream Park but is unraced since March 21.

The 50-cent Late Pick 5 Friday began with a carryover of $115,038.40 from May 23 and saw another $759,025 wagered. Tickets with all five winners were each worth $3,849.25.

There will also be a carryover of $9,245.87 in the $1 Super Hi-5 for Saturday’s opener.

Following Saturday, Pimlico will host live race cards Sunday, May 30 and a special Memorial Day holiday program Monday, May 31.

Exculpatory Returns to Maryland a Winner in Friday Feature

Grace Merryman’s Exculpatory, making his third career start, returned to the winner’s circle with a professional 4 ¼-length victory in Friday’s featured eighth race at historic Pimlico Race Course.

Ridden by five-pound apprentice Charlie Marquez for trainer Mark Reid, Exculpatory ($27.80) broke alertly and was among the early leaders before dropping back and settling in third behind pacesetters Heir Port and Cry No More, who dueled through a quarter-mile in 22.71 seconds and a half in 45.14. Exculpatory launched his bid leaving the far turn and swept past both front-runners inside the eighth pole before drawing away.

The winning time was 1:11.54 over a fast main track in the six-furlong optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds. Heir Port edged Cry No More by a half-length for second.

“He’s a pretty impressive colt. He’s a regular-looking horse until you get up next to him, and then he’s a big monster of a horse. We weighed him at Laurel for his first race and he was 1,200 pounds,” Reid said. “He doesn’t jump out at you but when you stand up next to him, he’s all man. He’s definitely growing and getting better. I hope she has a stake horse when we’re done. All earmarks early on are all positive. It’d be great for Gracie. I’m very excited.”

Exculpatory weaved through traffic in the stretch to capture his long-awaited debut by a half-length March 2 at Laurel. He was unable to get into another race until May 11 at Parx, when chased the pace in a wide trip and wound up fifth.

Bred in Maryland by Grace and Michael Merryman’s Anchor & Hope Farm and Finn’s Nickel LLC, Exculpatory is by 2003 champion older horse and Horse of the Year Mineshaft out of the Broken Vow mare Elusory.

Click here to read the story of his tumultuous journey to get to the races.

Notes: Jockey Xavier Perez captured Race 3 Friday with Glengar ($7.80), moving him within four of 1,000 career victories. He is named in two races Saturday and one Sunday at Pimlico, with one mount May 31 and two June 2 at Delaware Park … Five-pound apprentice Charlie Marquez had two winners Friday, Distant Thunder ($2.80) in Race 1 and Exculpatory ($27.80) in Race 8.