Sensational Scores: Caribbean Dreams Come True

Sensational Scores - 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 was one rather busy handicapper in Curacao who was able to fund quite a Caribbean celebration last week.
By purchasing 53,861 tickets at a cost of 20 cents each, that international handicapper turned a $10,772.20 investment into the key that unlocked a treasure chest of cash worth $618,643.20 for the holder of the single winning ticket on the Rainbow Pick 6 Jackpot on April 15 at Gulfstream Park.
That sensational score was set in motion by a carryover of $496,071.59 from 13 straight days without a single winning ticket since Gulfstream’s March 26 mandatory payoff of a “mere” $89,456.
The sequence featured a mix of four winners paying $10 or less and two mystifying longshots.
Zeta Zody ($8) kicked off the Pick 6 by taking the fourth race as the 3-1 second choice, but then things became absurd when Keepin It Zeal, a 45-1 shot in a small field of seven who was coming off a 21-length loss, woke up and posted a front-running one-length victory at a $92.20 mutuel.
Another longshot followed as Michaelslittleally jumped up from a $35,000 maiden claimer to a maiden special weight race and posted another gate-to-wire triumph at 20-1 odds, paying $43.40.
The two longshots combined for a $4,399.20 double and a $3,930.70 Pick 3 for $1 with Zeta Zody, but the best was yet to come.  
After wins by Starship Maiden ($8) and Unbridled Hero ($10), it came down to a 12-horse field in the last race with each one of them covered with a single ticket in the Pick 6, guaranteeing that someone would walk off with the jackpot.
So even though With a Kiss ($6.80), the 2-1 favorite, won the finale, there was still cause for bottles of champagne to pop open – this time in Curacao.
CLICK HERE FOR THE EQUIBASE CHARTS FOR APRIL 15 AT GULFSTREAM PARK
Closer to home, handicappers at Oaklawn Park on the closing day April 16 program were able to fund their own Caribbean cruise, provided they connected on a Pick 4 paying $78,583 for a 50-cent wager.
The sequence featured three double-digit winners starting with Natchez ($29.20) in the second race and High Dollar Kitten ($47.80) in the next.
Mom’s On Strike ($7.60) added some sanity with a victory at 5-2 odds but when Raagheb ($22.60) captured the fifth race at 10-1 odds, another sensational score was signed, sealed and delivered.
Keeneland had its own huge payday on April 15 when the Pick 5 returned $53,069.75 for a 50-cent wager.
Alotta Skirt ($19) opened the sequence, followed by the shocker in the quintet when 21-1 shot Contrasting ($44.40) defeated 1-2 favorite Apologynotaccepted.
Top Billing ($16.60) added to the confusion with a 7-1 victory before the classy 4-year-old filly Miss Temple City ($14.60) beat the boys in the Grade 1 Maker’s 46 Mile at 6-1 odds.
The capper came from a favorite, Going Strong, who took the finale and made several handicappers deliriously happy they included him on their tickets.
Keeneland’s April 15 card also included a fabulous superfecta when Top Billing played the lead role over 11-1, 45-1 and 6-1 shots to form a golden $36,360.60 payoff for a $2 ticket.
The week’s “How did you come up with that one?” award was presented at Tampa Bay Downs in the fourth race on April 13.
Dreams d’Argent had showed little in his five starts after a runner-up finish in October and stood at a somewhat appropriate 76-1 at post time. Yet a switch from turf to dirt triggered a turnaround and he closed nicely in the stretch to win by three-quarters of a length and pay a week’s-best $155.60 for a $2 win ticket.
Yes, dreams do indeed come true. In Tampa, and Curacao, too.
Top Payouts for the Week Ended April 17

Wager
Wager Amount 
Payoff 
Track
Date
Race#

Win
 $       2.00
 $              155.60
TAM
4/13/2016
4

Place
 $       2.00
 $                58.20
PRX
4/16/2016
6

Show
 $       2.00
 $                25.00
PRX
4/16/2016
6

Exacta
 $       1.00
 $              284.00
SUN
4/17/2016
9

Exacta
 $       2.00
 $            1,162.60
GP
4/15/2016
5

Quinella
 $       1.00
 $                28.60
TUP
4/16/2016
3

Quinella
 $       2.00
 $              467.40
WRD
4/12/2016
10

Trifecta
 $       0.20
 $                61.56
HAW
4/15/2016
7

Trifecta
 $       0.50
 $            1,624.50
EVD
4/13/2016
1

Trifecta
 $       1.00
 $            4,554.80
TAM
4/13/2016
4

Trifecta
 $       2.00
 $            7,951.40
MNR
4/16/2016
1

Superfecta
 $       0.10
 $          15,952.53
KEE
4/16/2016
8

Superfecta
 $       0.20
 $              388.34
HAW
4/15/2016
7

Superfecta
 $       0.50
 $            6,168.40
MNR
4/16/2016
1

Superfecta
 $       1.00
 $          27,458.00
TAM
4/13/2016
4

Superfecta
 $       2.00
 $          36,360.60
KEE
4/15/2016
8

Daily Double
 $       1.00
 $              270.40
TUP
4/16/2016
4

Daily Double
 $       2.00
 $            4,399.20
GP
4/15/2016
6

Pick 3
 $       0.20
 $              113.34
HAW
4/15/2016
4

Pick 3
 $       0.50
 $              875.10
LS
4/17/2016
8

Pick 3
 $       1.00
 $            5,601.00
LRL
4/15/2016
6

Pick 3
 $       2.00
 $            4,870.00
KEE
4/15/2016
8

Pick 4
 $       0.20
 $              410.58
HAW
4/15/2016
5

Pick 4
 $       0.50
 $          78,583.00
OP
4/16/2016
5

Pick 4
 $       1.00
 $            5,936.50
GG
4/17/2016
9

Pick 4
 $       2.00
 $            7,696.60
MNR
4/16/2016
9

Pick 5
 $       0.20
 $            1,440.00
HAW
4/15/2016
5

Pick 5
 $       0.50
 $          53,069.75
KEE
4/15/2016
10

Pick 5
 $       2.00
 $          26,829.00
AQU
4/17/2016
5

Pick 6
 $       1.00
 $            3,760.90
TUP
4/17/2016
8

Pick 6
 $       2.00
 $          27,580.60
KEE
4/14/2016
9

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $       0.20
 $        618,643.20
GP
4/15/2016
9

Super High Five
 $       0.10
 $              677.51
LS
4/16/2016
9

Super High Five
 $       0.50
 $            1,994.50
EVD
4/14/2016
5

Super High Five
 $       1.00
 $          28,749.10
GP
4/15/2016
6

Super High Five
 $       2.00
 $            1,400.00
MNR
4/17/2016
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.