Breaking the Bank: Chalk-Bust Fortune at Aqueduct

Breaking the Bank - featuring data courtesy of Equibase - highlights the biggest scores of the past week in racing. (Aqueduct photo by Eclipse Sportswire) 
Longshots tend to be the main topic of these Breaking the Bank blogs, which makes sense because horses that light up the toteboard often trigger huge exotic bet scores.
But the other side of the massive payout coin, which can be equally important to the life-changing return, is the beaten favorite.
On Nov. 15 at Aqueduct, the card kicked off with seven straight beaten favorites, and the early returns were eye opening despite the fact that none of the winners went off at odds of 20-to-1 or higher.
The $2 Pick 5 for Races 1-5 on Nov. 15 at Aqueduct produced the highest payout of the week at $127,380. During the sequence, five favorites ranging from 11-to-10 to 1.90-to-1 lost, including three favorites that finished second.
The string of hard-luck chalk also produced a $2 Pick 4 (Races 2-5) that paid a whopping $59,700 and a $2 Pick 3 (Races 3-5) that returned $6,963, both the highest of the week at that betting increment for that wager.
Let’s take a look at the sequence that made a handful of betters very happy.
Click here for Equibase charts from Aqueduct on Nov. 15
In the opener, Joking rallied from fourth to collar 7-to-5 favorite Moonluck en route to a 1 ¼-length victory at 5.20-to-1 odds. Moe Man (6.90-to-1) followed in Race 2 by edging 11-to-10 favorite M J Plus by a nose in the final strides.
Thing got even more interesting when Leverage at 11.90-to-1 reeled in 2-to-1 second betting choice, pacesetter Chasing Bubbles, to win the third race by a half-length with 1.85-to-1 favorite B. B.’s Remington last of eight.
In Race 4, Tummel held off 11-to-10 favorite Bobby V. to win by a length at 8.30-to-1, and the Pick 5 then closed with a healthy longshot. Noosh’s Tale charged from ninth to outfinish 3.15-to-1 Runaway Posse by 1 ¾ lengths at 19.30-to-1 and anchor a trio of big payouts. Changewilldoyagood finished a non-threatening fifth as the 1.90-to-1 chalk.
The sequence serves as a reminder that beating the favorite can often be as profitable as uncovering a live longshot. In this case for the Pick 5, with $262,281 in the pool and a 50-cent minimum, it could have been a $2 winning ticket for 127 grand plus three winning 50-cent tickets at $31,845 or, more likely, seven winning tickets at the 50-cent minimum.
Either way, a handful of bettors walked away from the first five races at Aqueduct on Sunday wearing the satisfied smile of a horseplayer who just cashed an IRS ticket.
Top Payouts for the Week Ended Nov. 16

Wager
 Wager Amount 
 Payoff 
Track
Date
Race#

Win
 $2.00
 $212.70
WO
11/15/14
10

Place
 $2.00
 $73.00
DED
11/12/14
10

Show
 $2.00
 $35.00
WO
11/12/14
8

Exacta
 $1.00
 $396.50
DED
11/12/14
10

Exacta
 $2.00
 $932.80
LRL
11/13/14
8

Quinella
 $1.00
 $59.00
TUP
11/15/14
7

Quinella
 $2.00
 $156.40
DMR
11/14/14
5

Trifecta
 $0.50
 $2,789.50
DED
11/14/14
3

Trifecta
 $1.00
 $8,401.10
GPW
11/14/14
2

Trifecta
 $2.00
 $18,493.60
RP
11/14/14
3

Superfecta
 $0.10
 $5,442.48
DED
11/12/14
4

Superfecta
 $0.20
 $20,350.92
HAW
11/13/14
4

Superfecta
 $0.50
 $12,757.35
MNR
11/11/14
5

Superfecta
 $1.00
 $86,991.15
WO
11/15/14
10

Superfecta
 $2.00
 $22,684.40
CD
11/12/14
9

Daily Double
 $1.00
 $265.10
DED
11/12/14
10

Daily Double
 $2.00
 $914.40
GPW
11/14/14
7

Pick 3
 $0.50
 $3,099.60
DED
11/15/14
5

Pick 3
 $1.00
 $5,560.70
GPW
11/13/14
8

Pick 3
 $2.00
 $6,963.00
AQU
11/15/14
5

Pick 4
 $0.50
 $14,413.00
FL
11/10/14
5

Pick 4
 $1.00
 $13,148.30
GPW
11/14/14
10

Pick 4
 $2.00
 $59,700.00
AQU
11/15/14
5

Pick 5
 $0.20
 $1,520.06
HAW
11/12/14
5

Pick 5
 $0.50
 $60,923.35
DMR
11/13/14
5

Pick 5
 $0.10
 $4,072.20
MNR
11/15/14
8

Pick 5
 $2.00
 $127,380.00
AQU
11/15/14
5

Pick 5 Jackpot
 $0.20
 $37,935.06
LRL
11/15/14
9

Pick 6
 $0.20
 $26,046.38
GG
11/13/14
7

Pick 6
 $1.00
 $3,436.00
TUP
11/12/14
8

Pick 6
 $2.00
 $32,662.40
CD
11/15/14
10

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $0.20
 $10,209.46
GPW
11/13/14
10

Super High Five
 $0.50
 $10,020.00
DMR
11/16/14
9

Super High Five
 $1.00
 $5,161.30
GPW
11/11/14
10

Super High Five
 $2.00
 $3,960.20
MNR
11/11/14
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.