Breaking the Bank: Triple-Digit Longshot Victor
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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)
There is a new leader in the clubhouse for the 2014 title of biggest longshot of the year after Undesided prevailed at 120.10-to-1 odds on June 20 at Louisiana Downs.
The 6-year-old Ide gelding eclipsed the 85.30-to-1 odds of Big Budget, who returned from a long layoff to win on May 26 at Presque Isle Downs.
Unlike Big Budget, for whom a case could be made that he was a much better bet than his price indicated, Undesided had lost his last four races by 11 ¾ lengths or more and entered on a 6-race winless stretch. He also was taking a minor step up in class from a $10,000 claiming race to a $12,500 claiming race.
Undesided was beaten by 13 ¼ lengths on the same course at the same distance in his previous start and his last victory came in July 2013 at Colonial Downs.
Handicappers looking for a positive when assessing Undesided’s chances before the race might have noted that his previous two wins also came at a mile, or about a mile, on the grass.
In his last start, Undesided was only 22.10-to-1, so while it was tough to make a convincing case for him on June 20, he should not have been triple-digit odds.
In the 11-horse field, Undesided was the third-longest shot in the field, just a fraction behind ninth-place finisher Blue Zapphine at 120.20-to-1 and eighth-place finisher Sleek Ezeke at 142.30-to-1.
Needless to say, Undesided outran his odds, closing from seventh and wearing down 1.30-to-1 favorite Brother Ray Ray late to win by a length under Patrick Johnson.
Bettors willing to drop a couple of bucks on Undesided were rewarded with $242.20 for a $2 win bet, $56.20 for a $2 place bet and $16.20 for $2 to show. The $2 exacta with favored Brother Ray Ray returned a healthy $709.60.
(continued below the table)
Top Payouts for the Week Ended June 22
Wager
Wager Amount
Payoff
Track
Date
Race#
Win
$2.00
$242.20
LAD
6/20/14
9
Place
$2.00
$59.00
CD
6/19/14
9
Show
$2.00
$26.60
CD
6/19/14
9
Exacta
$1.00
$298.70
DEL
6/21/14
5
Exacta
$2.00
$950.00
BEL
6/22/14
8
Quinella
$2.00
$269.60
PRM
6/22/14
5
Trifecta
$0.50
$1,736.45
AP
6/21/14
2
Trifecta
$1.00
$5,971.00
GP
6/22/14
2
Trifecta
$2.00
$9,629.40
CD
6/19/14
9
Superfecta
$0.10
$3,637.54
AP
6/21/14
2
Superfecta
$0.50
$1,278.10
EMD
6/21/14
5
Superfecta
$1.00
$41,989.50
FL
6/19/14
5
Superfecta
$2.00
$109,079.20
CD
6/19/14
9
Daily Double
$1.00
$179.20
DEL
6/21/14
2
Daily Double
$2.00
$979.00
EVD
6/19/14
7
Pick 3
$0.50
$159.25
BTP
6/21/14
5
Pick 3
$1.00
$5,748.30
GP
6/22/14
4
Pick 3
$2.00
$7,406.00
BEL
6/19/14
6
Pick 4
$0.50
$18,119.35
AP
6/21/14
5
Pick 4
$1.00
$17,328.20
GP
6/22/14
5
Pick 4
$2.00
$30,764.00
FL
6/20/14
9
Pick 5
$0.50
$13,235.00
MTH
6/20/14
10
Pick 5
$1.00
$29,162.00
OTP
6/22/14
10
Pick 5
$2.00
$37,417.20
MNR
6/16/14
9
Pick 5 Jackpot
$0.50
$6,950.40
LAD
6/21/14
9
Pick 6
$0.20
$429.68
LS
6/19/14
9
Pick 6
$1.00
$2,316.60
IND
6/20/14
8
Pick 6
$2.00
$16,222.00
BEL
6/20/14
9
Pick 6 Jackpot
$0.10
$6,540.09
CRC
6/21/14
8
Pick 6 Jackpot
$0.20
$219,761.66
GP
6/22/14
8
Super High Five
$0.10
$2,436.44
LS
6/19/14
9
Super High Five
$1.00
$11,956.10
SA
6/21/14
9
Super High Five
$2.00
$22,649.20
MNR
6/16/14
9
Gulfstream Park’s Rainbow 6, a jackpot wager with a 20-cent minimum that is paid out in full only if there is one, unique winning ticket, has been a common subject in this blog. Earlier this year there was a massive jackpot that accrued over the course of five months that eventually was hit for $6.6-million on May 25.
The bet produced another major score on June 22, although not $6.6-million major. Anchored by 26.10-to-1 winner D’wonder Boyd in the final leg of the sequence, the Rainbow 6 paid $219,761.66.
According to Gulfstream Park, the winning ticket cost $2,100.
The sequence also included 2.20-to-1 winner Tizcano in the opening race (Race 3); 6.50-to-1 Bahia de Oro in Race 4, 3-to-10 favorite R Girl She Gone in Race 5, 1.70-to-1 favorite Siete C in Race 6 and 12.70-to-1 Artistic Touch in Race 7.
Another eye-opening payout from the previous week came on June 19 at Churchill Downs when the superfecta for Race 9 produced a reported $2 payout of $109,079.20. With less than half of that amount in the pool, we can deduce that there were a handful of winners at the 10-cent minimum who collected $5,453.96.
The race was won by 9.30-to-1 Pernicious but it was the second and third place finishers that really sparked the superfecta fireworks. Major Darby closed from seventh to take second at 74-to-1 and Sadler’s Warrior, who led in the stretch, held on for third at 53.10-to-1. Pagets finished fourth at 4.90-to-1.
As we near the midpoint of the calendar year, you have to think Undesided has a very good shot to finish the year as the highest-priced North American winner. It will be hard to top 120.10-to-1, which was almost 35 ticks on the toteboard higher than the previous leading longshot. We’ll continue to keep an eye on the toteboard.