The Pick-6. It’s the white whale of many a horse track bettor, who can’t help but put down a couple bucks on the rarest of rare chances that they might pick the winner of six races in a row. At Gulfstream Park in Florida, they usually make the last six races of the day the ones eligible for the Pick-6 and more often than not no one wins it on a given day. What they do is roll over the money made each day and watch the pot grow, only paying out if and when someone actually pulls off this bet (they call it the Rainbow 6).

This past Thursday, entering the last race of the day, one person was still alive with a chance to take home what had become a $571,744 Rainbow 6 jackpot. All they needed was for a horse named Cryogenic, entered at 8-to-1 odds, to win the 1-mile turf race.

For most of the race, it looks like Cryogenic, who entered at the 9 post, was stuck behind the pack and wouldn’t be able to make a charge. However, that changed at the far turn when jockey Emisael Jaramillo made his move and the horse emerged from the pack and started pulling away. Down the stretch, it didn’t appear that any other horse would catch Cryogenic and someone was about to claim a massive financial victory.

And then…with lengths to go before crossing the finish line, Jaramillo lost his grip and fell off the horse. Without a rider, Cryogenic froze up and multiple horses shot past them to win, place, and show.

Jaramillo, who had been stepped on by one of the horses, was rushed to the hospital. Luckily, his injuries were not too severe and he feeling in all extremities, though he was suffering from chest pains.

As for the person who lost out of half-a-million because of the tumble, well, they’re probably in a different kind of pain right now.

[Fresno Bee]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.