Breaking the Bank: Big Summer Bankroll

Breaking the Bank - featuring data courtesy of Equibase - highlights the biggest scores of the past week in racing. (Photo by Penelope P. Miller)
Del Mar opened last week.
Saratoga opens on Friday.
And on July 16, one highly astute handicapper pocketed an enormous bankroll to dive into the year’s most dazzling summer meets.
The springboard to summer fun at Del Mar, Saratoga or any track came courtesy of Gulfstream Park, where a good chunk of a six-figure payoff figures to be re-invested by the one patron who had the single winning 20-cent ticket on the Florida track’s Rainbow Pick 6 Jackpot that returned $164,483.20 and broke open the bank on July 16.
A seven-day carryover helped pump up the payoff on a winning combination that was not as tricky as all those zeroes on the tote board might indicate. Only two of the six winning horses paid more than $8.60, and they came in the final two races.
Goodboycharlie took the penultimate eighth race at a $22 mutuel. Then in the ninth and final race of the day, there were seven horses with just one winning ticket on them – the key to unlocking the Jackpot payoff.
Of the seven hopefuls with those single tickets, the prayers were answered for the one that used Blessedwithprayers, the 5-1 second choice in the race. Dropping back into a maiden claimer after a dull try in a stakes, Blessedwithprayers prevailed by a neck over the favored Starship Frontier and no doubt produced a loud “hallelujah!” from someone.
In New York, as expensive as a hotel room may be in Saratoga Springs, those handicappers who hit the Pick 6 at Belmont Park on July 18 need not worry about accommodations if they intend to spend some time at the upstate town’s historic racetrack. Fueled by a three-day carryover of $208,914, the reward for correctly picking the winners of the last six races of the day was $237,311 - more enough to pay for a penthouse suite for the entire 40-day meet at the Spa.
The winning combination was far more challenging than the Jackpot at Gulfstream as it featured only one winning favorite. The other five paid $10 or more, with the largest payoff coming in the final race when Hatta’s Appeal, who was fifth when favored in a race washed off the turf course and moved to the main track,  returned to grass racing and posted  a three-length victory at 8-1 odds, paying $19.20.
Belmont also handed out a nifty payoff on July 15 when the Pick 5 returned $35,671 for $2.
An odds-on winner – Wild Street Girl, $3.40 – kicked off the five-race sequence that received a major boost when Elementsofharmony triumphed in her career debut for trainer Rudy Rodriguez and paid $47.20. The winning ticket was rounded out with horses that paid $12, $16 and $10.40.
Woodbine also offered a bonanza to longshot players on July 19 when Splendid Glory, who returned to Woodbine off a disappointing try at Fort Erie, scratched in from the also-eligible list and paid $54.30 to win in the seventh race. Dancing on Fire, the 5-2 favorite, was second, but when horses priced at 56-1 and 24-1 followed him under the wire, the fuse was lit for an explosive $42,650.85 superfecta.
The “How did you come up with that one?” award was presented in the second race at Charles Town on July 15. Race On Birdcee had finished sixth twice and fourth twice in four starts since a 17-month layoff, but the 8-year-old mare took flight at 52-1 odds and landed in the winner’s circle, paying a week’s best $106.20 for trainer Timothy Wright.
For anyone seeking a huge payoff last week, Wright’s horse was definitely the right horse.
Top Payouts for the Week Ended July 19

Wager
 Wager Amount 
 Payoff 
Track
Date
Race#

Win
 $2.00
 $106.20
CT
7/15/15
2

Place
 $2.00
 $82.20
PID
7/16/15
7

Show
 $2.00
 $73.40
NP
7/17/15
3

Exacta
 $1.00
 $244.80
HP
7/18/15
5

Exacta
 $2.00
 $1,379.20
ELP
7/19/15
5

Quinella
 $2.00
 $283.20
PRM
7/17/15
1

Trifecta
 $0.50
 $827.85
IND
7/15/15
4

Trifecta
 $1.00
 $15,796.30
LS
7/19/15
11

Trifecta
 $2.00
 $9,090.20
LS
7/16/15
9

Superfecta
 $0.10
 $9,739.08
LS
7/16/15
9

Superfecta
 $0.50
 $20,367.45
LRL
7/18/15
5

Superfecta
 $1.00
 $42,650.85
WO
7/19/15
7

Superfecta
 $2.00
 $167,088.40
ELP
7/19/15
5

Daily Double
 $1.00
 $357.90
CBY
7/18/15
7

Daily Double
 $2.00
 $1,371.20
TDN
7/17/15
8

Pick 3
 $0.50
 $828.95
BTP
7/18/15
8

Pick 3
 $1.00
 $5,193.60
WO
7/19/15
7

Pick 3
 $2.00
 $20,829.80
ELP
7/19/15
6

Pick 4
 $0.50
 $10,893.80
MNR
7/15/15
5

Pick 4
 $1.00
 $16,499.70
WO
7/19/15
7

Pick 4
 $2.00
 $34,791.00
BEL
7/15/15
9

Pick 5
 $0.20
 $14,410.10
WO
7/17/15
6

Pick 5
 $0.50
 $29,076.45
DMR
7/16/15
5

Pick 5
 $1.00
 $14,106.30
DEL
7/13/15
7

Pick 5
 $2.00
 $35,671.00
BEL
7/15/15
5

Pick 5 Jackpot
 $0.50
 $911.05
LAD
7/16/15
7

Pick 6
 $0.10
 $170.47
LRL
7/18/15
8

Pick 6
 $0.20
 $26,680.32
SAC
7/18/15
9

Pick 6
 $1.00
 $49,887.00
AP
7/18/15
8

Pick 6
 $2.00
 $237,311.00
BEL
7/18/15
10

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $0.20
 $164,483.32
GP
7/16/15
9

Super High Five
 $0.10
 $800.52
LS
7/17/15
9

Super High Five
 $0.50
 $10,342.00
DMR
7/16/15
10

Super High Five
 $1.00
 $14,367.80
SAC
7/16/15
9

Super High Five
 $2.00
 $1,830.40
MNR
7/13/15
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.