Breaking the Bank: Coming Up Aces
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Breaking the Bank - featuring data courtesy of Equibase - highlights the biggest scores of the past week in racing. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
While there’s a million dollar payday – and growing - awaiting the lucky soul who submits the lone winning ticket on the Gulfstream Park Rainbow Pick 6 Jackpot, last week saw handicappers line their pockets with cash from several exotic wagers that returned five-figure payoffs.
The Pick 6 at Santa Anita Park broke the bank on Feb. 15 when it lit up the toteboard for a $78,660 windfall for the oh-so-fortunate holders of $2 winning tickets.
It wouldn’t be much of surprise if a few Beatles fans were among those wise handicappers as the toughest nut of all among that bunch was a first-time starter for trainer Scott Hansen named Sergeant Pepper, who without a little help from his friends in the Lonely Hearts Club Band, captured the ninth race and paid $55.60.
The payoff was quite generous as the Pick 6 was akin to a Pick 5 thanks to the help of 2-year-old champion Nyquist, who won the San Vicente Stakes – the fifth race of the day and second in the sequence – at a minuscule $2.80.
Those first three races yielded no surprises as Nyquist’s win was sandwiched by victories from Lieutenant Colonel ($5.20) and Righteous Ruler ($6.40) that formed a paltry $48.40 Pick 3 with the three favorites.
Flexible Ethics ($12.60) and Vanlose Stairway ($13.60) added some value to the sequence, which hit its high note when Sergeant Pepper took the $30,000 maiden claimer off modest work and gave a few Pick 6 players some money to put away for future use when they’re 64.
Click here for the Equibase charts from Feb. 15 at Santa Anita Park
While the Rainbow Pick 6 Jackpot has not been cashed since Jan. 13 heading into the Feb. 17 card, some Pick 6 players at Gulfstream Park did quite well on Feb. 12, cashing 20-cent tickets worth a hefty $56,326 with 74 cents to boot.
That more than one handicapper bought a winning ticket attests to the lure of the carryover as the sequence featured one horse paying more than $100 and two with mutuels higher than $20.
Favored Our Way ($7.40) and Swagger ($9.60) started the Pick 6 off in reasonable fashion, but then the madness set in when Locked Away, who lost by 29½ lengths in his career debut on dirt, showed a distinct fondness for grass and took the eighth race at a huge $105.20 mutuel for owner/trainer Ricky Griffith.
The sequence concluded with wins by Enders Cat ($22.80) and Modern Tale ($26.40) sandwiched around second-choice Verbouwen ($6.80).
The Pick 5 at Gulfstream on Feb. 14 was another head-scratcher that richly rewarded those handicappers savvy enough to unlock the riddle contained in the day’s first five races.
Longshots ruled the early part of the card with wins by Angel of Love ($58.20), Trust Ur Intuition ($30) and then Private Journal at a cool $100 that kick-started a $5,401.80 Pick 3 for a $1 ticket.
Wins by the even-money favorite Yellow Chips ($4) and co-second choice Degrees of Freedom kept the payoff from becoming astronomical, but the reward of $53,223.40 for each 50-cent winning ticket was hefty and ritzy by anyone’s standards.
The week’s “How did you come up with that one?” award was presented on Feb. 15 at Oaklawn Park and spawned some rather glittering payoffs in the exotic wagers tied to it.
The Third Ace came into the sixth race off seven straight losses dating back to September of 2014, but stretching out from 5 ½-furlongs to a mile was the wake-up tonic for him as he improbably prevailed by a neck at 84-1 odds to pay a highly robust $170 for a $2 win ticket.
The victory also set in motion some superb payoffs as horses at 3-1, 20-1 and 5-2 followed him under the wire to create mutuels of $1,335.80 for a $2 exacta, $6,624.80 for a $1 trifecta and $16,201.34 for a 10-cent superfecta.
Even a poker player would have to admit all of the above were very nice payoffs for a set of aces.
Top Payouts for the Week Ended Feb. 15
Wager
Wager Amount
Payoff
Track
Date
Race#
Win
$ 2.00
$ 170.00
OP
2/15/2016
6
Place
$ 2.00
$ 70.20
OP
2/15/2016
6
Show
$ 2.00
$ 30.00
DED
2/12/2016
10
Exacta
$ 1.00
$ 171.10
DED
2/11/2016
1
Exacta
$ 2.00
$ 1,335.80
OP
2/15/2016
6
Quinella
$ 1.00
$ 41.00
TUP
2/8/2016
4
Quinella
$ 2.00
$ 42.40
AQU
2/12/2016
2
Trifecta
$ 0.50
$ 1,434.35
MVR
2/10/2016
8
Trifecta
$ 1.00
$ 6,624.80
OP
2/15/2016
6
Trifecta
$ 2.00
$ 3,424.00
CT
2/12/2016
6
Superfecta
$ 0.10
$ 16,201.34
OP
2/15/2016
6
Superfecta
$ 1.00
$ 12,844.10
SA
2/15/2016
9
Superfecta
$ 2.00
$ 11,306.00
AQU
2/12/2016
7
Daily Double
$ 1.00
$ 155.60
TUP
2/13/2016
4
Daily Double
$ 2.00
$ 1,331.40
GP
2/14/2016
3
Pick 3
$ 0.50
$ 4,419.75
MVR
2/9/2016
5
Pick 3
$ 1.00
$ 7,268.40
OP
2/15/2016
8
Pick 3
$ 2.00
$ 16,494.00
AQU
2/15/2016
7
Pick 4
$ 0.50
$ 47,083.60
OP
2/12/2016
9
Pick 4
$ 1.00
$ 62,944.50
TAM
2/12/2016
10
Pick 4
$ 2.00
$ 10,934.00
AQU
2/15/2016
9
Pick 5
$ 0.20
$ 2,708.96
PM
2/8/2016
9
Pick 5
$ 0.50
$ 53,223.40
GP
2/14/2016
5
Pick 5
$ 2.00
$ 26,652.00
AQU
2/11/2016
5
Pick 6
$ 1.00
$ 7,256.20
TUP
2/10/2016
8
Pick 6
$ 2.00
$ 78,660.60
SA
2/15/2016
9
Pick 6 Jackpot
$ 0.20
$ 56,362.74
GP
2/12/2016
11
Super High Five
$ 0.20
$ 1,474.22
HOU
2/8/2016
10
Super High Five
$ 0.50
$ 3,411.10
FG
2/15/2016
8
Super High Five
$ 1.00
$ 25,466.30
TAM
2/12/2016
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.