NEW YORK -- What are the odds?
On the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on Sunday, horses wearing the numbers 9, 1 and 1 won the first three races at Belmont.
The New York City track served as one of the staging areas for workers and emergency vehicles in the days following the destruction of the World Trade Center.
Actually, the pick three paid $18.60 for a $2 bet.
From the New York Post:
The fact that it happened at a local track that served as one of the staging areas for workers and emergency vehicles in the days following the destruction of the World Trade Center made the outcome even more stunning.
“The odds were probably about a million to one,” said David Jacobson, the trainer at Drawing Away Stable, which owns Say Toba Sandy and Wishful Tomcat, the day’s first two winners.
“It’s unimaginable,” he said. “We were amazed.”
Lottery players weren't so lucky, but the 9-1-1 combination proved more irresistible than ever. Carolyn Hapeman, a spokeswoman for the New York State Lottery, said that combination for both the midday and evening "Numbers" draw was sold out by 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 5 for every twice-daily drawing right through Sept. 12.
The 9-1-1 pick has been a popular option for lottery players, just like 1-1-1 or 7-7-7, and sells out every day, she said. She didn't recall a time when it sold out for seven straight days ahead of time.
The two draws on Sunday came up 1-0-8 and 5-4-3.
The odds are always 1,000-to-1 for any three-number combination of numbered balls to randomly pop out of the machine, but 9-1-1 did come up on one other auspicious date: Sept. 11, 2002, the first anniversary of the attacks.
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