First Time’s a Charm as Visiting Texas Nurse Wins $37,951 Playing Racetrax

A traveling nurse from Texas who was in Baltimore visiting family and friends in September wins big playing the Maryland Lottery’s Racetrax game on her first try. A stranger urged her to play, and, and after following his instructions, she won $37,951.

“He told me he had a good feeling and that I should play,” she said Oct. 15 when she claimed her winnings at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore. “He gave me the numbers to play, helped me fill out the form and everything.”

She then went to the cashier at the Quick Mart at 4225 Annapolis Road in Halethorpe and purchased her Racetrax ticket. She placed a 50-cent bet on a Superfecta Wheel, for 20 races – a $70 gambit in all – for key horses to finish in the first, second and third positions and paired them with multiple other horses to cover a range of combinations for the remaining spots. In the sixth race, horses 10, 7 and 9 finished in that exact order and 5 was one the numbers that placed in the No. 4 spot. She didn’t know it at the time, but she had just won $37,951.

Indeed, it wasn’t until she was back in Texas that she realized she won. She was on the phone with a friend from Baltimore, who asked if she ever checked that Racetrax ticket.

“I forgot about it, so I grabbed it out my purse and checked the numbers on the Lottery’s website,” she said. “I figured out that my numbers matched, but I was still a bit confused.”

Part of the appeal Racetrax holds for some players is the range of complex bets that can be placed, and the Superfecta Wheel is among the most complicated on offer. So, yes, it can be confusing for the novice player.

Needing further clarification, the nurse called a family member, who was able to confirm the win and tell her how much she had won.

“He told me I needed to come back to Baltimore to claim it,” she smiled when sharing her story. “So, here I am.”

The mother of two went on to say that she plans to use the $37,951 to start a mobile transport company.

Also celebrating the win is the Quick Mart that sold with winning ticket. The Baltimore County retailer receives a bonus of $379.51.