Breaking the Bank: Holiday Dough
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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 it only takes one … or a couple of hundred.
One red-hot handicapper cashed the lone winning ticket on the Rainbow Pick 6 at Gulfstream Park on Dec. 18 and took home a pot of gold worth $129,904.18 - and did it with one, single 20-cent ticket.
Now this astute handicapper did wager hundreds of 20-cent bets through an XpressBet account, but the one that truly mattered was the 13-10-6-3-4-1 ticket that broke the bank with a six-figure payoff.
The winning combination was a worthy challenge for any handicapper, even though it featured two winning favorites: All Over It ($4) and Vinny White Shoes ($7), a first-time starter from trainer Todd Pletcher.
The other four winning horses all paid $11 or more.
Included in that quartet was Flatlined ($19.60), Crystal’s Cantata ($11) and Flash Jak ($15.60) in the final race. The biggest stumbling block was Golden Ray, who was stepping up off a win in a $35,000 claimer to tackle optional claiming foes with a $75,000 tag. Sent off at 28-1 odds, Golden Ray grabbed the lead at the start and then fended off a late bid by Pletcher-trained 3-10 favorite Destin to return $59.40 to win and also provide some ho-ho-ho holiday dough for the owner of that single 20-cent ticket.
Click here for the Equibase charts from Dec. 18 at Gulfstream
At Aqueduct on Dec. 18, the Pick 6 culminated with a victory by the 4-5 favorite, Whimsey’s Girl.
Before that, however, the sequence included wins by Core Portfolio ($21.20), Paradise Peak ($9.80), Special Agent ($7.70), Chairman Now ($11.20) and Rowd E Allie ($14.20) that paved the way for one handicapper to collect $74,371 for some very shrewd handicapping.
On Dec. 17 at Aqueduct, Pick 4 players had their chance at some holiday riches. Once Karen’s Silk ($63.50) took the opening race in the wager, the potential for a huge score was in place. The payoff then continued to soar thanks to wins by Mr. Harlan ($30), Chubby Master ($6.50) and Because I’m Happy ($29.80) and eventually checked in at a lucrative $63,240 for a $2 ticket.
The week’s “How did you come up with that one?” award was presented at Turf Paradise on Dec. 16.
Dents N Dolls came into the eighth race that day off a career debut in which she was never better than seventh and finished 10th, beaten 12 ½ lengths. Sent off at 54-1 odds for her second start, she added Lasix and rushed out to the lead and never looked back. Hitting the wire first by three-quarters of a length, Dents N Dolls played Santa Claus to some holiday shoppers and giddy handicappers, paying a week’s-best $110.80 for a $2 win ticket.
Top Payouts for the Week Ended Dec. 20
Wager
Wager Amount
Payoff
Track
Date
Race#
Win
$ 2.00
$ 110.80
TUP
12/16/2015
8
Place
$ 2.00
$ 60.00
TAM
12/18/2015
10
Show
$ 2.00
$ 33.60
PRX
12/14/2015
9
Exacta
$ 1.00
$ 264.40
TUP
12/16/2015
8
Exacta
$ 2.00
$ 929.00
TP
12/17/2015
5
Quinella
$ 1.00
$ 90.70
TUP
12/16/2015
8
Quinella
$ 2.00
$ 93.50
AQU
12/17/2015
2
Trifecta
$ 0.20
$ 135.84
HAW
12/18/2015
7
Trifecta
$ 0.50
$ 1,390.70
PRX
12/15/2015
4
Trifecta
$ 1.00
$ 3,972.70
TUP
12/16/2015
8
Trifecta
$ 2.00
$ 35,040.60
LRL
12/19/2015
3
Superfecta
$ 0.10
$ 5,383.79
CT
12/18/2015
8
Superfecta
$ 0.20
$ 1,405.66
HAW
12/18/2015
7
Superfecta
$ 0.50
$ 16,340.25
LRL
12/19/2015
3
Superfecta
$ 1.00
$ 120,806.40
TAM
12/18/2015
10
Superfecta
$ 2.00
$ 10,942.00
AQU
12/18/2015
4
Daily Double
$ 1.00
$ 250.00
TUP
12/14/2015
7
Daily Double
$ 2.00
$ 1,238.00
TP
12/19/2015
7
Pick 3
$ 0.20
$ 474.22
HAW
12/18/2015
7
Pick 3
$ 0.50
$ 4,308.60
TP
12/18/2015
6
Pick 3
$ 1.00
$ 2,251.20
TUP
12/16/2015
8
Pick 3
$ 2.00
$ 3,284.00
AQU
12/17/2015
4
Pick 4
$ 0.20
$ 1,332.18
HAW
12/18/2015
8
Pick 4
$ 0.50
$ 7,642.00
TP
12/19/2015
4
Pick 4
$ 1.00
$ 15,890.40
TAM
12/20/2015
6
Pick 4
$ 2.00
$ 63,240.00
AQU
12/17/2015
5
Pick 5
$ 0.20
$ 1,054.98
HAW
12/15/2015
5
Pick 5
$ 0.50
$ 13,351.55
GP
12/18/2015
5
Pick 5
$ 2.00
$ 14,192.00
AQU
12/20/2015
5
Pick 6
$ 1.00
$ 587.20
TUP
12/19/2015
8
Pick 6
$ 2.00
$ 74,371.00
AQU
12/18/2015
9
Pick 6 Jackpot
$ 0.10
$ 6,783.76
LRL
12/20/2015
9
Pick 6 Jackpot
$ 0.20
$ 129,904.18
GP
12/18/2015
10
Super High Five
$ 0.50
$ 4,073.25
DED
12/17/2015
10
Super High Five
$ 1.00
$ 25,778.40
GP
12/18/2015
5
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.