Breaking the Bank: The Longshot Convention

Breaking the Bank - featuring data courtesy of Equibase - highlights the biggest scores of the past week in racing. (Gulfstream Park photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
Last week was relatively quiet in terms of blockbuster payoffs – if you consider turning 20 cents into more than $30,000 a reason to stay mum.
Though the Rainbow Pick 6 Jackpot eluded handicappers on March 29 at Gulfstream Park, several wise handicappers managed to connect on all six winners and break the bank with a $31,397.60 windfall of cash.
The sequence was capped by Gold Piece’s victory in the 12th race as the 1.70-to-1 favorite, spoiling the chances of a single winning ticket, which would have triggered the Rainbo 6 jackpot, yet rewarding handicappers rather substantially for tabbing six straight winners.
Gold Piece was also the only winning favorite among the half-dozen races, explaining the hefty payout. Phineus ($49.40), who had not finished better than fourth in his previous nine races, was the most improbable selection of the bunch, which also featured $18.80 and $16.80 mutuels.
Click here for March 29 Equibase charts from Gulfstream Park
That same day at Santa Anita, the $1 Super High Five returned $37,740.60, even though the order of finish was topped by a 1-2 finish by 6-to-5 favorite Young and Hungry ($4.20) and 5.20-to-1 second choice Perfectly Majestic. The $20.80 exacta grew into a $214.20 triple when 13.90-to-1 shot Ultra Shot finished third and then the exotics reached gargantuan levels when 30.50-to-1 first-time starter Over Par finished fourth and 36.20-to-1 longshot Bold Bid took fifth.
Aqueduct handed out stacks of Benjamins on March 28 – and reeled in the “head for the exits happy” award - in the form of a $55,690 payoff for a $2 superfecta ($2,784.50 for the 10-cent minimum) in the ninth and final race. Acigarisjustacigar topped the ritzy ticket at 10.10-to-1 odds, and was followed under the wire by 16.40-to-1, 12.80-to-1 and 3.80-to-1 shots as the 2.70-to-1 favorite struggled home 10th.
Laurel Park apparently held a longshots convention on March 28 as the sixth through eighth races produced winners that paid $88.80, $81.60 and $51. Aside from a $2,711.65 payoff for a 50-cent wager for the Pick 3 on those races, there were $2 doubles of $2,421.80 for the sixth and seventh races and $4,028.80 for the seventh and eighth races.
In the sixth race, won by first-time starter How My Heart Works at 43.40-to-1, the disqualification of 4-to-5 favorite Sweet Maya from second to fifth elevated 29.10-to-1 shot Prayer Cloth to the runner-up spot and paved the way for a $511.40 exacta and $2,515.20 trifecta, both for $2, and a 10-cent superfecta return of $3,017.35.
The week’s “how did you come up with that one?” award went to the Nostradamus-like handicappers who backed Catoccet in the third race at Charles Town Races on March 25.
Never better than sixth in six previous starts, the 4-year-old filly returned like a new horse from a three-month layoff to notch a 1 1/2-length victory and reward her backers with a $151.80 return for a $2 win ticket.
Even during a “quiet” week, the handicapping prowess wrapped into betting on that 74.90-to-1 longshot was worthy of a pretty loud sound, namely “ka-ching.”
Top Payouts for the Week Ended March 29

Wager
 Wager Amount 
 Payoff 
Track
Date
Race#

Win
 $2.00
 $151.80
CT
3/25/15
3

Place
 $2.00
 $61.40
CT
3/25/15
3

Show
 $2.00
 $29.80
MNR
3/24/15
1

Exacta
 $1.00
 $296.60
SUN
3/27/15
8

Exacta
 $2.00
 $1,161.80
GP
3/28/15
2

Quinella
 $1.00
 $44.10
TUP
3/28/15
7

Quinella
 $2.00
 $135.80
WRD
3/23/15
4

Trifecta
 $0.50
 $639.75
MVR
3/25/15
6

Trifecta
 $1.00
 $5,709.50
SUN
3/27/15
8

Trifecta
 $2.00
 $11,259.60
FG
3/29/15
9

Superfecta
 $0.10
 $17,183.47
TP
3/29/15
3

Superfecta
 $1.00
 $30,173.50
LRL
3/28/15
6

Superfecta
 $2.00
 $55,690.00
AQU
3/28/15
9

Daily Double
 $1.00
 $253.60
LA
3/28/15
2

Daily Double
 $2.00
 $4,028.80
LRL
3/28/15
8

Pick 3
 $0.50
 $2,711.65
LRL
3/28/15
8

Pick 3
 $1.00
 $5,471.50
LRL
3/28/15
9

Pick 3
 $2.00
 $3,916.00
AQU
3/28/15
8

Pick 4
 $0.50
 $12,458.15
FG
3/28/15
14

Pick 4
 $1.00
 $7,476.00
GG
3/28/15
5

Pick 4
 $2.00
 $32,635.00
AQU
3/28/15
9

Pick 5
 $0.50
 $11,252.60
GP
3/29/15
12

Pick 5
 $2.00
 $10,501.40
MNR
3/25/15
9

Pick 5 Jackpot
 $0.20
 $1,037.02
LRL
3/29/15
8

Pick 5 Jackpot
 $0.50
 $9,871.10
FG
3/29/15
11

Pick 6
 $1.00
 $5,883.80
TUP
3/29/15
8

Pick 6
 $2.00
 $63,791.20
HAW
3/28/15
9

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $0.20
 $31,397.60
GP
3/29/15
12

Super High Five
 $0.50
 $19,728.50
FG
3/29/15
11

Super High Five
 $1.00
 $37,740.60
SA
3/29/15
9

Super High Five
 $2.00
 $1,063.60
MNR
3/23/15
9

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.