Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale is looking to make sports betting history at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. McIngvale, who has a track record of betting big on the biggest sporting events, plans to place a record-breaking wager of $2.5-3 million on whichever horse ends up being the favorite in the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby.
“I will be there, and I will be betting with both hands,” Mack told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I’ll be betting probably between $2 and a half (million) and $3 million on the favorite.”
Like he has on several occasions in the past, McIngvale, who owns a furniture store in Houston, is running a promotion in which customers will receive refunds on purchases of $3,000 or more if the favorite ends up winning the Kentucky Derby. Currently, Zandon is a 3-1 favorite with Epicenter owning 7-2 odds, according to SportsLine.
“It’ll be interesting to see on Saturday afternoon, about two or three hours before the race, where they’re at,” McIngvale added. “If one comes out as the clear-cut favorite, I’ll bet on him. If not, I might have to bet a little bit on both of them. If they look like they’re going to be very close at the end, I’m sure by a minute or two before post, I can make a big bet and influence who the favorite is. I moved it last year, so we’ll see.”
Mattress Mack also will be betting $300,000-400,000 on Smile Happy. The horse is the offspring of Runhappy, who was a 2015 American Champion Sprint Horse that was owned by McIngvale. Smile Happy currently has 20-1 odds to win the Kentucky Derby.
McIngvale has wagered more than $25 million since the 2021 Super Bowl. Mattress Mack ended up losing over $10 million in various bets when the Cincinnati Bengals fell to the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI this past February.
