Mattress Mack

Even open heart surgery can't stop Jim (Mattress Mack) McIngvale from what he does best, sell furniture. On December 10, McIngvale, 73, had heart surgery at Houston Methodist Hospital. Describing his condition, he told the TDN that he was in the early stages of congestive heart failure and his arterial valve was not opening and closing like it should. "So they went in and fixed the thing," he said Monday. "Thank God. The Good Lord is the infinite healer. Now I'm on the rebound. I've been here for six days...

The ninth annual Jockeys and Jeans fundraiser at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas June 24 to benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF) set a record of over $400,000, the organization said in a release Thursday. The previous record was $340,000 last year at Churchill Downs. To-date, the total raised by the group is $3.1 million, including the $110,000 accepted during the 2022 stallion season sale. "It is impossible to sufficiently thank all the staff who at the beginning promised to 'Vegas-Size' the event," said Jockeys and Jeans President Barry...

The ninth annual Jockeys and Jeans fundraiser for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF) will feature a live streamed speech from Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale, the Jockeys and Jeans Person of the Year. The speech will be broadcast from Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas this coming Saturday, June 24, at 8:30 p.m. PT/11:30 p.m. ET on the Jockeys and Jeans Facebook page. "Mattress Mack has always advocated for the safety of riders and horses and is one of very few who understands horse racing from the perspective of an owner,...

Jockeys and Jeans this year will hold its annual fundraiser at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on Saturday, Jun. 24, and will honor Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale as its Person of the Year. McIngvale is the owner of three Gallery Furniture stores in Houston and is internationally known for his business acumen, philanthropy, community involvement and success as a Thoroughbred owner and breeder as well a major bettor. The event will reunite McIngvale with Hall of Fame jockey Edgar Prado--one of 16 Hall of Fame members set to attend the...

Jim McIngvale (Mattress Mack) made history when the Houston Astros won the World Series. He made bets that returned $75 million when they won, the largest win ever in the history of sports betting. The bets were tied into a promotion McIngvale has used many times at his Gallery Furniture Stores in Houston. If he wins the bet, his customers get free mattresses. He's great at getting publicity for himself and his stores, but never had he seen anything like what happened with this bet, the story of which became...

Thoroughbred owner and breeder Jim McIngvale will be honored along with Eclipse Award-winning photographer Barbara Livingston, broadcaster Chris Lincoln and turf writers Tom Pedulla and Mike Welsch during the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters' 62nd annual Awards Dinner on Wednesday, Nov. 2 in Lexington. The NTWAB Awards Dinner is the organization's only fundraiser, and a portion of the proceeds of the event will fund Thoroughbred industry charities and internships for prospective racing journalists. The 2022 NTWAB Awards Dinner will be held at Malone's Prime in Lexington. McIngvale, widely known as...

As handicappers and racing enthusiasts across America prepare to dive into this week's sensational Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, keep this in mind: Where you bet matters. It took 25-plus years of horse ownership and a $2.4-million wager for me to fully appreciate the huge difference it makes where a bet is placed. It was a wake-up call for me, and it should be for you. Everyone in horse racing whenever possible should put their money through the windows or self-bet machines at the racetrack. If you're like I was, you've...

by Nick Tammaro Marketing. Promotion. Advertising. Those are words that are often kicked around boardrooms and offices throughout the world. For "Mattress Mack" they are the fundamental elements of a business that has been successful for four decades. For the people whose lives he's touched, and they are innumerable, he means everything. My personal involvement in racing is vast, but I've long considered myself a student of the game. I handicap, play the races, make speed figures, participate in contests, appear on radio and occasionally on TV. A few weeks...

Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale made what is believed to be the largest losing wager in horse racing history Saturday, as a $2.4-million win bet on Essential Quality (Tapit) went down in flames as the favorite in the GI Kentucky Derby finished fourth. But, for McIngvale, there were no wounds to be licked. The bet was tied into a promotion at his Gallery Furniture Stores in Houston. Anyone buying a mattress worth $3,000 or more prior to the Derby would get the mattress for free if the betting favorite won the...

Owner James 'Mattress Mack' McIngvale, who earlier this week announced that he would be making a bet in excess of $2-million as a hedge against a promotion in which customers of his Gallery Furniture chain will be refunded in the event that favored Essential Quality (Tapit) prevails, has confirmed that the bet will be placed on site at Churchill Downs in order to maximize the money that goes to purses. McIngvale has bet through casinos on similar promotions on the World Series and Super Bowl, where he is able to...

Churchill Downs Racetrack has partnered with Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale on the Kentucky Derby Foster Family Initiative, which will welcome nearly 300 representatives from Kentucky's Foster Care sector as guests to the Kentucky Derby. McIngvale was inspired by his recently-adopted grandson, Brodie, in June 2019. Churchill Downs will be working with long-time charitable partners Maryhurst and Boys & Girls Haven to identify foster parents, alumni and social service workers and staff in the industry to host for the Derby.

Owner Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale is planning to bet at least $2 million to win on Essential Quality (Tapit) in Saturday's GI Kentucky Derby as a hedge to cover the costs of a furniture promotion underway at his Gallery Furniture stores. It is believed that McIngvale's bet will be the largest ever placed on the Derby or any U.S. horse race. McIngvale has already launched the "Kentucky Derby Fave Wins, You Win" promotion. Anyone buying a mattress that costs $3,000 or more will receive a 100% refund if the favorite...