Twelve coworkers team up to hit Rainbow 6

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – A dozen guys at the track for a company outing Thursday accomplished what hard-core and professional handicappers had been unable to do for the previous eight days: They took down the entire Rainbow 6 jackpot to the tune of $324,179.

The 12 lucky players, who work for Jim Beam and Southern Wine and Spirits out of Deerfield, Ill., put up $20 apiece to play the winning ticket, which was put together by Art Friedman, a member of the group and a regular horseplayer who resides in Jacksonville, Fla.

“We have a group outing we do every February, and Jim Beam is the sponsor,” Friedman said. “They get a suite and take all the guys who work together for a day at the races. We started pooling our money and playing the Rainbow 6 two years ago. We almost hit it then; we missed in the final leg. Last year, we played it, too, but didn’t do as well. Most of us are from Florida, and a couple of us play the races regularly by simulcast, but we never play the Rainbow 6 unless we’re here together.”

The winning ticket cost $194.40, using four horses in the opening leg and three each in the last five races in the sequence, including first-time starter Nick the Cardshark, who won the nightcap and paid $57.40.

“We used the 12 in the last race because the 12 won the final leg and paid a big price last year, and we also like the jockey and the trainer, who is 28 percent in the money,” Friedman said.

Nick the Cardshark was ridden by Carlos Montalvo and is trained by Angel Rodriguez.

The Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot is paid only when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners.