Breaking the Bank: Special Selection Yields Hefty Payout

Breaking the Bank - featuring data courtesy of Equibase - highlights the biggest scores of the past week in racing. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
There are times when a racehorse is very aptly named.
That was surely the case on Feb. 12 at Gulfstream Park when a 6-year-old gelding named Special Selection was indeed a very special selection for one sagacious handicapper.
Thanks to Special Selection’s victory at 34-1 odds in the final race of the day there was another weekly edition of “breaking the bank by turning a 20-cent bet into a six-figure payoff.”
This time, the payout was $133,874.46 for holding the single winning ticket on the Feb. 12 Rainbow Pick 6 Jackpot. Amazingly, the clairvoyant who collected the jackpot struck it rich with just a $4 ticket, marking the third time during Gulfstream’s Championship meet that a handicapper needed a $33.60 investment or less to assemble a winning ticket.
There were five horses alive in the Rainbow Pick 6 Jackpot that day, but Special Selection was the only one of the quintet to finish better than seventh in the 12-horse field.
Astonishingly, Special Selection wasn’t even the most improbable longshot in the winning sequence. That honor went to Diamante Jak, who captured the sixth race on the card at 57-1 odds. Aside from those two stumpers, there were four winning favorites, a result that was a heavenly gift for the suddenly wealthy individual who had four races with a single selection in that $4 ticket.
Gulfstream did not own exclusive rights to six-figure payoffs during the week as Santa Anita also joined in.
The Feb. 15 Pick 6 at “The Great Race Place” returned a whopping $118,674.40 for a $2 bet. That sequence also featured a 50-1 winner as Fast Mast prevailed by a half-length in the seventh race and returned $115.80. A victory by first-time starter Behest at 10-1 odds in the ninth and final race was the icing on the cake.
Top Payouts for the Week Ended Feb. 15

Wager
 Wager Amount 
 Payoff 
Track
Date
Race#

Win
 $2.00
 $134.40
GP
2/15/15
11

Place
 $2.00
 $64.40
SUN
2/15/15
10

Show
 $2.00
 $26.40
SUN
2/15/15
10

Exacta
 $1.00
 $678.70
DED
2/11/15
10

Exacta
 $2.00
 $1,611.00
OP
2/14/15
3

Quinella
 $1.00
 $91.90
TUP
2/10/15
7

Quinella
 $2.00
 $147.60
RIL
2/14/15
3

Trifecta
 $0.50
 $3,131.65
DED
2/11/15
10

Trifecta
 $1.00
 $5,968.50
OP
2/14/15
3

Trifecta
 $2.00
 $12,387.60
FG
2/13/15
9

Superfecta
 $0.10
 $53,463.72
FG
2/13/15
9

Superfecta
 $1.00
 $22,460.40
TAM
2/15/15
6

Superfecta
 $2.00
 $21,597.00
AQU
2/14/15
9

Daily Double
 $1.00
 $922.10
TUP
2/10/15
6

Daily Double
 $2.00
 $2,823.80
TAM
2/13/15
10

Pick 3
 $0.50
 $3,928.40
DED
2/14/15
7

Pick 3
 $1.00
 $9,206.50
GP
2/15/15
11

Pick 3
 $2.00
 $36,579.80
TAM
2/13/15
10

Pick 4
 $0.50
 $34,091.40
DED
2/11/15
10

Pick 4
 $1.00
 $21,480.90
GP
2/15/15
11

Pick 4
 $2.00
 $38,778.60
TAM
2/13/15
10

Pick 5
 $0.20
 $4,564.58
PM
2/9/15
9

Pick 5
 $0.50
 $88,572.80
GP
2/15/15
11

Pick 5
 $1.00
 $939.90
HOU
2/9/15
10

Pick 5
 $2.00
 $3,852.00
AQU
2/14/15
5

Pick 5 Jackpot
 $0.20
 $471.60
LRL
2/14/15
9

Pick 5 Jackpot
 $0.50
 $17,508.55
FG
2/15/15
9

Pick 6
 $1.00
 $15,142.90
TUP
2/11/15
8

Pick 6
 $2.00
 $118,674.40
SA
2/15/15
9

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $0.20
 $133,874.46
GP
2/12/15
10

