A pocketful of miracles!

[njcurveball]

Have you ever seen TWO horses above 99-1 make it into the Trifecta? I cannot think of one time I have seen this in the last 30 years.

Check out todays 2nd from Gulfstream when you have time to dream about a pocketful of miracles.

Did the winner look THAT bad? Two races back the horse was the favorite in this exact same spot. A trainer change, a terrible race and three average races later and the horse is 150-1! Obviously a leap of faith, but one that was well rewarded. The 3rd place horse was over 130-1!

Score one for the low VI =20 here! Where are the contests when you need them!


12 Running Super Star......... $310.80 $90.40 $29.40
10 Bullet Proof Man........... $4.60 $3.60
8 Excellent Eagle............ $37.80

DD 5-12 $631.80
EX 12-10 $764.90
SF 12-10-ALL-ALL $738.20
TF 12-10-8 $15596.20

[Donnie]

two words Jim....

CAP HORSE!!

You get $82 for him in a tournament!!

[njcurveball]

Donnie,

I estimate 1 out of 5 tourneys today would cap this horse. I cannot think of one tourney in the Delaware Valley (NJ, Pa, Del) that uses anything other than live money and the mutuels paid. Conneticut also went live money a few years ago.

Maybe I need to move to your neck of the woods?


Jim

[DanG]

Jim,

I was fortunate enough to have the early double and pick-3 small but it was really no great case I made for him. It was largely a case against everyone else. Just a dreadful field.

I made a note after his 8f GP debut when he was favored that was encouraging. Bravo did not pursue with him and he lugged in something terrible.

Came back sprinting and the chart did not mention it but he lugged in again and was not abused.

Today he shows three works (PPX WKSC from the horrible 65 to ok 75) and the trainer is now 5/22 at routes as the HTR TPG “B” indicated. High score for a trainer who is under 200. I made “a leap of faith” :) as you correctly put it and gambled this good route trainer had corrected this bad lugging habit.

Now…When I played the double it was low 4 figures. So much for that and I was content with my doubles and pick-3 (not coming close to the parlay BTW) as he pays 3+ bills to win. Didn’t realize what I should have, but OK considering.

BTW: If the ultimate second place horse with Douglas doesn’t lug in this #12 has no shot.

[njcurveball]

Congrats on your score Dan! I am glad to hear of your success!!

You are right, you deserved much higher payouts!!!

Jim

[Zaf]

Gotta Love Dreadful fields !!!!!! Look at the 10th at MNR tonight. FOR THREE YEAR OLDS AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE NOT WON A RACE SINCE MARCH 12, 2006. The public actually sent the #10 horse off at 3-5. This horse had no chance. Simply boxing the K2,K3,K4 exacta for $12 returned, $183.40.

[DanG]

Thanks Jim and your so right…the payouts sucked all things considered. :(

Zaf, I hear ya…Not the most artistic thing to watch, but really poor low VI fields can offer amazing opportunities. :)

[Donnie]

Jim--
Might be the locale....I would estimate 4 out of 5 tournaments in the Midwest woulda capped it....HAW, AP, KEE, South Dakota, CBY, LAD...PRM (my home track) switched to live money 2 years ago, trend-setters that we are!! And definitely the Big Guns in LV woulda capped it!

[Donnie]

Congrats Dan! Doesn't matter how ugly, the fact is you had the winners!

[njcurveball]

Totally understood Donnie! I am hoping to hit one of these mega bombs to laugh at the people running these live money tourneys!

Unfortunately the laziest way to run a tournament these days is to issue a card and sit back and read a computer screen.

What do you want to bet that if the people at Tracks were running poker tourneys, they would find a way to have the players sit at a computer screen!

There is no charm or ambience in tourneys these days and that is why they will never attract the people that any smart Manager wants, the young adults.

And in that same breath, it is obivous that poker tourneys are attracting them in droves! They are building a younger and younger customer base. The tracks continue to do the exact opposite.

I doubt this is news to anyone reading this board unless by some strange twist of fate, a Manager at a Racetrack would care to read what their customers think!

Jim

[njcurveball]

Dan,

I would like to see if someone contacted Gulfstream about the Pic 3 payoff. The more I think about it, the more it makes me scratch my head!

The pool was over $30,000. The $1 payoff $646. That is more than 35 winning $1 tickets in my estimation.

Forgetting the parlay, I find it hard to believe that many people would wheel into a 12 horse field and hit it without a huge chalk! It wasn't like a 4-5 opened the sequence it was even the 2nd choice that won.

Remember the Balmoral pre-Breeders cup scandal where they found a back door? Keep your eyes and ears open here! Maybe greed took over and there was a $10 winner/winner/ALL pic 3 that mysteriously appeared before the 3rd?

I am less mad at the double price. I can see someone wheeling a 3-1 shot for $24. Especially into a maiden field.

I doubt it was the stable that did this. With a "live" 99-1 shot, you can make a lot of money in YOUR race. And usually the stable hands dont come to the track until their horse hits the paddock.

The parlay isn't the biggest flashing red light here (although it is very bright). Looking at the choices, it was 2nd choice, 12th choice out of 12, and 5th choice out of 6. With the 2nd choice involved in the double, that would take out a few more wheels.

Like I said, this is definitely a head scratcher!

