Breaking the Bank: Farewell Party

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)
The curtain came down on the main track at Aqueduct this past weekend and some highly skilled handicappers who applied their skills rather brilliantly had the financial means to throw quite a farewell party.
“Big A” handicappers busted the bank wide open on a couple of occasions, topped by the Dec. 4 program that featured a ritzy $193,307 Pick 5 for a $2 wager or a hefty and wealthy $48,326.75 per 50-cent wager.
There was nothing simple about the sequence as the lowest-priced winner was Sustainable, who took the third of the five races at $10.20 for a $2 win bet.
The fifth and final winner returned “only” $11.20, but the other three winners all paid at least $27.60.
The sequence started with the day’s opening race when Sing for Beauty prevailed and returned $32.80. That was followed by Stoneheartedlover at $37.20 and then in the fourth race Box Office proved to be a smashing success, paying a glittering $27.60.
Click here for the Equibase charts from Dec. 4 at Aqueduct
On Dec. 6, the final day of action on Aqueduct’s main track until spring, the Pick 4 gave some handicappers a lucrative nest egg for the new year with a $64,461 payoff for a $2 ticket.
Handicappers with a live ticket after the opening race started dusting off their social security cards when Cards of Stone, a first-time starter for trainer H. James Bond, paid $79 in Race 6.
The next two winners helped build more momentum, with wins by St. Louie ($14.40) and Rectify ($7.80), and then the capper came from another huge longshot.
Light Years Away, who lost by a length at 74-1 odds three starts ago, made up that length and notched a neck victory at 30.25-1 odds to hammer the final nail into the five-figure payoff.
That Dec. 6 card also included a $32,962 superfecta payoff in the sixth race.
Los Alamitos joined in on Dec. 5 with a Pick 6 that returned $77,259.20 for a $2 ticket.
The sequence started modestly with wins by Cougar Country ($4.40), Let’s Meet in Rio ($8.40) and Red Toro ($13) that created a $164.80 Pick 3. Little changed with subsequent wins by the favored Privileged One ($4.60) and second choice Roo’s Valentine ($7) but the stakes changed dramatically in the final race.
Zorro’s Storm, who had been beaten by 17 lengths or more in his three career starts, left his mark on a field of maiden claimers and carved out a victory at $35.60 to make the day for one delighted handicapper.
At Golden Gate Fields, another festive soul was the wise handicapper on Dec. 5 who had the lone winning ticket on the Jackpot Pick 6 that broke the bank to the tune of $66,608.74 for a 20-cent ticket.
The winning sequence featured three favorites but was inflated by wins from Mana Strike ($22.20) and then Just a Splash ($26.40) in the ninth and final race.
Mahoning Valley in Ohio had its own fireworks in the eighth race on Dec. 2 when 28.90-1 Fair Chase and 50-1 shot Castle’s Girl finished 1-2 to fuel a $2,068 exacta for $2.
The week’s “How did you come up with that one?” award was presented at Remington Park in the seventh race on Dec. 4.
Readthequeensnotes had not shown much in her three career starts as she lost by at least 14 ½ lengths in those races. Yet the turnback from a mile to six furlongs brought out the best in her and she posted a 70.20-1 upset, paying a week’s-best $142.40 for a $2 win ticket to kick off the final month of the year on the right note for her delighted backers.
Top Payouts for the Week Ended Dec. 6

Wager
 Wager Amount 
 Payoff 
Track
Date
Race#

Win
 $2.00
 $142.40
RP
12/4/15
7

Place
 $2.00
 $70.60
RP
12/3/15
7

Show
 $2.00
 $53.00
RP
12/3/15
7

Exacta
 $1.00
 $445.00
DED
12/5/15
9

Exacta
 $2.00
 $2,068.00
MVR
12/2/15
8

Quinella
 $1.00
 $35.20
TUP
11/30/15
4

Quinella
 $2.00
 $140.00
AQU
12/4/15
2

Trifecta
 $0.20
 $286.68
HAW
12/2/15
6

Trifecta
 $0.50
 $6,554.40
MVR
12/2/15
8

Trifecta
 $1.00
 $6,031.50
TAM
12/5/15
3

Trifecta
 $2.00
 $18,278.20
TP
12/3/15
1

Superfecta
 $0.10
 $11,934.02
MVR
12/2/15
8

Superfecta
 $0.20
 $2,188.98
HAW
12/2/15
6

Superfecta
 $1.00
 $21,964.60
TAM
12/5/15
3

Superfecta
 $2.00
 $32,962.00
AQU
12/6/15
6

Daily Double
 $1.00
 $412.20
DED
12/5/15
10

Daily Double
 $2.00
 $729.00
AQU
12/4/15
2

Pick 3
 $0.20
 $219.48
HAW
12/2/15
7

Pick 3
 $0.50
 $2,734.80
TP
12/3/15
3

Pick 3
 $1.00
 $7,509.30
RP
12/4/15
8

Pick 3
 $2.00
 $7,724.00
AQU
12/6/15
6

Pick 4
 $0.20
 $830.20
HAW
12/2/15
8

Pick 4
 $0.50
 $19,550.30
RP
12/4/15
9

Pick 4
 $1.00
 $3,573.20
PM
12/1/15
10

Pick 4
 $2.00
 $64,461.00
AQU
12/6/15
9

Pick 5
 $0.20
 $4,913.28
HAW
12/2/15
5

Pick 5
 $0.50
 $13,588.85
GG
12/5/15
5

Pick 5
 $2.00
 $193,307.00
AQU
12/4/15
5

Pick 6
 $0.10
 $1,723.69
LRL
12/6/15
9

Pick 6
 $1.00
 $702.90
TUP
12/5/15
8

Pick 6
 $2.00
 $77,259.20
LRC
12/5/15
9

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $0.20
 $66,608.74
GG
12/5/15
9

Super High Five
 $0.50
 $12,267.00
FG
11/30/15
10

Super High Five
 $1.00
 $24,328.60
GP
12/5/15
11

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.