Latest news with #BigT
The Citizen
12-07-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Follow Gavin Lerena this weekend
Leading jockey looks strong on Saturday and Sunday. Gavin Lerena has climbed above his two closest rivals, Richard Fourie and Craig Zackey, in the 2025 jockey championship log – but it's still a close race. That's good news for punters, who can cash in as the top jockeys pull out all stops in the three weeks that remain of the season. Lerena made the right decision in opting to ride at Turffontein on Thursday, instead of at a postponed Kenilworth meeting, where he had a very promising book of rides, including five outright favourites. In the end, Lerena booted home five winners at the Big T, while Fourie got two at an ultimately rain-curtailed Big K. Zackey drew a blank in Joburg but is probably glorying so much in his Durban July triumph to bother too much. This saw Lerena pulling nine wins clear of both his rivals. Lerena has eight engagements at Turffontein on Saturday – all with excellent winning chances. Also keep an eye on Greyville on Sunday Win, Eachway and All To Come bets on all his mounts is not the worst idea under the circumstances. More discerning players will try to narrow down the Lerena splurge. Molotov Cocktail (R3.75 a Win), which Lerena rides for James Crawford in Race 6, is possibly the standout. Prime Venture (R4.50) for Barend Botes in the eighth is another deserving attention. Echoes of War (R4.20) for Fabian Habib in Race 3 and Saigon Suzie (R6.00) for Johan Janse van Vuuren in Race 6 can be added to the list. Lerena also has a number of promising rides at Greyville on Sunday – and a similar feasting strategy is advised for punters. Fourie will probably be cashing in at Fairview on Monday but, at the moment, Lerena is in the box seat coming around the final bend. Betting on the jockey championship itself has been suspended by most bookmakers following this week's developments. Most of them have had Fourie as a short-priced favourite for the title for many months.
The Citizen
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
How the trainers are faring this racing season
Tarry four-timer inches him closer to pacemaker Snaith. When trainer Sean Tarry cooly collected four feature winners on Saturday, racing fans weren't particularly surprised. The man from Randjesfontein always targets major meetings, with their lucrative races, and The Championships Finale at Turffontein – the climax of the Highveld autumn season in his backyard – was just the ticket. As he collected trophy after trophy at the Big T, Tarry confirmed his big-day love affair: 'We always give it a go. We aim for the stars … if it comes off that's great … but we are never greedy.' It took just over 30 minutes for the Tarry team to reach some of those stars, with both the TAB Pretty Polly Stakes and the TAB Protea Stakes in the bag (both Grade 3 races for juveniles). A couple of hours later, two Grade 2s had been added – the Camellia Stakes and the Colorado King Stakes – courtesy of fillies Mia Moo and Let's Go Now. This is also the time of year when Tarry shifts gears, revving up the KwaZulu-Natal winter term, which climaxes South Africa's official season. Indeed, in recent seasons the former champion trainer has put in flying finishes during May, June and July to almost overhaul prevailing top dog Justin Snaith on the prizemoney log that decides the championship. This year we are unlikely to see another Tarry-Snaith cliffhanger as the latter already has a very commanding lead and carries awesome firepower in his KZN raiding party. This week's arrival of the East Coast's three-month festival is a good time to reflect on the state of play among the country's top trainers. Stakes money won Cape Town-based Snaith, who dominated his hometown summer, already has R21.4-million in stakes money won. Tarry's Saturday haul pushed his total up to R11.3-million – level with Eastern Cape supremo Alan Greeff, who annually runs up an impressive number early on before being swamped by the 'big guns' as the season rushes to its end. In nominal fourth spot is the newly formed father-son combo of Brett and James Crawford, with their tally of R9.7-million being made up of Brett's winnings from when horses raced under his name alone, added to the aggregate they've achieved as an official unit. Joburg's Tony Peter and Alec Laird are level-pegging on R8.9-million, just ahead of Cape Town's Candice Bass-Robinson on R8.5-million. Another father-son team has a joint tally of R8.5-million: Mike and Mathew de Kock. KZN has a pile of money waiting to be won in dozens of elite races, and upsets are always a factor as the great puzzle works itself out. No one race will decide the final numbers, but it's interesting to glance at the list of trainers of the top 10 horses in the betting for the showpiece, the Hollywoodbets Durban July. In order of favouritism, they are: Snaith, the Crawfords, Tarry, Laird, Joe Soma, Natie Kotzen, Snaith, the De Kocks, Michael Roberts and Lucky Houdalakis.
CBS News
21-03-2025
- General
- CBS News
Michigan man wins $1 million in March 1 Powerball drawing
A Southwest Michigan man is the winner of a $1 million Powerball prize, the Michigan Lottery reported Friday. Robert Cusumano, 65, of Cass County, matched five white balls in the March 1 drawing: 02-23-36-44-49. He bought his winning ticket at Big T, located at 155 Main Street in Lawton, and that's the detail that tipped him off to the potential win. Lawton is about 20 miles southwest of Kalamazoo. "I woke up the morning after the drawing, and checked the alerts on my phone," Cusumano told Michigan Lottery officials. "Right there on the screen, was an alert that a $1 million Powerball prize had been won on a ticket bought at Big T. As soon as I saw that, I jumped out of bed and went hunting for my ticket. I looked it over slowly and there were all five numbers right in front of me. It was incredible!" "Waking up to a $1 million prize would be a dream come true, and a life changing moment," said Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli. "Congratulations to Robert and his family!" Cusumano said he plays the lottery games "pretty regularly." "This is the most I have ever won, and I am going to use it to invest in my future," he added. Powerball tickets can be purchased for $2 at Lottery retailers across the state and online at Prize levels depend on how many numbers are matched on the ticket for the day's drawing. A "Power Play" option that multiplies non-jackpot prizes by up to 10 times to a maximum of $2 million may be added to any Powerball play for only $1. For an additional $1 per play, Double Play may be added to a Powerball ticket, giving players a second chance to win up to $10 million in the nightly Double Play drawing. Powerball drawings take place at to 10:59 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Cass County man wins $1 million Powerball prize
An alert on his phone made a Cass County man jump out of bed in the morning to check a Powerball ticket he had purchased a few days prior. The alert notified Robert Cusumano that a $1 million Powerball prize had been won by a ticket sold at the Big T restaurant located at 155 Main St. in Lawton, where he had purchased a ticket for the March 1 drawing, according to the Michigan Lottery. Lawton is about 20 miles southwest of Kalamazoo. Cusumano, 65, checked his ticket and saw that it matched the five white balls drawn March 1 — 2, 23, 36, 44 and 49. More: Kent County woman wins $1 million on Michigan Lottery instant ticket "I looked it over slowly and there were all five numbers right in front of me. It was incredible!' Cusumano told the Michigan Lottery. 'I play pretty regularly and buy tickets wherever I happen to be,' Cusumano said. 'This is the most I have ever won, and I am going to use it to invest in my future.' This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Cass County man wins $1 million Powerball prize
