Breaking the Bank: Lucky 13
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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)
There are times when unlocking a payoff large enough to break the bank might not be as imposing as one might imagine.
Take the Pick 6 at Aqueduct on Feb. 27. The reward for connecting on six winners was a very ritzy $81,613 for a $2 wager.
Cashing a ticket that large might seem an impossible dream to some handicappers, yet this sequence was challenging but hardly in need of a mastermind to solve it.
Consider that the Pick 6 concluded with a 2-5 favorite, Bluemoonofsaratoga, which paid $2.80 to win and essentially reduced the wager to a Pick 5.
That was the only winning favorite, but there were two second-choices who triumphed: Little Bear Cat ($7.50) and Uncharted Course ($9.60). Toss in a pair of $10 winners in Rich ‘n’ Tuck and Mo d’Amour and then top it all with Tug of War at $24.40 and you have a pair of Pick 3s worth $234 and $238.50 that added up to a fabulous payday of more than $80,000.
CLICK HERE FOR THE EQUIBASE CHARTS FOR FEB. 27 AT AQUEDUCT
That same day, a Pick 6 player at Golden Gate Fields hit the Rainbow Jackpot for $23,529.76 on a 20-cent wager.
None of the first five winners paid more than $8 with Mistaken Identity ($5), Renegade Run ($8), Mal Verde ($5.60), Cnotesatisfaction ($7.40) and Mon Mousse ($7) crossing the finish line first. That left it to the last race of the day to burn up a ton of tickets and leave just one standing as Land of Oz showed more heart than the Tin Man and courage than the Cowardly Lion in taking the finale at a magical $67.60 mutuel.
Superfectas were also rewarding last week, starting with the 12th race at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 28.
Brianna’s Bucket won the race at a modest $19.20 return for a $2 win ticket, but then horses at odds of 22.50-1, 34.80-1 and 22.20-1 followed her past the finish line to trigger a superfecta payday of $13,096.97 for a mere 10-cent ticket. The trifecta paid $8,616.80 for a $1 bet.
At Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 26, the ninth race saw $14 winner Enchanted Facts kick off a sequence that also included horses at 38.10-1, 10.40-1 and 2.90-to-1 to form a $15,286.40 payoff for a $1 ticket.
Aqueduct handicappers had their chance at a big payday in the sixth race on Feb. 26.
First-time starter Tapa Liath from trainer Carlos Martin took her debut at an $18.40 mutuel and was joined by horses at 18.30-1, 17.40-1 and 8.40-1 to comprise an $18,030 superfecta for a $2 ticket (or $901.50 for a 10-cent minimum bet).
The “How Did You Come Up With That One” award found its paradise on Feb. 24 in the 10th race at Delta Downs.
Prince Paradise entered that race winless in 12 career starts with only one start in which he finished better than seventh and had never been sent off at odds lower than 23-1. Yet 13 proved to be his lucky number as he dueled for the lead and registered a neck victory at astronomical 69.90-1 odds.
As joyous as the holders of $2 win tickets worth $141.80 apiece were, handicappers who used the “Prince” in the exotic wagers collected their own king’s ransom, such as a $456.90 exacta for $1, a $613.70 triple for $1, a $1,205.70 Pick 3 for 50 cents and a 50-cent Pick 4 that returned a regal $20,140.70.
Top Payouts for the Week Ended Feb. 28
Wager
Wager Amount
Payoff
Track
Date
Race#
Win
$2.00
$141.80
DED
2/24/16
10
Place
$2.00
$46.20
DED
2/24/16
10
Show
$2.00
$27.20
MVR
2/23/16
6
Exacta
$1.00
$456.90
DED
2/24/16
10
Exacta
$2.00
$1,831.00
OP
2/25/16
6
Quinella
$1.00
$61.50
TUP
2/27/16
3
Quinella
$2.00
$89.00
RIL
2/27/16
8
Trifecta
$0.50
$3,224.75
MVR
2/23/16
9
Trifecta
$1.00
$9,017.40
OP
2/25/16
6
Trifecta
$2.00
$7,907.00
TP
2/26/16
2
Superfecta
$0.10
$13,096.97
GP
2/28/16
12
Superfecta
$1.00
$15,286.40
TAM
2/26/16
9
Superfecta
$2.00
$18,030.00
AQU
2/26/16
6
Daily Double
$1.00
$398.30
DED
2/24/16
10
Daily Double
$2.00
$410.00
TP
2/26/16
7
Pick 3
$0.50
$2,526.85
DED
2/27/16
10
Pick 3
$1.00
$2,484.20
OP
2/25/16
7
Pick 3
$2.00
$1,520.60
CT
2/27/16
4
Pick 4
$0.50
$20,140.70
DED
2/24/16
10
Pick 4
$1.00
$3,485.00
TAM
2/26/16
6
Pick 4
$2.00
$2,946.00
AQU
2/26/16
9
Pick 5
$0.50
$13,271.85
GP
2/24/16
5
Pick 5
$2.00
$14,422.00
AQU
2/27/16
5
Pick 6
$1.00
$6,555.30
TUP
2/23/16
8
Pick 6
$2.00
$81,613.00
AQU
2/27/16
9
Pick 6 Jackpot
$0.20
$23,529.76
GG
2/27/16
9
Super High Five
$0.20
$1,670.28
HOU
2/22/16
10
Super High Five
$0.50
$3,456.10
DED
2/25/16
2
Super High Five
$1.00
$6,354.70
GP
2/28/16
3
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.