Breaking the Bank: Top Scores of 2014

Breaking the Bank - featuring data courtesy of Equibase - highlights the biggest scores of the past week in racing. (Gulfstream Park photo by Eclipse Sportswire) 
In this edition of Breaking the Bank, we’ll take a look back at some of the top payouts for 2014, including the jackpot Rainbow 6 that returned more than $6.67-million plus the year’s biggest longshot winner.
Before jumping into the life-changing returns on investment, I’d like to introduce you to Bob Ehalt, if you aren't already familiar with his work, who will be taking the reins on Breaking the Bank in 2015. Ehalt is a veteran turf writer and handicapper, whose Hot List selections have appeared in multiple publications. Give him a follow on Twitter and check out his first post next Wednesday!
During the first half of the year, one of the biggest stories from a handicapping perspective in horse racing was the building pool of the Rainbow 6 at Gulfstream Park. By the time of the May 25 card at Gulfstream, the carryover had swelled to just under $6.4-million with a jackpot that had not been hit since Jan. 10.
For those unfamiliar with the Rainbow 6, it is a multi-race bet with a 20-cent minimum that requires gamblers to select the winners of six consecutive races. It’s a jackpot Pick 6 wager that pays out only when there is one winning ticket.
If nobody selects all six winners in the sequence or if multiple bettors pick all six winners, a portion of the money bet into the day’s Rainbow 6 pool, plus the money already carried over, rolls into the jackpot for next card.
Earlier that month, Gulfstream announced that there would be a mandatory payout on Monday, May 26. With many horseplayers focused on the Monday card, racehorse owner and longtime handicapper Dan Borislow went after the jackpot on Sunday and took down the whole pot with a winning ticket that cost $7,603.20.
Click here for the Equibase charts for May 25 at Gulfstream
Borislow bought every race but one on the card by using the “All” button that gives a bettor every betting option in the race, and he was correct on the one race in which he took a stand.
“I thought this would be a good day because everybody was waiting for tomorrow, and I thought today was my chance to get it by myself,” Borislow, the inventor of the magicjack phone system who raced multiple Grade 1 winner Toccet, told the Miami Herald at the time.
The winning ticket, purchased at Palm Beach Kennel Club, paid $6,678,939.12 for a return of about 848 times the cost of the investment. Tragically, Borislow died of a heart attack on July 21 after playing in a soccer game in West Palm Beach, Fla.
The only other reported seven-figure return on the table below also came in a jackpot wager, but the payout, in this case, was misleading. The reported return for the Super High 5 for Race 8 on June 27 at the Oak Tree at Pleasanton meet was for a $2 wager rather than the minimum bet of 20 cents.
This Super High 5 — a jackpot bet that produces a carryover if nobody correctly selects the top 5 finishers in order — produced a reported payout of $1,186,327. But with much less than that in the betting pool, including the carryover, it’s clear that the winning ticket paid $118,632.76 for the 20-cent minimum, which still is a heckuva score.
(Blog continued below table)
Top Payouts for 2014

Wager
 Wager Amount 
 Payoff 
Track
Date
Race#

Win
 $2.00
 $242.20
LAD
6/20/14
9

Place
 $2.00
 $138.20
GP
12/31/14
5

Show
 $2.00
 $96.40
EMD
9/28/14
9

Exacta
 $1.00
 $1,260.40
CBY
7/5/14
8

Exacta
 $2.00
 $5,779.40
EVD
4/19/14
7

Quinella
 $1.00
 $273.50
TUP
12/21/14
7

Quinella
 $2.00
 $982.00
PRM
6/28/14
3

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

Trifecta
 $1.00
 $24,619.70
GP
2/22/14
12

Trifecta
 $2.00
 $118,165.80
RET
11/29/14
10

Superfecta
 $0.10
 $123,543.70
SA
1/25/14
7

Superfecta
 $0.20
 $25,906.28
HAW
11/1/14
9

Superfecta
 $0.50
 $16,594.85
MNR
10/27/14
8

Superfecta
 $1.00
 $250,148.45
WO
7/5/14
6

Superfecta
 $2.00
 $544,576.00
KEE
10/18/14
7

Daily Double
 $1.00
 $2,326.10
EVD
8/15/14
4

Daily Double
 $2.00
 $6,560.00
ARP
6/7/14
9

Pick 3
 $0.10
 $234.05
LS
5/3/14
5

Pick 3
 $0.20
 $606.10
HAW
12/26/14
9

Pick 3
 $0.50
 $10,069.95
DED
2/5/14
6

Pick 3
 $1.00
 $34,914.80
SA
10/12/14
8

Pick 3
 $2.00
 $48,698.00
CT
4/19/14
14

Pick 4
 $0.20
 $6,378.06
HAW
12/26/14
9

Pick 4
 $0.50
 $39,673.30
SA
10/12/14
9

Pick 4
 $1.00
 $213,192.70
WO
12/7/14
7

Pick 4
 $2.00
 $190,747.00
TAM
2/28/14
10

Pick 5
 $0.20
 $5,691.52
HAW
11/7/14
5

Pick 5
 $0.25
 $1,040.58
PM
10/12/14
11

Pick 5
 $0.50
 $160,712.55
KEE
4/19/14
10

Pick 5
 $1.00
 $116,885.20
TAM
2/23/14
10

Pick 5
 $2.00
 $595,502.00
SAR
8/29/14
5

Pick 5 Jackpot
 $0.10
 $2,305.05
PIM
4/6/14
9

Pick 5 Jackpot
 $0.20
 $75,273.94
LRL
12/18/14
9

Pick 5 Jackpot
 $0.50
 $463,219.45
FG
3/1/14
9

Pick 5 Jackpot
 $1.00
 $22,906.70
LRL
1/4/14
9

Pick 6
 $0.20
 $31,026.04
GG
12/7/14
9

Pick 6
 $0.50
 $172,347.40
CD
6/29/14
10

Pick 6
 $1.00
 $42,704.00
AP
7/27/14
9

Pick 6
 $2.00
 $589,989.20
OTP
6/28/14
10

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $0.10
 $107,089.46
MTH
8/8/14
10

