Breaking the Bank: Sizzling Start at Saratoga

Breaking the Bank - featuring data courtesy of Equibase - highlights the biggest scores of the past week in racing. (Saratoga photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
The delight most racing fans felt over the arrival of another Saratoga Race Course meet was nothing compared with the wild celebrations triggered by a few gargantuan payoffs to kick off the Spa’s 147th season.
Living up to its reputation as the “Graveyard of Favorites,” the first few days of the eagerly awaited meet produced a couple of grand opportunities for some highly proficient handicappers to break, bust and completely obliterate the bank.
The topper came on July 25 when the Pick 5 on the opening five races returned a staggering $471,124.50 for a 50-cent wager to a single, anonymous winner based in New Jersey.
According to ESPN.com, that lone handicapper assembled a $675 ticket, with 1,350 of those 50-cent wagers, which came in quite handy given the difficult nature of the sequence.
A longshot started the day off as Realm took the opener at odds of 11.10-to-1. Order was restored when English Minister won the second race at 3.05-to-1, but the next two races kicked the payoff into the stratosphere.
First-time starter Site Read took the third at 21.10-to-1, a price rendered even more astonishing by his connections. Suffice it to say, collecting 20-to-1 odds on a horse trained by Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott is not an everyday event, even at Saratoga.
Even more tickets fell by the wayside when Hey Bro won the fourth race at 24.75-to-1 odds for trainer Danny Gargan, setting the stage for the grand finale.
Two horses in the fifth race were actually uncovered in the Pick 5 – 3.20-to-1 favorite Show Bound and Condominium, an 11.70-to-1 first-time starter trained by Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas – which raised the possibility of the first Pick 5 carryover since the New York Racing Association introduced the bet in 2013.
But at the finish line it was 6-to-1 fifth betting choice Saratoga Mischief, a first-time starter for trainer Todd Pletcher, that created some Saratoga euphoria on the part of that lone Garden State handicapper.
Click here for Equibase charts for the July 25 card at Saratoga
A day earlier, the Spa opened its door with a couple payoffs to a fund a king-sized bankroll for the rest of the meet.
The opening day card started the meet on an auspicious note as Kelly Prize’s won the fifth race at 55.25-to-1 odds, triggering a wave of fantastic payoffs. 
The Pick 5 returned $228,138 for $2 – or $57,034 for each 50-cent ticket - and the Pick 4 capped by the fifth race returned $88,793 for $2. Even the Pick 3 checked in at a hefty $13,395, which fell just shy of the $13,426 trifecta in the race.
The superfecta in that race paid off to the tune of $85,679 – or $4,283.95 for the 10-cent minimum - for the horseplayer whose crystal ball told them to match a 55-1 shot with the 3.40-to-1 favorite and 12-to-1 and 14.90-to-1 shots.
On July 26, fueled by two days of carryovers at Saratoga, the Pick 6 pool reached $702,111 and returned $279,309 for each winning ticket.
Cuppa Joe at 10-to-1 completed the sequence, which might have paid even more if not for a disqualification in the featured Coaching Club American Oaks. Due to bumping in the stretch, 2.65-to-1 second choice I’m a Chatterbox was dropped from first to second and 0.95-to-1 favorite Curalina was sent to the winner’s circle.
Curalina turned out to be the lone winning favorite in a puzzling yet highly rewarding sequence that also featured two 3.10-to-1 winners, a 22.70-to-1 winner and a 11.60-to-1 victor to kick off the sequence.
Elsewhere, Presque Isle Downs accounted for its own bank-busting score on July 23 in the first race when The Atlantis Storm recorded a 31.90-to-1 upset and Justsouthofheaven grabbed second at 29.80-to-1 odds to form a $2,304.40 exacta.
As for the “how did you come up with that one?” award, no, it did not go to the aforementioned Kelly’s Prize. Indiana Grand produced an even more improbable winner in the second race on July 21 when Colbyville prevailed by a length at 65.10-to-1 odds.
Colbyville wasn’t the most far-fetched of candidates to win the maiden claiming race as he was fourth and third against lesser company in his last two races and was no higher than 13-1 odds in his last three races.
Nevertheless, Colbyville returned $132.20 for a $2 win ticket, proving that even Saratoga can’t corner the market on longshots.
Top Payouts for the Week Ended July 26

Wager
 Wager Amount 
 Payoff 
Track
Date
Race#

Win
 $2.00
 $132.20
IND
7/21/15
2

Place
 $2.00
 $49.00
PRX
7/26/15
4

Show
 $2.00
 $27.20
DEL
7/25/15
3

Exacta
 $1.00
 $488.50
DMR
7/25/15
5

Exacta
 $2.00
 $2,304.40
PID
7/23/15
1

Quinella
 $2.00
 $326.00
DMR
7/24/15
7

Trifecta
 $0.50
 $1,459.00
IND
7/21/15
2

Trifecta
 $1.00
 $8,355.00
LA
7/24/15
1

Trifecta
 $2.00
 $14,662.40
PID
7/23/15
1

Superfecta
 $0.10
 $3,412.55
TDN
7/22/15
4

Superfecta
 $0.50
 $5,925.90
MNR
7/22/15
2

Superfecta
 $1.00
 $22,501.80
LRL
7/24/15
8

Superfecta
 $2.00
 $85,679.00
SAR
7/24/15
5

Daily Double
 $1.00
 $223.90
DEL
7/20/15
7

Daily Double
 $2.00
 $2,819.40
GP
7/24/15
8

Pick 3
 $0.50
 $1,829.75
IND
7/21/15
4

Pick 3
 $1.00
 $5,184.80
GP
7/24/15
9

Pick 3
 $2.00
 $13,395.00
SAR
7/24/15
5

Pick 4
 $0.50
 $18,066.70
GP
7/24/15
10

Pick 4
 $1.00
 $15,235.30
WO
7/24/15
7

Pick 4
 $2.00
 $88,793.00
SAR
7/24/15
5

Pick 5
 $0.20
 $27,852.45
WO
7/26/15
6

Pick 5
 $0.50
 $471,124.50
SAR
7/25/15
5

Pick 5
 $1.00
 $6,196.60
DEL
7/20/15
7

Pick 5
 $2.00
 $228,138.00
SAR
7/24/15
5

Pick 5 Jackpot
 $0.50
 $32,728.20
LAD
7/23/15
7

Pick 6
 $0.10
 $8,097.94
LRL
7/24/15
8

Pick 6
 $0.20
 $1,110.76
SAC
7/25/15
10

Pick 6
 $1.00
 $1,269.40
AP
7/24/15
8

Pick 6
 $2.00
 $279,309.00
SAR
7/26/15
11

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $0.20
 $14,971.14
GP
7/25/15
11

Super High Five
 $0.50
 $5,920.80
DMR
7/25/15
10

Super High Five
 $1.00
 $12,120.10
GP
7/26/15
11

Super High Five
 $2.00
 $3,902.40
MNR
7/20/15
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.