Breaking the Bank: Racetrack Trumps Powerball

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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)
So, you didn’t hit the Powerball jackpot. Don’t fret; you have plenty of company.
And if you came away empty-handed, sorry, but there was a better way of investing your money than chasing odds of about 292 million-to-1 in hopes of having six ping pong balls bounce the right way for you.
A trip to the racetrack could have been much more profitable, especially if you were the astute handicapper who connected on the Golden Pick 6 jackpot and broke the bank by turning a 20-cent wager into an $82,203.34 payday at Golden Gate Fields on Jan. 17.
The winning sequence was challenging, though it was a piece of cake in comparison with going 6-for-6 in Powerball.
Five of the winners paid $13 or more, starting with Spud Spivens ($16.60) in the fourth race of the day. The field of winning tickets was whittled down dramatically when Pocket Prince, who had been no better than third in his last eight races, took the fifth race and paid $63.20 to win.
After that came Salah Loves Teagen ($26.60), Run Sophia Run ($15.20) and Slim Shady ($13) to set the stage for the heavily favored Dreamarcher ($3.60) to restore some order to the proceedings and close out a payoff about 82 times better than hitting four numbers in Powerball.
Click here for the Equibase charts from Jan. 17 at Golden Gate Fields
At Santa Anita Park on Jan. 16, everything fell into place for a Super High Five player who bagged a $123,804.10 payoff for a $1 wager in Race 9.
The winning sequence started off on a logical note with second choice Two Steps of Glory (2.80-1) winning the race. After that, however, came horses priced at 16.20-1, 16.90-1, 5.90-1 and 23-1 to put someone in a higher tax bracket, even without help from Powerball.
A day earlier at Santa Anita, Pick 6 players had a six-figure payoff of their own with a $100,245.60 payoff for a $2 wager.
Aqueduct broke out the Benjamins on Jan. 14 when the ninth race superfecta allowed some folks to head for the exits with a heavy wallet.
In that race, trainer Antonio Arriaga continued his quest for his first career win by sending out first-time starter Mystical Song. The 4-year-old son of Pleasantly Perfect was dismissed at a highly imperfect 85.25-1 and then rocketed to a two-length inaugural victory for his trainer, paying $172.50.
With Mystical Song putting everything in motion, after that came an $812 exacta with 2.45-1 second choice Rich Dalone, an $11,343 trifecta with 30.25-1 longshot Down Town Kitty and finally a $68,924 superfecta with 4.70-1 shot Bear Clause.
The week’s “How did you come up with that one?” award was handed out at Turf Paradise on Jan. 11.
Call It Luke had lost his last two races by a combined margin of 53 lengths but suddenly woke up in the $5,000 maiden claiming race to return a gargantuan $257.40.
To put that in perspective, the payoff for that $2 win ticket was higher than the return for connecting on three Powerball numbers – and you only had to pick out one of the 10 horses in the field.
Yep, when it comes to filling your pockets with cash, forget Powerball and head to a place where the odds are more in your favor – your nearby racetrack.
Top Payouts for the Week Ended Jan. 17

Wager
 Wager Amount 
 Payoff 
Track
Date
Race#

Win
 $2.00
 $257.40
TUP
1/11/16
8

Place
 $2.00
 $89.80
GP
1/13/16
7

Show
 $2.00
 $35.80
TP
1/15/16
4

Exacta
 $1.00
 $1,043.10
PEN
1/14/16
8

Exacta
 $2.00
 $2,034.60
HOU
1/16/16
10

Quinella
 $1.00
 $482.60
TUP
1/11/16
7

Quinella
 $2.00
 $39.00
AQU
1/17/16
4

Trifecta
 $0.50
 $1,434.45
MVR
1/13/16
8

Trifecta
 $1.00
 $5,974.60
OP
1/15/16
2

Trifecta
 $2.00
 $14,294.00
HOU
1/16/16
10

Superfecta
 $0.10
 $16,767.23
TP
1/14/16
9

Superfecta
 $1.00
 $16,423.40
TAM
1/16/16
9

Superfecta
 $2.00
 $68,924.00
AQU
1/14/16
9

Daily Double
 $1.00
 $2,085.70
HOU
1/16/16
10

Daily Double
 $2.00
 $2,034.20
GG
1/17/16
6

Pick 3
 $0.50
 $12,951.45
TUP
1/11/16
8

Pick 3
 $1.00
 $4,458.00
GG
1/17/16
7

Pick 3
 $2.00
 $1,965.80
LRL
1/17/16
6

Pick 4
 $0.50
 $24,731.10
FG
1/16/16
5

Pick 4
 $1.00
 $44,296.00
OP
1/15/16
5

Pick 4
 $2.00
 $2,627.00
AQU
1/17/16
9

Pick 5
 $0.20
 $1,972.24
PM
1/12/16
12

Pick 5
 $0.50
 $30,754.15
SA
1/14/16
5

Pick 5
 $2.00
 $2,862.00
AQU
1/15/16
5

Pick 6
 $1.00
 $575.60
TUP
1/13/16
8

Pick 6
 $2.00
 $100,245.60
SA
1/15/16
8

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $0.20
 $82,203.34
GG
1/17/16
9

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $1.00
 $28.20
SUN
1/16/16
5

Super High Five
 $0.50
 $5,837.50
DED
1/13/16
4

Super High Five
 $1.00
 $123,804.10
SA
1/16/16
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.