Super High Five
 $0.50
 $2,425.15
FG
2/13/15
9

Super High Five
 $1.00
 $8,060.10
SUN
2/9/15
10

Super High Five
 $2.00
 $47,907.60
HOU
2/9/15
10

Meanwhile, someone was able to buy 14-karat gold roses for Valentine’s Day thanks to connecting on the superfecta in the ninth race at Fair Grounds on Feb. 13 and taking home $53,463.72 for a dime wager.
That 4-12-6-1 combination started off innocently enough with Purest Pleasure winning the race at 9-2 odds. After that, there was a parade of longshots at 27-1, 50-1 and 76-1 odds to complete a return on investment that would make Donald Trump envious.
The trifecta on that race also generated an impressive stack of cash, checking in at $12,387.60.
This week’s “How did you come up with that one?” award-winner also earned two other pieces of hardware, the “Head for the exits happy” and “Yeah, you had Toast of New York in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, but today …” trophies.
The race in question was the 11th and final race of the day on Feb. 15 at Gulfstream Park. Moonshine Sipper crossed the finish line first at 3-1 odds. But he was disqualified to third for lugging out, which elevated Space Cowboys into the win spot. That was 66-1 shot Space Cowboys.
The gelding, who was an innocent bystander when Moonshine Sipper bumped third-place finisher Time Out of Mind, not only produced the week’s biggest win payoff ($134.40), he also triggered a Pick 5 payoff of $88,572.80 for a 50-cent wager that melted away any thoughts of frigid winter for the lucky winner.
The Pick 4 payoff amounted to the price tag on a new car, totaling $21,480.90.
Apparently Space Cowboys was also a rather special selection.

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© 2014 Equibase Company LLC, all rights reserved. Data provided or compiled by Equibase Company LLC generally is accurate, but occasionally errors and omissions occur as a result of incorrect data received by others, mistakes in processing and other causes. Equibase Company LLC disclaims responsibility for the consequences, if any, of such errors, but would appreciate their being called to their attention.  

Commonly Used Gambling Terms

Account wagering – Betting by internet or phone, in which a bettor must open an account and deposit money with which to bet.
Across the board – A bet on a horse to win, place and show. If the horse wins, the player collects three ways; if second, two ways; and if third, one way, losing the win and place bets. Actually, three bets.
Bounce – An especially poor performance on the heels of an especially good one.
Box – A betting term denoting a combination bet whereby all possible numeric combinations are covered for certain horses.
Bridge jumper – A person who wagers large amounts of money, usually on short- priced horses to show, hoping to realize a small but almost certain profit. The term comes from the structure those bettors may seek if they lose the bet.
Chalk – Betting favorite in a race.
Chalk player – Gambler who wagers on favorites.
Daily Double (or Double) – Type of bet calling for the selection of winners of two consecutive races.
Exacta – A wager in which the first two finishers in a race, in exact order of finish, must be picked.
Exacta box – A wager in which all possible combinations using a given number of horses are selected.
Exotic (bet) – Any bet other than win, place, or show that requires multiple combinations. Examples of exotic wagers are trifecta, Pick 6, Pick 4.
Handle – Amount of money wagered in the pari-mutuel system on a race, full day of races, or entire racing season at a track.
In the money – A horse that finishes first, second or third.
Key horse – A single horse used in multiple combinations in an exotic bet.
Morning line – The starting odds set by the track handicapper.
On the board – Finishing among the first three.
On the nose – Betting a horse to win only.
Overlay – A horse whose odds are greater than its potential to win.
Pari-mutuel – System of wagering where all the money is returned to the bettors after deduction of track and state percentages.
Parlay – A multi-race bet in which all winnings are subsequently wagered on a succeeding race.
Part wheel – Using a key horse or horses in different, but not all possible, exotic wagering combinations.
Pick (6 or other number) – A type of multi-race bet in which the winners of all the included races must be selected. Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, Pick 6 are commonly used by tracks in the United States.
Place bet – A bet on a horse to finish first or second.
Quinella - Bet in which the first two finishers must be picked in either order.
Show bet – A bet on a horse to finish in the money; third or better.
Speed Figure – A metric that rates a horse’s performance in a race, which is determined by a combination of the horse’s performance and the level of competition he/she competed against.
Trifecta – A bet in which the first three finishers must be selected in exact order.
Trifecta box – A trifecta wager in which all possible combinations using a given number of horses are bet upon.
Underlay – Horse whose odds are more promising than his potential to win.
Win – A bet on a horse to finish first.
Wheel – Betting all possible combinations in an exotic wager using at least one horse as the key.