Breaking the Bank: Triple Crown Riches
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Breaking the Bank - featuring data courtesy of Equibase - highlights the biggest scores of the past week in racing. (Crowd photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
As American Pharoah streaked toward the finish line in the Belmont Stakes, there was a rather obvious reason why 90,000 fans at Belmont Park were shouting loud enough to create a deafening roar.
Aside from witnessing the first Triple Crown sweep in 37 years, a handful of handicappers across the nation had a bunch of additional reasons to celebrate during Saturday’s 11th race at Belmont Park. Actually there were 129,318 of them, each representing a dollar bill that added up to the mammoth payout for the Pick 6 which culminated with American Pharoah’s historic victory in the mile-and-a-half Test of the Champion.
While it was somewhat surprising that a multi-race sequence featuring an odds-on winner like American Pharoah ($3.50 – if you actually cashed your $2 ticket on him) could stretch into six-figure territory, the Pick 6 also started with the day’s only other winning favorite: Coach Inge ($7.90) in the Brooklyn.
In between, the other four winners were challenging but hardly improbable. They included Curalina ($16.40) in the Acorn, Tepin ($11.20) in the Just A Game, Honor Code ($16.20) in the Metropolitan Handicap and Slumber ($30.20) in the Manhattan, all of whom combined to trigger a $129,318 payout that busted the bank off a pool of $1,848,921.
As for the exotic payoffs in the Belmont, they were far less lucrative than the mutuels in the first two legs of the Triple Crown. With a field of just eight, the exacta comprised of American Pharoah and second choice Frosted returned $13.60. The trifecta, with the help of 17-1 shot Keen Ice in the show spot, returned a more substantial $109.50, and the superfecta, capped by 14-1 Mubtaahij, paid $570 for $2.
Of course, those mutuels played a supporting role to the blockbuster return in that race for those handicappers who nailed their own triple crown times two. While there are upwards of 90,000 $2 win tickets on American Pharoah that are still uncashed, rest assured those folks who had him in their winning Pick 6 ticket darted to the casher’s window at a speed that would make the Triple Crown winner himself envious.
That same June 6 afternoon, Santa Anita helped some of its players finance the purchase of some jewels. The Great Race Place’s Pick 5 on the opening five races of the day returned a ritzy $96,568.40 for a 50-cent wager.
The sequence was extremely tricky with only one horse paying less than $16. That winner, a relative layup compared to the other four victors, was Saint Dermott, who returned $6.60 in the opening race. After that came the bombshell that ignited the fireworks at the mutuel windows, first-time starter Quorum of Joy, who paid $52.40. He was followed by winners that paid $16.60 (Look Twice), $19 (Patriots Rule) and $21.80 (Vegas Street) to make June 6, 2015 memorable for something besides a 12th Triple Crown winner for some wise handicappers.
Woodbine joined in Saturday’s festivities with a wealthy payoff of its own as the fifth race superfecta paid $49,046.85 for $1. First-time starter Ides of March topped the ticket, paying $60.60, and then was followed under the wire by horses at odds of 5-1, 19-1, and 25-1.
The “How did you come up with that one?” award was handed out at Charles Town on June 4, when Ace the Limit, who had never finished in the money in 11 career starts, woke up at mind-boggling 103-1 odds and prevailed by a neck in the third race to pay $208.80 for a $2 win ticket.
One can only wonder if someone with that $2 win ticket would trade it for one worth just $3.50 that has the sentimental value of a monumental achievement attached to it.
Top Payouts for the Week Ended June 7
Wager
Wager Amount
Payoff
Track
Date
Race#
Win
$ 2.00
$ 208.80
CT
6/4/2015
3
Place
$ 2.00
$ 47.40
LS
6/7/2015
9
Show
$ 2.00
$ 33.20
PRM
6/7/2015
1
Exacta
$ 1.00
$ 400.00
FMT
6/5/2015
5
Exacta
$ 2.00
$ 1,448.80
LS
6/7/2015
9
Quinella
$ 2.00
$ 169.80
FMT
6/5/2015
5
Trifecta
$ 0.50
$ 1,400.05
IND
6/3/2015
2
Trifecta
$ 1.00
$ 2,725.60
CBY
6/5/2015
5
Trifecta
$ 2.00
$ 16,780.00
LS
6/7/2015
9
Superfecta
$ 0.10
$ 5,151.49
LS
6/7/2015
8
Superfecta
$ 0.50
$ 9,685.95
MNR
6/3/2015
2
Superfecta
$ 1.00
$ 49,046.85
WO
6/6/2015
5
Superfecta
$ 2.00
$ 80,605.20
LS
6/7/2015
4
Daily Double
$ 1.00
$ 2,583.80
EVD
6/6/2015
5
Daily Double
$ 2.00
$ 1,185.60
LS
6/7/2015
9
Pick 3
$ 0.50
$ 2,937.00
MTH
6/5/2015
8
Pick 3
$ 1.00
$ 3,399.90
WO
6/7/2015
9
Pick 3
$ 2.00
$ 5,426.00
BEL
6/5/2015
9
Pick 4
$ 0.10
$ 426.24
LS
6/7/2015
5
Pick 4
$ 0.50
$ 15,640.60
SA
6/6/2015
5
Pick 4
$ 1.00
$ 11,164.70
GG
6/7/2015
9
Pick 4
$ 2.00
$ 17,953.20
PRM
6/4/2015
5
Pick 5
$ 0.20
$ 10,432.60
WO
6/6/2015
6
Pick 5
$ 0.50
$ 96,568.40
SA
6/6/2015
5
Pick 5
$ 1.00
$ 7,130.90
DEL
6/3/2015
7
Pick 5
$ 2.00
$ 11,349.00
BEL
6/6/2015
5
Pick 5 Jackpot
$ 0.50
$ 763.50
LAD
6/6/2015
8
Pick 6
$ 1.00
$ 26,206.65
HST
6/7/2015
8
Pick 6
$ 2.00
$ 129,318.00
BEL
6/6/2015
11
Pick 6 Jackpot
$ 0.10
$ 12,518.28
PIM
6/6/2015
11
Pick 6 Jackpot
$ 0.20
$ 10,134.32
GG
6/7/2015
9
Super High Five
$ 0.10
$ 174.50
LS
6/5/2015
10
Super High Five
$ 0.50
$ 3,137.95
MNR
6/3/2015
9
Super High Five
$ 1.00
$ 10,196.20
CD
6/6/2015
10
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.