Breaking the Bank: Derby Day, Triple-Digit Gulfstream Longshot

Breaking the Bank - featuring data courtesy of Equibase - highlights the biggest scores of the past week in racing. (Kentucky Derby day photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
The Kentucky Derby, with its 18-horse field and millions bet into its pools, had the potential to return some gargantuan payoffs for those folks lucky enough to connect on one of the race’s exotic wagers.
Unfortunately, with the superfecta comprised of four of the five favorites in the race, the reward for hitting the first four finishers in order was a relatively modest $634.10 for $1 from a pool of more than $13 million.
The trifecta, with three of the four favorites included in it, returned just $202 for $2.
Yet, as formful as the Derby itself proved to be, the run for the roses allowed some fortunate bettors to break the bank and rake in enough Benjamins so they could help Wes Welker make it “rain.”
The Pick 6 that culminated with the Derby returned a lucrative $64,925.60 for a $2 sequence that concluded with a pair of victorious favorites, Finnegans Wake ($9.40) in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes and American Pharoah ($7.80) in the famed “most exciting two minutes in sports.”
There were also two victorious second-choices among the six winners, making Divisidero ($19.20) and Tepin ($20.20) the matches that lit the fuse to the fireworks.
A day earlier, on Kentucky Oaks day, there was a slightly larger Pick 6 payoff that gave some superb handicappers a bankroll of $65,950.80 to carry into Derby day.
That sequence was capped by Lovely Maria taking the Oaks at $14.60 for a $2 win bet and featured just one winning favorite.
Santa Anita joined in the Derby day festivities with a whopper of a payoff of its own.
The 11th race at “The Great Race Place” on the first Saturday in May produced a Super High Five combination that returned $79,136.40 for a $1 wager.
The first five finishers across the finish line were led by Moussed Up, who was no factor in his career debut but woke up in his second start and returned $38 to win. The third and second choices in the wagering were next under the wire and a 13-1 shot rounded out the ticket in fifth.
The puzzler in the group was Sir Cal, who finished fourth at 46.10-1 odds while making his turf debut after a pair of weak showings on dirt.
Besides those bombshells, this week’s “how did you come up with that one award?” went to Summer Valentine, who generated some sparks in the spring by taking the eighth race at Gulfstream Park on April 30 at huge 104-1 odds. The 3-year-old filly had not finished better than sixth in her five previous 2015 starts until she responded to a slight drop in claiming price and prevailed by a nose to return $210 for every $2 win ticket.
She topped a $5,146.92 superfecta for 10 cents, which is nothing to sneeze at, but would be pocket change if a horse at her odds had won the run for the roses.
Forget the bank, a 100-1 shot in the Derby would have broken Fort Knox.

Top Payouts for the Week Ended May 3

Wager
 Wager Amount 
 Payoff 
Track
Date
Race#

Win
 $2.00
 $210.00
GP
4/30/15
8

Place
 $2.00
 $80.00
PIM
5/2/15
3

Show
 $2.00
 $31.40
GP
4/30/15
8

Exacta
 $1.00
 $278.30
EMD
5/2/15
8

Exacta
 $2.00
 $2,287.20
LAD
5/1/15
1

Quinella
 $1.00
 $39.00
TUP
4/28/15
7

Quinella
 $2.00
 $431.80
WRD
4/27/15
8

Trifecta
 $0.50
 $10,255.10
IND
5/1/15
8

Trifecta
 $1.00
 $4,523.50
TAM
5/3/15
9

Trifecta
 $2.00
 $8,929.60
WRD
4/27/15
8

Superfecta
 $0.10
 $5,146.92
GP
4/30/15
8

Superfecta
 $1.00
 $27,368.80
TAM
5/3/15
9

Superfecta
 $2.00
 $17,666.00
BEL
4/29/15
8

Daily Double
 $1.00
 $494.50
FP
4/28/15
7

Daily Double
 $2.00
 $2,399.80
PIM
5/1/15
6

Pick 3
 $0.10
 $521.63
LS
5/1/15
4

Pick 3
 $0.50
 $2,896.10
PIM
5/1/15
7

Pick 3
 $1.00
 $7,903.30
GP
5/3/15
8

Pick 3
 $2.00
 $1,651.80
TDN
4/29/15
8

Pick 4
 $0.50
 $17,708.85
PIM
4/30/15
9

Pick 4
 $1.00
 $14,281.00
GP
4/30/15
8

Pick 4
 $2.00
 $9,949.80
WRD
4/27/15
10

Pick 5
 $0.20
 $2,601.00
WO
5/3/15
6

Pick 5
 $0.50
 $57,677.30
CD
4/28/15
9

Pick 5
 $1.00
 $5,377.80
MNR
4/29/15
9

Pick 5
 $2.00
 $23,193.00
BEL
5/2/15
5

Pick 5 Jackpot
 $0.50
 $10,548.40
FON
5/2/15
11

Pick 6
 $1.00
 $7,838.50
TUP
4/27/15
7

Pick 6
 $2.00
 $65,950.80
CD
5/1/15
11

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $0.10
 $8,784.90
PIM
4/30/15
9

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $0.20
 $39,320.72
GP
5/2/15
10

Super High Five
 $0.10
 $1,966.72
LS
5/1/15
10

Super High Five
 $0.50
 $8,216.40
EVD
4/30/15
5

Super High Five
 $1.00
 $79,136.40
SA
5/2/15
11

Super High Five
 $2.00
 $1,115.20
MNR
4/29/15
9

Click here for a complete list of racetracks with abbreviations.

© 2015 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.