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $0.20
 $6,678,939.12
GP
5/25/14
8

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $1.00
 $64,736.40
SUN
3/11/14
11

Pick 6 Jackpot
 $2.00
 $23,658.40
FNO
10/13/14
8

Super High Five
 $0.10
 $7,112.55
LS
5/23/14
9

Super High Five
 $0.20
 $4,713.70
STK
9/26/14
9

Super High Five
 $0.50
 $120,586.30
DMR
8/14/14
8

Super High Five
 $1.00
 $219,394.60
RET
10/10/14
9

Super High Five
 $2.00
 $1,186,327.60
OTP
6/27/14
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.  

Beaten favorites often trigger huge multi-race payouts — a frequent topic in this blog — but there is nothing like a triple-digit bomb when it comes to capturing the imagination of a horseplayer.
Who hasn’t gone to the track with a live longshot play that he/she thought might be the key to a life-changing score? Usually, that longshot horse provides a flash of hope — showing early speed and then fading or clunking up to finish a distant third or fourth — before dashing dreams. But on June 20 at Louisiana Downs, Undesided lit up the toteboard like no other horse in 2014.
The 6-year-old Ide gelding prevailed at 120.10-to-1 odds … after losing his last four races by at least 11 ¾ lengths. In the 11-horse field, Undesided was the third-longest shot in the field, behind ninth-place finisher Blue Zapphine at 120.20-to-1 and eighth-place finisher Sleek Ezeke at 142.30-to-1.
Undesided outran his odds, closing from seventh and wearing down 1.30-to-1 favorite Brother Ray Ray for a one-length win. Bettors who took a shot 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.
Jackpot wagers account for quite a few top payouts for 2014 and March 1 at Fair Grounds provided another massive score. Jack Ninio held the lone winning ticket in the Black Gold 5, earning him a payout of $463,219.45.
A 51-year old horseplayer from Las Vegas, Ninio has been playing the races for more than 30 years since being introduced to the sport while attending the University of Arizona.
“When I was at school in Arizona, I was at a fraternity pledge meeting, and I heard someone talk about how a player had won a Pick 6 at the Tucson Dog Park for $17,000,” Ninio said. “I started playing the races and have been playing horses for a long time and feel very happy – very excited. That was a life-changing score for me.”
Ninio told Fair Grounds that he had been following and playing the Black Gold 5 pool for several months and focused on the bet only on cards when he thought the jackpot could, perhaps, pay out.
“There were some days when there were some small fields or lots of favorites that I thought would win, and I would sit those days out,” he said. “I saw the first few races in the sequence [for his huge win] and thought there were some vulnerable favorites, so I threw out some horses I thought could get beat, but that I also thought would be used heavily on other players’ tickets.”
The Pick 5 on Aug. 29 at Saratoga Race Course for Races 1-5 confirmed how profitable beating favorites can be for the horseplayer. Nary a favorite prevailed in a sequence in which three of the winners went off at odds of 4-to-1 or less, yet a 33.50-to-1 winner in the final leg anchored a reported payout of $595,502 for a $2 bet.
With just a bit over $350,000 in the pool for this Pick 5, we can assume that the winning ticket was either for $1 at $297,751 or, more likely, a couple of winning tickets for the 50-cent minimum bet that paid $148,825.50.
Where else besides horse racing can you turn 50 cents into 150 grand?
Let’s quickly hop around to a couple of other payouts that caught the eye in 2014:

How do you turn a dime into a six-figure stack of cash? Start with a 65.20-to-1 winner. Susans Express scored at huge odds in the California Cup Oaks on Jan. 25, 2014, at Santa Anita Park to trigger some massive payouts, including a dime superfecta that one lucky bettor turned into $123,543.70. The bettor got an assist from Harlington’s Rose, who held on to fourth place by three-quarters of a length at 72.30-to-1 odds.
The reported payout for the $2 superfecta for Race 7 on Oct. 18 at Keeneland Race Course was $544,576! This half-million payout for a $2 wager was misleading, however, as there was only $101,401 total in the superfecta pool for the race. Reduced to the 10-cent minimum bet, the payout was still a massive $27,288.80 to a few lucky winners for a dime bet.
Keeneland also played host to a Pick 5 that cashed for $160,712.55 on April 19. The sequence, which ran from Races 6-10, kicked off with a 40.20-to-1 winner.
The $1 Pick 4 for Races 4-7 on Dec. 7 at Woodbine returned a reported $213,192.70 ($42,638.54 for the 20-cent minimum). With less than $130,000 in the Pick 4 pool, we can surmise that were a couple of winners at the minimum bet.

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.