Keeneland racegoer hits $26,000 Pick 4, donates it all to Make-A-Wish

Keeneland racegoer hits $26,000 Pick 4, donates it all to

Make-A-Wish

The sixth annual Make-A-Wish Day at Keeneland on Thursday concluded with the

type of moment that reminds people just how generous the human spirit can be.

Moments after the 9TH and final race of the day, a man walked up to the

Make-A-Wish Foundation donation table and left everyone speechless.

The anonymous man donated a winning ticket to Make-A-Wish with little fanfare

before disappearing into the crowds exiting the track. The winning Pick 4 ticket

was worth $26,000, the type of gift the Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana chapter of

Make-A-Wish Foundation rarely receives.

The donor divulged only that he was from Marietta, Georgia. He asked two

Make-A-Wish workers if they could walk with him to one of the betting windows to

cash a "big" ticket but gave little indication of the enormity of the gift.

"He said, 'I don't want anything from this,' tapped our shoulders and

vanished," Make-A-Wish's Jessica Cary said. "He didn't want anything for it.

"(The teller) was like, 'Do you know how much this ticket is worth?' When she

told us, our mouths just dropped."

Keeneland and local Thoroughbred farms and organizations teamed with

Make-A-Wish to grant nine children wishes and give them a VIP experience at the

track, including presentation of trophies in the winner's circle. The

partnership continues to help sick children see their dreams become reality.

"Make-A-Wish Day at Keeneland is about the Thoroughbred industry rallying

around these kids," Make-A-Wish Marketing Communications Coordinator Emily

Denholm said.

"To have such a phenomenal gift like this is just inspiring. It speaks

volumes to the courage of our kids, the power of their stories and the power of

the wish. This gift is really going to help us grant more wishes. It's really,

really generous to have someone walk up and literally grant several wishes."

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