Lexington resident Donna Hoover has not seen her sister in years, and thanks to her recent $50,000 win on the $5 Lucky Horseshoe Crossword she plans to reunite with her.
“I haven’t seen my sister in Tennessee in 6 years. In this economy, I haven’t been able to buy a car, and my current car won’t make it down there,” Hoover said. “I plan to buy a car so I can go see her.”
Hoover said she borrowed a family member’s car recently to drive to Kentucky Lottery Headquarters in Louisville to claim her winnings from her Scratch-off win, $36,000 after taxes.
Hoover rarely purchases Lottery games; however, her husband enjoys playing crossword Scratch-offs, so she purchased one Lucky Horseshoe Crossword at Clark’s Pump-N-Shop, 313 West New Circle Road in Lexington.
“I was eating breakfast when I scratched the ticket, thinking the entire time it wasn’t going to be a winner because I never win,” she said. “I started counting and I had 10 words, and I was like ‘no way.’ I looked at the back of the ticket, and I counted again, and I had 10 words, and I looked at the back of the ticket again. I finally realized it was a winner.”
Revealing 10 words on Lucky Horseshoe Crossword earns a player the top prize of $50,000.
Hoover called her husband who didn’t believe her at first.
“I told him, ‘now why would I lie to you about something like this,’” she joked. “Of course he didn’t believe me so when I showed him the ticket, he had to count for himself.”
When Hoover spoke with Lottery officials recently, she said she had not told her sister that she was coming to visit her.
“I may not. I may just go,” she said emotionally.
The Kentucky Lottery’s $5 Lucky Horseshoe Crossword Scratch-off hit retailers around the state Aug. 7, 2025. There is one $50,000 top prize remaining along with 55 $1,000 second-tier prizes and 84 $500 third-tier prizes.
Clark’s Pump-N-Shop will receive $500 for selling the winning ticket.
