Breaking the Bank: Belmont Bombs

Breaking the Bank - featuring data courtesy of Equibase - highlights the biggest scores of the past week in racing. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
If you thought the payoff that broke the bank last week would stem from the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland Race Course, then you’ve already forgotten about American Pharoah.
With the now-retired Triple Crown champion closing out the Pick 6 with his spectacular victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic as a 3-5 favorite ($3.40), the wager returned “only” $94,424.40 for a $2 bet.
That surely was nothing to sneeze at, but didn’t even come close to payout that absolutely shattered the bank and provided the person with a winning ticket on it more than enough cash to book a private jet to Lexington.
The gargantuan payoff took place at Belmont Park where the Pick 5 on Oct. 28 returned $189,816.75 for the person with the single 50-cent winning ticket.
The fireworks started early as the first race went to Mamie Reilly, who was dropping in claiming price for trainer Bruce Brown after an eighth-place finish in her debut and paid an astronomical $146.50 for a $2 win ticket.
With a longshot like that on the board, an incredible payoff was already in play, but the snowball kept rolling as favorites flopped in the next four races.
The second race was won by Corner Three ($7.50), the 5-2 second choice who capped a $497 double.
Next came My Man Al ($9.50), a third choice who closed out a $2,152 Pick 3.
Mo for the Money, a first-time starter from trainer Tony Dutrow, increased the volume to the tune of a $19 victory.
The final act was provided by an 11-1 shot, Mississippi Duel ($24.20), who won by a nose. Showing the importance of Mamie Reilly to the six-figure payoff, the Pick 4 without her paid a “paltry” $10,123 for $2.
Mamie Reilly also generated another of the week’s most profitable returns, topping a $5,600.50 superfecta for a 10-cent ticket.
Click here for Equibase charts for Oct. 28 at Belmont Park
Yet she didn’t walk off with the week’s “How did you come up with that one?” award. That prize was handed out at Churchill Downs on Nov. 1, when the Louisville track began its fall meet.
In the fourth race, Rocketringo came into the maiden affair off a seventh-place finish at 35-1 odds in his debut. Overlooked off that weak effort, Rocketringo was sent off at lofty 78-1 odds. Trainer Michelle Lovell, however, had the 2-year-old on edge for his second start and he shot out of the gate and led from start to finish, paying a week’s-best $159.80 for a $2 win ticket.
He also kicked off a $49,441.10 Pick 4 for a $1 wager, illustrating how the big paydays in Kentucky last week were not restricted to the Breeders’ Cup.
Highest Payouts for the Week Ended Nov. 1

Wager
 Wager Amount 
 Payoff 
Track
Date
Race#

Win
 $2.00
 $159.80
CD
11/1/15
4

Place
 $2.00
 $62.00
BEL
10/28/15
1

Show
 $2.00
 $59.60
IND
10/30/15
6

Exacta
 $1.00
 $730.00
DED
10/30/15
1

Exacta
 $2.00
 $2,233.20
GPW
10/31/15
10

Quinella
 $1.00
 $138.70
TUP
10/31/15
7

Quinella
 $2.00
 $173.40
DMR
10/30/15
9

Quinella
 $5.00
 $281.00
GPW
10/30/15
10

Trifecta
 $0.20
 $205.76
HAW
10/27/15
3

Trifecta
 $0.50
 $2,780.55
IND
10/31/15
4

Trifecta
 $1.00
 $21,302.60
GPW
10/31/15
10

Trifecta
 $2.00
 $7,312.00
BEL
10/28/15
1

Superfecta
 $0.10
 $15,477.77
GPW
10/31/15
10

Superfecta
 $0.20
 $1,290.44
HAW
10/27/15
3

Superfecta
 $1.00
 $48,649.90
TUP
10/31/15
7

Superfecta
 $2.00
 $102,010.00
BEL
10/28/15
1

Daily Double
 $1.00
 $820.40
CD
11/1/15
5

Daily Double
 $2.00
 $1,183.20
MED
10/30/15
3

Pick 3
 $0.20
 $239.30
HAW
10/27/15
3

Pick 3
 $0.50
 $2,689.25
LRL
11/1/15
6

Pick 3
 $1.00
 $7,864.10
GPW
10/31/15
8

Pick 3
 $2.00
 $6,266.80
LRL
11/1/15
7

Pick 4
 $0.20
 $658.22
HAW
10/27/15
5

Pick 4
 $0.50
 $19,575.65
DED
10/30/15
11

Pick 4
 $1.00
 $49,441.10
CD
11/1/15
7

Pick 4
 $2.00
 $10,129.00
BEL
11/1/15
9

Pick 5
 $0.20
 $13,017.40
WO
11/1/15
6

Pick 5
 $0.50
 $44,957.55
KEE
10/30/15
5

Pick 5
 $1.00
 $493.10
MED
10/31/15
6

Pick 5
 $2.00
 $759,267.00
BEL
10/28/15
5

Pick 6
 $0.10
 $735.45
LRL
10/31/15
10

Pick 6
 $1.00
 $8,409.70
IND
10/31/15
8

Pick 6
 $2.00
 $94,424.40
KEE
10/31/15
11

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $0.20
 $6,009.50
MED
10/31/15
6

Super High Five
 $0.50
 $23,617.95
GPW
10/31/15
11

Super High Five
 $1.00
 $38,276.90
KEE
10/30/15
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.

Breeders' Cup Pre-Entries

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.