Breaking the Bank: Fine Wine and Aces

Breaking the Bank - featuring data courtesy of Equibase - highlights the biggest scores of the past week in racing. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
Sometimes a huge longshot does not have to win a race to set off a wild celebration.
Take Chardonnay Sherry, who had handicappers popping open bottles of champagne if they cashed on any of exotic wagers on the eighth race at Santa Anita Park on June 25.
The 4-year-old filly did not win that race, but she surely played a big role in helping some folks break open the bank.
Sent off at 65.80-to-1 odds after she lost her previous two races by a combined margin of 84 ½ lengths, Chardonnay Sherry showed her customary speed, but this time did not fizzle out like flat soda. She held on for second to another longshot, trainer Barry Abrams’ first-time starter Miss Gifted, who was sent off at 18.50-to-1.
Together they combined for a $640.20 exacta based on a $1 wager, but that was just the appetizer.
The main courses were served up by a $10,503 trifecta for $1 with Yaffe, who was third at 11.70-to-1 odds, and a blockbuster $59,736.60 superfecta for $1 that was rounded out by the 6-5 favorite Oui Bear.
No one had a winning Super High 5 ticket, yet for those fortunate superfecta players who cashed on the race, Chardonnay Sherry was the perfect match for jars of caviar.
Santa Anita was apparently a popular haven for longshot players last week as the Gold Cup at Santa Anita card on June 27 ended with a $184,699.20 Pick 6 payoff for $2.
Gold Cup winner Hard Aces ($17.80) was the penultimate winner in the sequence that was capped by Contemplate ($40.60), who captured the last race at 19.30-to-1 odds after being bet down to about 2-to-1 odds in the first two starts of his career.
The Pick 6, which featured two victorious favorites, also included winners at prices of $10.20, $4.20, $21.80 and $6.80.
Click here for Equibase charts for June 27 at Santa Anita
Not to be left out, Gulfstream Park joined in with a pot of gold of its own in the form of a reported return of $55,632.20 for a $1 bet on the Pick 4 on June 24. With less than that in the pool, we can do some simple math and figure out the winning ticket was a $27,816.30 payout for the 50-cent minimum bet.
The payoff was still quite generous as the only tough nut to crack was Bluegrass Derby, who paid $36. None of the other winners returned more than $13.60 as the other two win mutuels were $6.20 and $11.20.
Click here for Equibase charts for June 24 at Gulfstream Park
Speaking of longshots, this week’s “how did you come up with that one?” award proved that you can’t lose ’em all.
Brahman had lost all three of his 2015 starts, and the 7-year-old gelding was 0-for-11 in 2014. His jockey, Luis Romero Rivera, was 0-for-30 in 2015 and his trainer, Angela Traitz, was 0-for-5 this year.
Yet in the fifth race at Monmouth Park on June 27, all of those zeros disappeared as Brahman was sent off at 64.20-to-1 odds and posted a two-length victory, paying  a whopping $130.40 for a $2 win ticket.
Topped by Brahman, the race also produced a $1,973.40 exacta for $2, a $4,965.20 trifecta for $1 and a $5,886 10-cent superfecta, which explains why those handicappers at the Jersey Shore who were willing to forgive some O-fers were happily saying “oh, my” after the race.
Top Payouts for the Week Ended June 28

Wager
 Wager Amount 
 Payoff 
Track
Date
Race#

Win
 $2.00
 $130.40
MTH
6/27/15
5

Place
 $2.00
 $68.40
SA
6/25/15
8

Show
 $2.00
 $26.60
DEL
6/22/15
3

Exacta
 $1.00
 $905.30
CBY
6/26/15
7

Exacta
 $2.00
 $1,973.40
MTH
6/27/15
5

Quinella
 $2.00
 $339.30
MD
6/27/15
5

Trifecta
 $0.50
 $3,316.65
LAD
6/27/15
7

Trifecta
 $1.00
 $10,503.00
SA
6/25/15
8

Trifecta
 $2.00
 $15,327.00
MNR
6/24/15
9

Superfecta
 $0.10
 $5,886.00
MTH
6/27/15
5

Superfecta
 $1.00
 $59,736.60
SA
6/25/15
8

Superfecta
 $2.00
 $24,659.00
BEL
6/24/15
9

Daily Double
 $1.00
 $162.80
EVD
6/24/15
7

Daily Double
 $2.00
 $1,153.60
GP
6/27/15
4

Pick 3
 $0.50
 $3,208.45
IND
6/23/15
6

Pick 3
 $1.00
 $3,241.70
MTH
6/27/15
7

Pick 3
 $2.00
 $4,113.20
CT
6/24/15
6

Pick 4
 $0.50
 $8,105.00
IND
6/23/15
8

Pick 4
 $1.00
 $55,632.60
GP
6/24/15
8

Pick 4
 $2.00
 $6,624.00
ASD
6/27/15
6

Pick 5
 $0.20
 $10,599.55
WO
6/24/15
6

Pick 5
 $0.50
 $30,188.60
GP
6/28/15
10

Pick 5
 $1.00
 $7,969.20
OTP
6/25/15
8

Pick 5
 $2.00
 $13,859.00
BEL
6/24/15
5

Pick 5 Jackpot
 $0.50
 $3,472.35
LAD
6/26/15
7

Pick 6
 $0.20
 $37,752.10
OTP
6/26/15
10

Pick 6
 $1.00
 $26,639.70
AP
6/28/15
8

Pick 6
 $2.00
 $184,699.20
SA
6/27/15
10

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $0.20
 $30,929.94
GP
6/28/15
10

Super High Five
 $0.10
 $66.45
LS
6/28/15
9

Super High Five
 $0.50
 $4,352.40
MNR
6/24/15
9

Super High Five
 $1.00
 $14,631.40
SA
6/28/15
10

Super High Five
 $2.00
 $260,438.00
OTP
6/25/15
8

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.