Breaking the Bank: Lovable Longshots

Breaking the Bank - featuring data courtesy of Equibase - highlights the biggest scores of the past week in racing. (Belmont photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
The Preakness was pretty much billed as a three-horse race. The result partially lived up to expectations with American Pharoah prevailing by seven lengths as an odds-on 9-to-10 favorite.
What happened behind him showed how some longshots, even if they do not win, can turn a highly predictable outcome into a highly lucrative payoff.
Finishing second behind the Derby winner was 28.50-to-1 Tale of Verve, whose odds were exceeded only by 29.90-to-1 shot Bodhisattva, and Divining Rod, who was 12.60-to-1 in the field of eight.
That order of finish led to some healthy payoffs, despite having the odds-on favorite on top. The exacta returned $124.40 and the trifecta $985 for $2.
The $1 superfecta, which was closed out by third-choice Dortmund, returned $1,906.90.
In each case, the exacta, trifecta and superfecta in the Preakness paid more than the corresponding wagers in the Derby despite having a field less than half the size of the Derby.
Keep all that in mind when the Belmont Stakes rolls around again on June 6 and opportunity once again knocks on the door.
Prior to the Preakness, Pimlico handicappers had a chance to fatten their wallets when a parade of longshots marched to the finish line in the eighth race, a $55,000 allowance race.
The winner at 10.20-to-1, was the Michael Matz-trained Slip By, who was followed past the finish line by Tru Greek at 48.8-to-1, Battlefront at 10.10-to-1, and then at Soup d’Coupe at 15.70-to-1.
Together they broke the bank for a $1 superfecta that returned $50,025.50 – a hefty wad of cash to roll into the Preakness.
Belmont Park on Preakness day was the site of some big balloons in the form of a Pick 5 that returned $156,583, enough to fund the winner’s share of a Grade 1 purse.
The sequence was capped by Raffies Bay, who paid $31.40 in the fifth race. None of the other four winners was favored, either, as they returned $14.40, $8.40, $15.80 and $15.20.
On the next day, Santa Anita helped turn around the lives of some fortunate handicappers through its Pick 6 that paid $151,855.
First-time starter Stringent concluded the spree of winners with a $27.40 payoff in the ninth and final race of the day. The wager started with a $5.40 favorite in the fourth race, and then moved forward with horses that paid $15.40, an odds-on $3.60, $9.80 and $10.80.
That meant four horses in the sequence paid $10.80 or less, proof that handicappers can generate a six-figure payout even if they single a big favorite or two and include a couple of races with only a few modestly priced runners.
This week’s “how did you come up with that one?” Award goes to those folks who dialed up Phone Home Red in the fourth race at Thistledown on May 13.
Phone Home Red was not a hopelessly outclassed runner despite his 2-for-33 record going into the race. Though he was coming off a sixth, 16 ¾ lengths behind, in a $10,000 non-winners of three lifetime at Thistledown, in his previous start he had won a $5,000 non-winners of two lifetime claimer at Mahoning Valley.
In dropping into a $5,000, non-winners of two lifetime claimer, perhaps 20-to-1 or 25-to-1 odds would have seemed fair, but he was sent off at 71.20-to-1 and returned a week’s-best $144.40 for a half-length victory.
Hopefully, those longshot players at Thistledown put their money to good use in the Preakness.
Top Payouts for the Week Ended May 17

Wager
 Wager Amount 
 Payoff 
Track
Date
Race#

Win
 $2.00
 $144.40
TDN
5/13/15
4

Place
 $2.00
 $52.80
PRX
5/12/15
7

Show
 $2.00
 $35.60
CT
5/13/15
8

Exacta
 $1.00
 $643.50
EMD
5/17/15
9

Exacta
 $2.00
 $1,347.20
GP
5/16/15
8

Quinella
 $2.00
 $133.40
WRD
5/16/15
3

Trifecta
 $0.50
 $794.10
LAD
5/16/15
7

Trifecta
 $1.00
 $5,593.90
EMD
5/17/15
9

Trifecta
 $2.00
 $12,995.80
PIM
5/16/15
8

Superfecta
 $0.10
 $9,876.33
EMD
5/17/15
9

Superfecta
 $0.50
 $8,113.15
MNR
5/12/15
2

Superfecta
 $1.00
 $50,025.50
PIM
5/16/15
8

Superfecta
 $2.00
 $19,652.00
BEL
5/16/15
5

Daily Double
 $1.00
 $368.40
EVD
5/14/15
3

Daily Double
 $2.00
 $1,993.40
LAD
5/15/15
5

Pick 3
 $0.50
 $1,029.05
EVD
5/14/15
4

Pick 3
 $1.00
 $5,354.50
GG
5/14/15
7

Pick 3
 $2.00
 $3,375.20
TDN
5/13/15
7

Pick 4
 $0.50
 $4,758.70
EVD
5/15/15
4

Pick 4
 $1.00
 $19,329.40
CD
5/15/15
6

Pick 4
 $2.00
 $11,898.00
BEL
5/16/15
5

Pick 5
 $0.20
 $948.45
WO
5/15/15
6

Pick 5
 $0.50
 $25,871.70
MNR
5/17/15
9

Pick 5
 $1.00
 $8,575.20
MNR
5/13/15
9

Pick 5
 $2.00
 $156,583.00
BEL
5/16/15
5

Pick 5 Jackpot
 $0.50
 $5,893.85
LAD
5/15/15
7

Pick 6
 $1.00
 $39,908.60
HST
5/16/15
7

Pick 6
 $2.00
 $151,855.00
SA
5/17/15
9

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $0.10
 $2,262.35
PIM
5/15/15
11

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $0.20
 $13,356.16
GG
5/14/15
7

Super High Five
 $0.10
 $451.67
LS
5/15/15
9

Super High Five
 $0.50
 $3,298.30
MNR
5/13/15
9

Super High Five
 $1.00
 $30,329.30
SA
5/17/15
9

Super High Five
 $2.00
 $3,375.60
MNR
5/17/15
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.