Breaking the Bank: A Laurel Trifecta and Dreaming of Arcangues

Breaking the Bank - featuring data courtesy of Equibase - highlights the biggest scores of the past week in racing. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire) 
It’s Breeders’ Cup week and fans of the sport who like to plunk down a few bucks on the World Championships are undoubtedly dreaming of six-figure Pick 6 scores or unearthing the next Arcangues or Spain.
Twenty-one years ago in the 1993 Breeders’ Cup Classic, Arcangues drove two lengths clear under Hall of Fame rider Jerry Bailey to win at 133.60-to-1 odds. The $2 win mutual payout of $269.20 was the highest in the history of the event.
Spain’s victory in the 2000 Distaff also gave the toteboard a workout. She prevailed at 55.90-to-1 for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas to return $113.80 for a $2 win bet and $169 for $2 across the board.
Arcangues, by the way, returned $341.80 for $2 to win/place/show.
Next week’s blog will be dedicated to the 2014 Breeders’ Cup and the top payouts from what should be a fantastic betting event. Looking back at last week’s top scores whet my appetite.
I’ve always been a fan of the trifecta rather than multi-race wagers and have had considerably more luck in this regard on Breeders’ Cup day. So a $35,621.25 trifecta for the 50-cent minimum at Laurel Park on Oct. 25 caught my eye.
The mega-score came in Race 5, and it wasn’t the winner but the runner-up who keyed the savory return.
Soup d’Coupe prevailed at 6.60-to-1 in the 1 1/16-mile turf race, which drew 14 horses. Key Decision closed from eighth early to finish second at 62.50-to-1 odds. The $2 exacta paid a healthy $950.20 for a $2 bet, but it was the trifecta with 10.50-to-1 pacesetter Minescape in third that brought back the new Ford Mustang-sized, 35-grand return.
Soup d’Coupe made sense from a betting standpoint as the gelding had been running in allowance/optional claiming races and holding his own. He was beaten by two lengths in his previous start and three lengths in the race before that at a higher level while posting triple-digit Equibase Speed Figures.
Unlike Soup d’Coupe, Key Decision was taking a step up in class.
In his previous race, a runner-up finish on Oct. 2 at Delaware Park, Key Decision competed for a purse of $17,375 and was entered for a $14,000 claiming price, while the Laurel race had a purse of $34,092 and Key Decision was entered for a $20,000 claiming price.
A 4-year-old gelding by Hard Spun, Key Decision had put together three nice races leading into his 62.30-to-1 runner-up finish. He won a maiden claiming race by 5 lengths and then won a 1 1/16-mile claiming race on the grass by a nose on Sept. 17 at Delaware Park before his second in the Oct. 2 race.
Key Decision’s recent form certainly hinted that he could be a nice value at a huge price. One lucky bettor was rewarded handsomely.
Before I let you get back to handicapping the Breeders’ Cup races, let’s take a quick look at a 10-cent superfecta that paid $10,051.68 for Race 9 on Oct. 23 at Delta Downs.
Seeking to Luv closed from last of 10 at 62.40-to-1 odds to edge 5.60-to-1 runner-up H M Rising by a neck in the 6 ½-furlong claiming race for fillies and mares. Pacesetter Miss E Z M held on for third at 22.10-to-1 to help bolster the payout with 4-to-1 Diamonds for Gi Go fourth. Another key factor in the five-figure return for a dime bet was 11-to-10 favorite Caviar Crush fading to sixth after pressing the pace.
The combination of a huge longshot winner plus a beaten favorite made for a very nice dime super.
The eye-catching $131,746.20 superfecta at Retama Park on Oct. 25 in the chart below is a bit misleading. The listed return is for a $2 bet, but with only $8,783 in the entire pool we can deduct that this was a 10-cent bet that paid $6,587.31, still a very nice return but not a life-changing six-figure score.
Best of luck with the Breeders’ Cup cards on Friday and Saturday! Be sure to check back this week for plenty of analysis of the World Championships cards.
Top Payouts for the Week Ended Oct. 26

Wager
 Wager Amount 
 Payoff 
Track
Date
Race#

Win
 $2.00
 $175.60
LRL
10/24/14
8

Place
 $2.00
 $66.80
CD
10/26/14
7

Show
 $2.00
 $39.80
GPW
10/23/14
5

Exacta
 $1.00
 $620.40
DED
10/22/14
1

Exacta
 $2.00
 $3,656.00
FL
10/25/14
5

Quinella
 $1.00
 $88.20
TUP
10/20/14
5

Quinella
 $2.00
 $48.20
BEL
10/26/14
2

Trifecta
 $0.50
 $35,621.25
LRL
10/25/14
5

Trifecta
 $1.00
 $7,493.70
GPW
10/20/14
10

Trifecta
 $2.00
 $12,399.80
CD
10/26/14
7

Superfecta
 $0.10
 $10,051.68
DED
10/23/14
9

Superfecta
 $0.50
 $10,415.60
MNR
10/26/14
6

Superfecta
 $1.00
 $82,588.70
WO
10/25/14
4

Superfecta
 $2.00
 $131,746.20
RET
10/25/14
7

Daily Double
 $1.00
 $347.20
DED
10/22/14
2

Daily Double
 $2.00
 $937.00
GPW
10/23/14
6

Pick 3
 $0.50
 $2,633.35
PEN
10/25/14
4

Pick 3
 $1.00
 $7,646.45
WO
10/24/14
7

Pick 3
 $2.00
 $7,444.40
RP
10/22/14
5

Pick 4
 $0.50
 $7,977.60
DED
10/22/14
4

Pick 4
 $1.00
 $22,479.30
WO
10/24/14
7

Pick 4
 $2.00
 $20,892.00
BEL
10/24/14
10

Pick 5
 $0.20
 $3,181.20
PM
10/22/14
10

Pick 5
 $0.50
 $23,382.45
GPW
10/24/14
10

Pick 5
 $1.00
 $3,469.45
NP
10/25/14
5

Pick 5
 $2.00
 $31,210.00
BEL
10/24/14
5

Pick 5 Jackpot
 $0.20
 $24,643.50
LRL
10/25/14
10

Pick 6
 $0.20
 $14,548.82
GG
10/25/14
9

Pick 6
 $1.00
 $839.00
TUP
10/20/14
8

Pick 6
 $2.00
 $68,470.00
BEL
10/26/14
10

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $0.20
 $4,568.02
GPW
10/25/14
10

Super High Five
 $0.50
 $2,862.05
MNR
10/20/14
8

Super High Five
 $1.00
 $14,554.20
KEE
10/25/14
10

Super High Five
 $2.00
 $2,442.80
MNR
10/26/14
8

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.  

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.