Breaking the Bank: Delaware Park and Spa Fireworks

Breaking the Bank - featuring data courtesy of Equibase - highlights the biggest scores of the past week in racing. (Delaware Park photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
If you are a horseplayer with a healthy bankroll and a disdain for favorites, Delaware Park was the place to be on Aug. 18.
Not a single favorite won on the card and the eight races produced the highest $2 win payout and $2 show payout, plus the top return of the week for a $1 exacta, $1 Daily Double, $1 Pick 3, $1 Pick 4 and $1 Pick 5.
It was an incredibly interesting card. Consider that it’s not unusual to have the top win and show payouts happen on the same card, because it often is the same race and longshot winner that triggers the hefty returns.
It is unusual to have a triple-digit-odds winner in Push Kaiser return $209.20 in Race 2, one race after Twisted Gal paid $50.20 to show in the opener.
Twisted Gal finished second at 51.50-to-1 odds in a race that was won by front-running, 2.90-to-1 second betting choice Fortyshadesofgreen by 13 lengths. Fortyshadesofgreen paid more to show than she paid to win and place because of a bridgejumper scenario that most horseplayers are quite familiar with.
What happens is that a bettor makes a significant show bet, usually on a heavy favorite in a short field, hoping for just a small return on investment on what looks like a “sure thing.” The term bridgejumper refers to what said gambler feels like doing after the horse finishes out of the top three, as was the case in this race. Thrill Show, favored at 7-to-10, finished last of five leading to show payouts of $16.40 for winner Fortyshadesofgreen, $50.20 for runner-up Twisted Gal and $16.40 for 7-to-2 third-place finisher Late to the Party.
Did I mention that Push Kaiser won the next race at 103.60-to-1? What a start to the card.
The huge longshot winner in Race 2 had a domino effect on several other bets.
The $1 exacta in Push Kaiser’s race returned $341.30 with 2.10-to-1 Queenofzeenile second, and the $1 Daily Double with 4.30-to-1 winner Malice in Race 3 paid a hefty $823.30.
The Pick 3 for the first three races on the card returned a reported $7,968.40, but with less than that in the pool we can deduct that the winning ticket was a $3,984.20 winner for the 50-cent minimum bet.
The early Pick 4 (Races 1-4) on the same card at Delaware Park was anchored by 26.70-to-1 winner Sweet Emster in the finale of the sequence, which led to a reported $1 payout of $29,304.20. Again, for this bet there was less than that amount in the pool, thus the winning return actually was $14,652.10 for a 50-cent ticket.
But wait, it gets even stranger. Races 3-7, a sequence that did not include the 103.60-to-1 winner, produced the top $1 Pick 5 payout for the week.
Following Malice and Sweet Emster in Races 3-4 were The Morning Guys in Race 5 as the 9-to-5 second betting choice, Buck n’ Ham Lane at 9-to-1 in Race 6 and Complete St. at 10.10-to-1 in Race 7 for a $1 Pick 5 that cashed for $10,790.80.
A bridgejumper goes down in the opener, a triple-digit victor in the next race, not a single winning favorite and seven top payouts of the week from one card. It sounds like Delaware Park hosted a “Let It Ride” sequel.
Check out the Equibase charts for Aug. 18 at Delaware Park
(Blog Continued Below Table)
Top Payouts for the Week Ended Aug. 24

Wager
 Wager Amount 
 Payoff 
Track
Date
Race#

Win
 $2.00
 $209.20
DEL
8/18/14
2

Place
 $2.00
 $84.80
EVD
8/20/14
3

Show
 $2.00
 $50.20
DEL
8/18/14
1

Exacta
 $1.00
 $341.30
DEL
8/18/14
2

Exacta
 $2.00
 $1,594.60
PID
8/20/14
1

Quinella
 $2.00
 $249.80
DMR
8/20/14
2

Trifecta
 $0.50
 $473.45
TIM
8/24/14
9

Trifecta
 $1.00
 $2,745.10
DMR
8/22/14
7

Trifecta
 $2.00
 $21,933.20
LAD
8/23/14
8

Superfecta
 $0.10
 $3,300.72
TIM
8/22/14
3

Superfecta
 $0.50
 $1,892.70
EMD
8/24/14
7

Superfecta
 $1.00
 $58,683.70
TDN
8/20/14
6

Superfecta
 $2.00
 $80,930.40
PID
8/20/14
1

Daily Double
 $1.00
 $823.30
DEL
8/18/14
3

Daily Double
 $2.00
 $1,586.80
PID
8/20/14
2

Pick 3
 $0.50
 $1,303.35
EVD
8/21/14
4

Pick 3
 $1.00
 $7,968.40
DEL
8/18/14
3

Pick 3
 $2.00
 $13,823.00
ELP
8/23/14
9

Pick 4
 $0.50
 $7,406.05
EVD
8/21/14
4

Pick 4
 $1.00
 $29,304.20
DEL
8/18/14
4

Pick 4
 $2.00
 $39,621.00
SAR
8/24/14
11

Pick 5
 $0.50
 $56,194.35
DMR
8/22/14
5

Pick 5
 $1.00
 $10,790.80
DEL
8/18/14
7

Pick 5
 $2.00
 $75,601.00
SAR
8/20/14
6

Pick 5 Jackpot
 $0.50
 $143.10
LAD
8/21/14
8

Pick 6
 $0.20
 $1,186.48
GG
8/22/14
7

Pick 6
 $1.00
 $9,387.80
IND
8/19/14
8

Pick 6
 $2.00
 $79,619.00
SAR
8/23/14
12

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $0.10
 $3,509.60
MTH
8/22/14
10

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $0.20
 $5,306.44
GP
8/22/14
10

Super High Five
 $0.20
 $499.60
FER
8/24/14
9

Super High Five
 $0.50
 $10,667.25
DMR
8/21/14
8

Super High Five
 $1.00
 $17,623.70
GP
8/21/14
10

Super High Five
 $2.00
 $2,897.40
MNR
8/18/14
9

Click here for a complete list of racetracks with abbreviations.

© 2014 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.  

If Delaware Park was the place to be for one day or racing last week, Saratoga Race Course was the ideal track for fans of multi-race bets.
The Spa produced the top $2 payouts of the week for the Pick 4, Pick 5 and Pick 6.
The top Pick 6 payout of $79,619 came on the Aug. 23 Travers Stakes card. The sequence started with Race 7 and featured four straight graded stakes to close, capped by the 19.50-to-1 upset by V. E. Day in the Travers.
Saratoga also was responsible for a $39,621 Pick 4 on Aug. 24 (Races 8-11) and a massive $75,601 Pick 5 on Aug. 20 (Races 2-6). If you have a knack for stringing together winners, be sure to keep and eye on the Saratoga cards through the end of the meet on Sept. 1. The depth and quality of the fields at Saratoga has made for some excellent handicapping and betting.
Good luck!

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.