Jim

[DanG]

Jim…

This is one of those rare times that I can explain exactly what happened and it’s first hand knowledge.

I know three people who hit the early pick-3 because I’m one of them. 2 of the other members of my group also had it. (The 4th member only plays the pick-6).

Part of our routine is I tell them if visually I have anything interesting on either card. As I said yesterday I mentioned this bomber, although in all honesty I wasn’t jumping up and down about him. One guy had it 5X, another twice and I had it 4X. BTW: All on track. It’s a case of killing our own price and ironically none of us had it in the win pool!!!.

The ticket I was fortunate on was 2 X 5 X 3, so I certainly didn’t single this rascal by any means.

That is one drawback to having a group; if you share all information some side bets can get some nasty crossfire in the pool. If we tried that at Will Rodgers Downs it might create a minus pool!!! :eek:

I’m not kidding when I say; you are as alert to more races across the country as about anyone. Where in the world do you find the time with all your other responsibilities / hobbies? Not to mention fantasy baseball which can be a full-time job if you’re in an aggressive league.

BTW: How bout those D-Rays with 8 runs off your Phillies!!!...Oh yeah…Phil’s scored 11… (1 – 12 and counting!!! :eek: :eek: )…As they said in Bull Durham…”How did we ever win one…it’s a miracle” :D

[OPM]

Your're killing your own price Dan, I would stick to the larger Tampa pools:D Have you seen the ontrack handle for GP over the last couple of days?
Good job all around, however, I rarely if ever play the pk3 anymore because the pools are usu small at most tracks(SCAL being the exception) I think the supa has superseded the pk3. Congrats again on a great score. I always like to keep tabs on the longest shots I've hit in the win spot and this one tops it for you probably.

[DanG]

Thanks Gupta,

I’ve never had a 99-1 shot in the win pool, but I did key one on top in the Tri at Monmouth Park many moons ago. With the heavens as my witness a friend of the family got a tip on a layoff 3yo whose 2yo running lines looked like a plow horse.

I couldn’t get a handle on narrowing the field down so I just wheeled him on top for $2 whole bucks. (BTW: I didn't know how to bet then at all)

Wins for FUN!!!...Runs with 2nd or 3rd choice for place and about the 6th choice third. The horse never took any real money that I saw in any pool and I’m dreaming of my first 5 figure score. My brother tells me “If you don’t get $8,000 you were robbed”…

Guess what, I was robbed…$2,400 and change…I felt like such a fool. If I spread around my wheel I make 5 times that.

Weird, I’ve only caught two 99-1+ bombs in my life in horse racing and both times I felt shortchanged!

Nobody said this life / game is always fair! :D

PS: I hear ya on Gulfstream…It morphs into a “glorified Calder meet” as it winds down. The weekday cards are staring to look that way early this year unfortunately.

[njcurveball]

One guy had it 5X, another twice and I had it 4X.

OH MY! Is that 11 $1 tickets Dan?

That still leaves over 15 more to figure out.

All I can say is

YOU WAS ROBBED! :eek:

[njcurveball]

[QUOTE=DanG;60523

I’m not kidding when I say; you are as alert to more races across the country as about anyone. Where in the world do you find the time with all your other responsibilities / hobbies? Not to mention fantasy baseball which can be a full-time job if you’re in an aggressive league.

BTW: How bout those D-Rays with 8 runs off your Phillies!!!...Oh yeah…Phil’s scored 11… (1 – 12 and counting!!! :eek: :eek: )…As they said in Bull Durham…”How did we ever win one…it’s a miracle” :D[/QUOTE]

I look at HTR at home and the charts and results at work. I would like to be involved in more races, but at least I get to keep tabs on what is happening. Funny thing is when I have the time on weekends, I am usually doing stuff other than horse racing. LOL!

As for Tampa, who pitched the 5th inning? A cast-off from the Royals named DOH-MAN! I just hear Homer Simpson announcing him! :D

I have to feel for you if you are taking the pitching rejects from the Royals! I saw Wiggington was at 3rd, what happened to the Japanese guy?

Looks like Dice-K and Phil Hughes both got a touch of reality this week.

Jim

[DanG]

As for Tampa, who pitched the 5th inning? A cast-off from the Royals named DOH-MAN! I just hear Homer Simpson announcing him! :D

I have to feel for you if you are taking the pitching rejects from the Royals! I saw Wiggington was at 3rd, what happened to the Japanese guy?

Looks like Dice-K and Phil Hughes both got a touch of reality this week.
Jim
D-Rays are barely worth discussing Jim.

Just pathetic and the manager is using his 3rd grade physiology to ruin what young talent they have.

Wiggy played because Maddon thought our Japanese free agent looked “tired”. A recurring theme with this guy. Here’s a player that is used to practicing SIX HOURS and then go play a game!!! Now he’s on a team that rarely takes batting practice. :eek:

I saw Hughes throw…Kid has a future if they don’t throw him straight into the meat grinder.

Dice-K needs his breaking stuff over and must be pin-point with his heat. His fastball is good, but NOT world class and when it misses he will get hurt. One thing Sox fans need to remember…this guy was about 100 – 60 over there. He did not have Cy Young’s win% and that’s pitching once a week. I think you were correct in warning people not to make a shrine to the “Gyro-ball” just yet.