Breaking the Bank: Assist from an ‘Angel’

Breaking the Bank - featuring data courtesy of Equibase - highlights the biggest scores of the past week in racing. (Arlington Park photo by Penelope P. Miller/America's Best Racing)

And to think they call Saratoga Race Course the “Graveyard of Favorites.”
Del Mar was place to be last week if your game is chasing longshots in the pursuit of a payoff that could break the bank.
The Pick 6 at Del Mar on Aug. 16 returned more than a quarter of a million dollars for a $2 bet as the holders of a winning ticket collected a financial windfall that totaled $257,589.40.
The sequence got off to a chalky start when the favored What a View ($6.40) took the fifth race, third choice Kristinite ($8) captured the sixth race, and 7-5 favorite Perfectly Majestic ($4.80) won the seventh.
The $56.40 Pick 3 for those three horses did not bode for a hefty Pick 6 payoff, but then first-time starter My Dynamo changed all of that.
The Jeff Bonde-trained 2-year-old filly was listed at 8-to-1 odds on the morning line, but drifted up to 33-to-1 when she closed strongly and prevailed by a half-length over 3-to-2 co-favorite C. C. Zipp.
The $68 payout on My Dynamo knocked a ton of Pick 6 tickets out of commission, and the payoff reached epic proportion when favorites went down to defeat in the final two races as Chati’s On Top ($13.80) and Sir Barclay ($10.40) triumphed.
Aside from triggering the six-figure Pick 6, the final race on the Aug. 16 card also produced a Super High Five payout of $79,653.30 for handicappers sharp enough to top their tickets with Sir Barclay followed by 40.50-to-1 longshot May Weather and then a pair of 7-to-1 shots and the 2.60-to-1 favorite No Contingency.
Click here for Equibase charts from Aug. 16 at Del Mar
A day earlier, the Aug. 15 card at Del Mar was highlighted by a superfecta in the ninth race that paid $48,918.70 for each winning $1 ticket (or $4,891.87 for the 10-cent minumum).
Distinctive B, the 3.60-to-1 favorite, figured in the sequence, but he occupied merely the fourth spot on winning superfecta tickets as longshots held a private party at the finish line.
Melatonin won the race at 30.80-to-1 odds, paying $63.60 in his first start since Feb. 6, 2014, for trainer David Hofmans. The next two finishers were only slightly less puzzling as 15.80-to-1 shot Papa Turf and 20-to-1 shot Rockinatten followed him across the finish line.
As rewarding as the $5,330.70 trifecta was, the addition of Distinctive B into the mix turned the superfecta into a grand payday for successful handicappers.
Woodbine offered a rich payoff of its own on Aug. 15 with a $68,336.80 Pick 4 for a $1 bet.
The sequence started with back-to-back longshots with 26.55-to-1 Clever On Tap winning the opening leg followed by 26.75-to-1 bomb Tuscan Getaway. The Pick 4 closed 10.45-to-1 and 8.60-to-1 shots in the final two races.
The week’s “how did you come up with that one?” award was presented with the help of an “Angel.”
Though never closer to the winner than 9 ½ lengths in her first 10 starts, Angel Fly Easy soared into the winner’s circle at Indian Grand Race Course at 69.90-to-1 odds in the second race on Aug. 15 and paid a week’s best $141.80 for a $2 win ticket.
It certainly wasn’t easy to do, but if you backed that “Angel” there was definitely a heavenly reward.
Top Payouts for the Week Ended Aug. 16

Wager
 Wager Amount 
 Payoff 
Track
Date
Race#

Win
 $2.00
 $141.80
IND
8/15/15
2

Place
 $2.00
 $49.60
IND
8/15/15
2

Show
 $2.00
 $47.20
CT
8/14/15
3

Exacta
 $1.00
 $468.60
DMR
8/15/15
9

Exacta
 $2.00
 $1,838.80
RP
8/15/15
7

Quinella
 $1.00
 $56.70
GPR
8/14/15
4

Quinella
 $2.00
 $355.80
DMR
8/15/15
9

Trifecta
 $0.50
 $13,230.85
RP
8/15/15
7

Trifecta
 $1.00
 $13,018.80
CBY
8/15/15
4

Trifecta
 $2.00
 $16,005.60
CT
8/15/15
5

Superfecta
 $0.10
 $8,874.89
CT
8/15/15
5

Superfecta
 $0.50
 $5,006.70
MNR
8/12/15
5

Superfecta
 $1.00
 $48,918.70
DMR
8/15/15
9

Superfecta
 $2.00
 $26,150.60
PID
8/12/15
1

Daily Double
 $1.00
 $251.60
FP
8/15/15
4

Daily Double
 $2.00
 $943.80
IND
8/15/15
3

Pick 3
 $0.50
 $1,360.60
LAD
8/12/15
6

Pick 3
 $1.00
 $7,392.90
DMR
8/15/15
9

Pick 3
 $2.00
 $2,352.20
MNR
8/15/15
5

Pick 4
 $0.50
 $43,784.55
DMR
8/15/15
10

Pick 4
 $1.00
 $68,336.80
WO
8/15/15
7

Pick 4
 $2.00
 $7,609.00
SAR
8/15/15
11

Pick 5
 $0.20
 $37,918.50
WO
8/15/15
6

Pick 5
 $0.50
 $28,929.35
MTH
8/15/15
12

Pick 5
 $1.00
 $8,703.70
DEL
8/15/15
7

Pick 5
 $2.00
 $15,043.80
MNR
8/10/15
9

Pick 5 Jackpot
 $0.50
 $403.20
LAD
8/12/15
7

Pick 6
 $0.10
 $439.03
LRL
8/14/15
8

Pick 6
 $1.00
 $8,779.60
AP
8/16/15
8

Pick 6
 $2.00
 $257,589.40
DMR
8/16/15
10

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $0.20
 $23,433.10
GP
8/14/15
10

Super High Five
 $0.50
 $4,985.85
LRL
8/16/15
8

Super High Five
 $1.00
 $79,653.30
DMR
8/16/15
10

Super High Five
 $2.00
 $3,191.40
MNR
8/10/15
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.