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Amber Borgen and her fiancé play the game regularly. Asked what she enjoys most about playing Racetrax, the winner had a simple response: “The thrill of it."
The two sometimes enjoy picking their horses based on things like horse names that strike a chord, or just because they like the number combination.
Over years of playing, the 38-year-old has regularly picked up prizes in the $100 and $200 range and last year scored a $1,300 prize. On the day she claimed her $29,295.70 prize at Lottery headquarters, the Montgomery County woman also redeemed a ticket worth $800.
With her winnings, which came on a ticket purchased in December 2021, Borgen and her fiancé plan to settle some bills and put a down payment on a house in Florida. The fiancé was a bartender prior to the pandemic and Borgen works in real estate.
Although they often play Racetrax at the bar where the fiancé works, the two relax at a different watering hole and play Racetrax there as well. Her big prize, however, came from a ticket bought at Redmill Beer and Wine located at 7248 Muncaster Mill Road in Derwood.
Borgen had stopped nearby to get gas and entered the store to buy a quick-pick ticket.
She placed a Superfecta Box bet, adding the Bonus multiplier option, for 20 drawings. The Superfecta Box bet shakes out to a 10-cent bet on each of four horses to finish in any of the top four spots. In Borgen's case, the quick-pick feature selected long-odds horses 8, 9, 10 and 12.
She left and met her fiancé at their usual spot, and she checked her ticket for a win. The message told her to check in with the retailer. When the prize was revealed, she said, “We freaked out."
Sharing in Borgen's good fortune is Redmill Beer and Wine, which receives a bonus of $292.95 for selling a winning Racetrax ticket with a prize of $10,000 or more. The bonus is equal to 1% of the prize.
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