Breaking the Bank: Shock and Surprise 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)
For all the disappointment generated by American Pharoah’s loss in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, there were at least two people who didn’t mind that afternoon’s spree of upsets at the venue so renowned for shocking outcomes that it’s called the “Graveyard of Champions.”
Thanks to a carryover of $557,887 from the Travers day program, the two holders of winning tickets on the Aug. 30 Pick 6 at Saratoga took the bank and smashed it into nearly a million pieces.
The reward for correctly navigating through those choppy Pick 6 waters was a life-altering $831,237 for a $2 ticket.
Suffice it to say, the payoff was appropriate for a difficult sequence to handicap that featured just one victorious favorite.
It started on a surprising note when trainer George Weaver sent out overlooked first-time starter Play Unified to take the sixth race as a $43.60 winner for a $2 ticket.
Another first-time starter followed, though this one Eidmilaad from trainer Chad Brown’s barn, paid just $7.20 as the second choice in the seventh race.
Confusion returned in Race 8 when Waco ($20.80) upset one-time Triple Crown hopeful Ocean Knight, but the next two races saw second choice Flashlight ($7.30) and favored Feathered ($4.30) cross the finish line first.
The handicapper for the 14-carat gold payoff was provided by Daisy Cutter, who registered a neck victory and paid $20.20 in the nightcap for trainer Linda Rice.
All told, the three payoffs of $20 or more and a gargantuan carryover were the recipe for riches beyond belief to close out Travers weekend.
Click here for Equibase charts for Aug. 30 at Saratoga Race Course
“The Graveyard” was also open for business earlier in the week when the Pick 5 on Aug. 26 at the Spa (Races 1-5) produced a six-figure payoff that sparkled like diamonds.
Like the huge Pick 6, this sequence also started on an improbable note with Parx shipper Unrepented taking the opening race and paying $34.60. Only this time, the head scratching continued in the second race when Outsider Art took his career debut for trainer Jonathan Sheppard and paid $50.
The daily double linking those two longshots amounted to $606, a sure sign of the riches to come after the next three races.
None of those winners paid more than $11.20, but after the first two winners the fuse was lit and the fireworks rocketed into the sky after wins by Steve’s Image ($11.20), Who’s Z Daddy ($4.10) and Dowse’s Beach ($9.40).
Click here for Equibase charts for Aug. 26 at Saratoga Race Course
Not to be outdone, the Travers day card had its own phenomenal payoff when the 13th and final race of the day saw horses priced at 9.70-to-1, 5.90-to-1, 67-to-1 and 18.30-to-1 combined to trigger a superfecta that paid off a stack of cash that added up to $49,581 for $2 or $2,479.05 for the 10-cent minimum.
The week’s “how did you come up with that one?” was presented at Mountaineer Park on Aug. 30 in the second race when a reminder was offered that horses making their first start on turf should not be ignored.
Seven Day Jaye had debuted at Mountaineer on Aug. 15 when he finished eighth at 52.40-to-1 odds in a race scheduled for the turf that washed out and moved to a wet main track.
The turf was firm for Seven Day Jaye’s second career start, and he closed with a furious rush in the final furlong to win by a little more than a length in his grass debut and pay an astonishing $197.80.
Guess a turf course can be a “Graveyard,” too.

Top Payouts for the Week Ended Aug. 30

Wager
 Wager Amount 
 Payoff 
Track
Date
Race#

Win
 $2.00
 $197.80
MNR
8/30/15
2

Place
 $2.00
 $46.60
FE
8/25/15
8

Show
 $2.00
 $25.20
PRX
8/29/15
11

Exacta
 $1.00
 $408.20
EVD
8/27/15
4

Exacta
 $2.00
 $1,127.20
GP
8/29/15
7

Quinella
 $1.00
 $40.05
GPR
8/28/15
4

Quinella
 $2.00
 $222.10
MD
8/29/15
6

Trifecta
 $0.50
 $2,799.65
EVD
8/27/15
4

Trifecta
 $1.00
 $10,959.90
GP
8/29/15
7

Trifecta
 $2.00
 $11,329.20
PID
8/30/15
6

Superfecta
 $0.10
 $10,439.00
DMR
8/29/15
7

Superfecta
 $0.50
 $9,098.00
MNR
8/30/15
2

Superfecta
 $1.00
 $12,937.30
DEL
8/29/15
2

Superfecta
 $2.00
 $49,581.00
SAR
8/29/15
13

Daily Double
 $1.00
 $320.40
FP
8/25/15
3

Daily Double
 $2.00
 $4,480.00
SDY
8/30/15
7

Pick 3
 $0.50
 $1,164.20
PEN
8/26/15
7

Pick 3
 $1.00
 $16,988.20
RP
8/26/15
9

Pick 3
 $2.00
 $10,880.00
ELP
8/28/15
5

Pick 4
 $0.50
 $10,218.25
MNR
8/26/15
9

Pick 4
 $1.00
 $33,741.50
RP
8/26/15
9

Pick 4
 $2.00
 $12,606.00
SAR
8/27/15
10

Pick 5
 $0.20
 $2,904.80
WO
8/29/15
6

Pick 5
 $0.50
 $25,659.20
GP
8/30/15
10

Pick 5
 $1.00
 $8,160.20
DEL
8/24/15
7

Pick 5
 $2.00
 $137,351.00
SAR
8/26/15
5

Pick 5 Jackpot
 $0.50
 $10,553.95
LAD
8/26/15
7

Pick 6
 $0.20
 $1,065.70
FER
8/30/15
11

Pick 6
 $1.00
 $310.90
PID
8/24/15
7

Pick 6
 $2.00
 $831,237.00
SAR
8/30/15
11

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $0.20
 $41,314.90
GP
8/29/15
12

Super High Five
 $0.20
 $540.20
FER
8/30/15
11

Super High Five
 $0.50
 $3,275.90
MNR
8/24/15
9

Super High Five
 $1.00
 $33,745.30
DMR
8/30/15
10

Super High Five
 $2.00
 $1,820.80
MNR
8/29/15
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.