Breaking the Bank: Big Strike at Golden Gate

Breaking the Bank - featuring data courtesy of Equibase - highlights the biggest scores of the past week in racing. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
There were no rainbows in Florida last week, but there was a huge beam of golden sunshine that warmed the heart of one gentleman in the San Francisco Bay area – and provided him with a rather substantial nest egg for future happiness.
Thanks to an amazingly astute job of handicapping, one fellow was fortunate enough to assemble the single ticket that took down Golden Gate Fields’ Golden Pick 6 Jackpot for a tax bracket-altering payoff of $363,424.68 for a 20-cent wager on Feb. 20.
His entire bet totaled less than a couple of big boxes of Chicken McNuggets - just $9.60 - as he connected on all six winners with a remarkable ticket that included three horses in the second race, two in the third through fifth races, one in the sixth and two in the seventh and final race of the sequence.
As it turned out, the opening leg wiped out much of the competition when Princess Ofst.jude registered a 29.50-to-1 upset in a small field of just six runners. Those who cashed on the 5-year-old mare clearly were not class handicappers as she jumped up from a fourth-place finish in an open $5,000 maiden claimer – against males – to defeat California-bred ladies at the maiden special weight level.
After that, it was comparatively easy to keep the ticket alive with Awesome Silver ($9.20), Kat Proof ($7), Prince Charmant ($14) and Kimnjet ($9.20).
That brought the chase for the pot of gold down to the final race where the winning ticket had both Global Harbor, the 7-to-2 second choice, and All Indians.
Another handicapper was also alive to All Indians, the 2.30-to-1 favorite, knocking that ticket out of consideration for the jackpot, and another sharp handicapper had the single ticket on Krsto Skye, the 3.70-to-1 third choice.
The race was not for the faint of heart as Krsto Skye forged to the front at the sixteenth pole, but was unable to withstand a final bid by Global Harbor, who surged past him and prevailed by a length to break the bank.
As “Seinfeld” character Kenny Bania might say, “That’s golden, Jerry. Golden.”
The Lone Star State also was also the scene of a gargantuan payoff for pocket change as the Feb. 17 Pick Four at Sam Houston Race Park returned $38,933.40 for the person with the lone 50-cent wager on the winning combination. The sequence was capped by first-time starter Bella Paella’s victory at 25.20-to-1 odds in the final race of the afternoon.
The 3-year-old filly, who was coming off a bullet workout on the track, romped by 7 ¼ lengths and also earned this week’s “head for the exits happy” award for triggering a $256.20 exacta, $1,252.20 trifecta and $5,009 superfecta in the day’s getaway race.
A few Santa Anita handicappers lined their pockets, sleeves, shoes, hat and any place else where they could stuff cash with wads of greenbacks on Feb. 20 when the Pick 6 returned $48,659.
Faith Proof, the 2-to-1 favorite, sealed the deal in the final race but the heavy lifting in terms of inflating the payoff went to Wild in the Saddle ($30.60), who pulled off a 14.30-to-1 stunner in the sixth race.
The “how did you come up with that one?” award for the week’s biggest payoff went to Sheaintnogentlemen who returned $118.60 for a 58.30-to-1 victory in the third race at Delta Downs on Feb. 21.
The winner was turning back from a mile, where she lost by 22 ½ lengths in her last race, to five furlongs, where she lost by 15 lengths in her first start. In between those two starts, she lost by 15 ½ lengths at 6 ½ furlongs.
If you latched on to her off those efforts, there ain’t much more to do than offer a tip of the hat. Ladies and gentlemen, you struck gold.
Top Payouts for the Week Ended Feb. 22

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

Click here for a complete list of racetracks with abbreviations.

© 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.