Brendan Abraham celebrated two big wins on the day of the 60th Labour Day Classic.<\/p>\n
The Saskatchewan Roughriders\u2019 34-30 CFL victory over the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers was certainly something to savour.<\/p>\n
Then there was the matter of adding nearly a quarter of a million dollars to the bank account.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the first time I\u2019ve really won anything,\u201d Abraham, who resides in White Bear with his wife, Holly, said on Friday while visiting Mosaic Stadium to receive a cheque for $744.655.50 \u2014\u00a0the reward for purchasing the winning ticket in the Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation 50\/50 draw (presented by ISC) on Aug. 31.<\/p>\n
The previous record payout, from Labour Day weekend in 2024, was $607,345. That eclipsed the 2023 standard of $535,073.<\/p>\n
Abraham purchased his lucky ticket at the White Bear Hotel.<\/p>\n
\u201cI usually buy tickets,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was in the first quarter, so I just had that feeling for some reason.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy wife was like, \u2018You\u2019re kind of missing the game.\u2019 I thought, \u2018I should wait until halftime,\u2019 but I just had that feeling that I should buy it right now.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood thing I did, because it was the first ticket on my list of 20.\u201d<\/p>\n
Or so he soon discovered.<\/p>\n
\u201cLo and behold, my phone was ringing and the texts were coming in,\u201d Abraham said. \u201cI was thinking, \u2018I guess I won.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess everyone was looking on the website and saw my name on there. Everyone was asking if I had bought a ticket and I was like, \u2018Yeah.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cSo then I looked at my e-mail and checked it out and, sure enough, it was mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
The good news quickly circulated.<\/p>\n
\u201cI jumped up from the table and said, \u2018I kind of won three quarters of a million dollars,\u2019 \u201d he continued. \u201cEveryone was like, \u2018What?!\u2019 It was quite a party after that.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s indescribable, really. My hands were shaking with excitement. It still doesn\u2019t even feel real.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reality began to set in on Friday morning, though, when Abraham \u2014 an oil-field worker \u2014\u00a0woke up after five hours\u2019 sleep and prepared to make the eastward drive to Regina to pick up the grand prize \u2026 or the 744-grand prize, in this case.<\/p>\n
Abraham and his wife were joined on the excursion by Angela Boyer, Holly\u2019s best friend. Regina-based Pearce Jones (Abraham\u2019s nephew) met the happy travellers when they arrived in the Queen City.<\/p>\n
Moments before the cheque presentation, the group walked through the \u201cBring \u2019Em Out\u201d tunnel and on to the playing surface during a suitably sunny afternoon.<\/p>\n
Photos were taken, an interview was conducted and, thanks to Boyer, cartwheels were performed.<\/p>\n
The next step was to return to White Bear, located 80 kilometres northwest of Swift Current, and surroundings that will soon change.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re currently in an older farmhouse, so I think we\u2019re going to get a new house,\u201d Abraham said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019re going to put most of it away and invest it \u2014 and I\u2019ll probably pay off my truck.\u201d<\/p>\n
And when it is time for winter driving \u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will be a beach somewhere with my name on it,\u201d Abraham said.<\/p>\n
Proceeds from all 50\/50 draws throughout the CFL season are used by the Roughrider Foundation to directly benefit amateur football in Saskatchewan.<\/p>\n
One of the beneficiaries is the PFC\u2019s Regina Thunder, of which Jones \u2014 a former linebacker \u2014 is an alumnus.<\/p>\n