Dave Oblisk walked away from Churchill Downs with nearly $60,000 after placing 12 bets on Mystik Dan, the winner of the 150th Kentucky Derby.
After the photo finish between Mystik Dan, Sierra Leone and Forever Young, Oblisk was shaking, his family members said.
“I’m still shaking!” Oblisk, a resident of Austin, Texas, told the Courier Journal.
Oblisk knows one of the horse’s owners, Daniel Hamby, and wanted to bet on Mystik Dan after hearing the story of how the horse was named. Hamby’s father, Daniel Hamby Sr., was a salesman for Mystik brand tape. They combined that with his first name to create “Mystik Dan.”
Oblisk placed 12 bets total: four bets for $250 on Mystik Dan to win, four for him to place, and four for him to show. After cashing out his bets, he collected $59,986 at the wage booth outside section 322.
His friend, Craig Gough, also bet on Mystik Dan and predicted the first four finishers with a superfecta bet, taking home approximately $8,500. Gough is from Union County in Kentucky and this is his second Kentucky Derby ever, he said.
When asked how he would spend the money, Gough’s daughter, Grace, said, “We’re paying for my college!” and received laughs from the rest of their friends and family.
Reach reporter Eleanor McCrary at EMcCrary@courier-journal.com or at @ellie_mccrary on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Texas man wins $60,000 on 2024 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan
