Breaking the Bank: Pick Six Pot of Gold
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Breaking the Bank - featuring data courtesy of Equibase - highlights the biggest scores of the past week in racing. (Photo by Penelope P. Miller/America's Best Racing)
Sometimes the stewards giveth and sometimes they taketh away.
For one now-financially-flush handicapper, the disqualification of the 6-5 favorite Tonight Tonight in the 10th and final race on Nov. 8 at Gulfstream Park West led to a rainbow of riches.
When Dancin in the Heat was elevated to first after being bumped by Tonight Tonight in the stretch, the 3-1 second choice had someone dancing for joy after connecting on the lone winning Pick 6 Jackpot ticket for a bank-busting payoff of $75,095.92 for a 20-cent wager.
The winning sequence featured only one winning favorite, but also lacked an unfathomable longshot. The highest priced winner came in the first race of the wager when Poco Man ($16.80) won off the claim for trainer trainer Antonio Sano.
After that, the parade of winners included Starship Lisa ($8.40), Super C Me ($8), My Dear Venezuela ($15.40) and Starship Jodi ($5.80), a combination that brought out a rainbow in South Florida.
Click here for Equibase charts for Nov. 8 at Gulfstream Park West
A conventional Pick 6 also produced a lucrative payday at Del Mar on Nov. 6 as it accounted for a $51,787.60 payoff.
The winning combination only became tricky at the very end as the first five winners included three favorites – two of them paying $3.20 or less – plus $10.40 and $7.60 winners.
The closing chapter was provided by Wheatfield, who switched back to the main track after a dismal turf debut, and paid $35.60 for a maiden victory.
At Aqueduct on Nov. 4, picking five was enough to move some folks into another tax bracket.
The first five races of the day were unfolding fairly logically with wins by Backsideofthemoon ($8.10), Aleander ($8), Big World ($10.40) and Late Night Mark ($14.40) but then everything went zany in the final race.
The rhythmical Lyrical Miracle, who had lost his last four starts by 94 ¼ lengths, pulled off a miraculous turnaround in his first start for trainer David Donk and registered a stunning 34-1 ($71.50) upset to cap a mammoth $59,426 return for each $2 ticket.
Trifecta and superfecta players also padded their pockets with a couple of hefty paydays during the week.
On Nov. 7 at Gulfstream Park West, the very first race of the day saw Lucky Greatness, a 2-5 favorite, finish third. With her in the picture, the trifecta and superfecta figured to be relatively small, but those expectations were demolished when first-time starter Miss Fireball, a 29-1 shot, won the race and Poda, sent off at an astronomical 109-1 after a 26-length loss, finished second.
When the smoke cleared, the $2 exacta paid $3,924.80, the $1 trifecta $28,601.20 and the 10-cent superfecta $4,870.86 with 5-1 second choice Starship Maiden finishing fourth.
On Nov. 7 at Aqueduct, Pop the Hood was overlooked 40-1 while switching from turf back to dirt, where he was last in his career debut. Yet the surface switch not only helped Pop the Hood to win, he cruised to a 10 ½-length win while topping a superfecta worth $44,551 per each $2 ticket.
Thanks to that “Pop” there was no doubt some bottles of champagne going “pop” at the Big A.
Highest Payouts for the Week Ended Nov. 8
Wager
Wager Amount
Payoff
Track
Date
Race#
Win
$ 2.00
$ 222.40
MVR
11/4/2015
9
Place
$ 2.00
$ 79.40
MVR
11/4/2015
9
Show
$ 2.00
$ 39.60
HAW
11/4/2015
7
Exacta
$ 1.00
$ 333.20
DMR
11/8/2015
5
Exacta
$ 2.00
$ 3,924.80
GPW
11/7/2015
1
Quinella
$ 1.00
$ 54.50
TUP
11/2/2015
5
Quinella
$ 2.00
$ 491.40
DMR
11/8/2015
5
Quinella
$ 5.00
$ 107.00
GPW
11/5/2015
10
Trifecta
$ 0.20
$ 843.76
HAW
11/3/2015
4
Trifecta
$ 0.50
$ 5,582.25
LRL
11/6/2015
1
Trifecta
$ 1.00
$ 28,601.20
GPW
11/7/2015
1
Superfecta
$ 0.10
$ 15,419.34
LRL
11/1/2015
4
Superfecta
$ 0.20
$ 2,248.86
HAW
11/4/2015
7
Superfecta
$ 2.00
$ 44,551.00
AQU
11/7/2015
5
Daily Double
$ 1.00
$ 820.40
CD
11/1/2015
5
Daily Double
$ 2.00
$ 1,261.00
AQU
11/7/2015
6
Pick 3
$ 0.20
$ 298.88
HAW
11/3/2015
4
Pick 3
$ 0.50
$ 4,796.55
LRL
11/6/2015
5
Pick 3
$ 1.00
$ 7,172.30
CD
11/1/2015
6
Pick 4
$ 0.20
$ 574.36
HAW
11/3/2015
5
Pick 4
$ 0.50
$ 4,891.80
CT
11/5/2015
4
Pick 4
$ 1.00
$ 49,441.10
CD
11/1/2015
7
Pick 4
$ 2.00
$ 15,477.00
AQU
11/5/2015
5
Pick 5
$ 0.20
$ 13,017.40
WO
11/1/2015
6
Pick 5
$ 0.50
$ 34,597.45
DMR
11/7/2015
5
Pick 5
$ 2.00
$ 59,426.00
AQU
11/4/2015
5
Pick 6
$ 0.10
$ 625.51
LRL
11/8/2015
10
Pick 6
$ 1.00
$ 538.60
TUP
11/3/2015
8
Pick 6
$ 2.00
$ 51,787.60
DMR
11/6/2015
8
Pick 6 Jackpot
$ 0.20
$ 75,095.52
GPW
11/8/2015
10
Super High Five
$ 0.50
$ 1,384.30
ZIA
11/2/2015
11
Super High Five
$ 1.00
$ 9,925.70
DMR
11/8/2015
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.