Showing posts with label frac daddy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label frac daddy. Show all posts

  • TwinSpires player turns $20 to show on Orb into $6,705.67 pay day

    POSTED Jun 19, 2013 By Unknown
    For those who thought (as I did) that Orb was the most likely winner of the Belmont Stakes, nearly even money (19-to-20, paying $3.90) to show on the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands winner in the third jewel of American Thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown must have seemed like great value.

     Indeed, ChungMing Hui of New York thought Orb gave him the best chance not only to cash a show bet but also win his share of the $10,000 TwinSpires.com put up as part of its Triple Crown SHOWdown competition. Each correct $20 show bet on 17 prep races plus each classic was worth 1 share. Those who swept the Triple Crown split the $10,000 based on the number of shares they had.

     Hui went into the Belmont as one of 14 people still eligible for a share of the $10,000. Those 14 players had 70 shares between them, with five shares already to Hui's credit, meaning a sixth share in the Belmont would have been worth a minimum of $714.28 to him even if the other 13 players were all right as well.

     But a funny thing happened considering the Derby and Preakness winners both hit the tri: Only two of the 14 people hit the Belmont. Most picked Revolutionary, two picked Orb, and nobody picked either winner Palace Malice or runner-up Oxbow.

     The top three finishers in the Belmont Stakes had more than 50% of the show pool among them, but only 14.3% of TwinSpires.com SHOWdown players survived. It lifted Hui's payout from a minimum $753.28 (including the $39 for his show bet) to $6,705.67.

    I talked in this blog about the strategy going into the last race: better to go for the surer thing and cash for less or go for the home run. As it turned out, betting the favorite was a bonanza, but it's not as if most people were going for gusto on horses like Frac Daddy. Indeed, the most popular pick to show was second choice Revolutionary. It makes sense given the running style that even if you thought he wouldn't win, he'd be closing. He never fired, though, and the TwinSpires.com SHOWdown dreams of many players went up in smoke.

     So there was no $1-million winner again this year, but that two players won thousands of dollars on a 3-race show parlay is still pretty cool.

  • The race I most want to see & Derby futures

    POSTED Feb 11, 2013 By Unknown
    Not since Rachel Alexandra-Zenyatta have two horses ignited conversation like the way Point of Entry and Animal Kingdom did following their battle in the Kitten's Joy Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap Championship.


    Both Animal Kingdom & Point of Entry could make their next starts in Dubai, albeit in different races w/ Animal Kingdom likely for the Dubai World Cup on Tapeta Footings, and Point of Entry nominated to the Dubai Sheema Classic on turf.

     I don't necessarily share Pat's zest for seeing U.S.-based animals having an international campaign, but seeing Point of Entry and Animal Kingdom square off again in a race like the Prince of Wales over 1 1/4 miles at Royal Ascot would be a lot of fun. Throw in Little Mike and Horse of the Year and three-time champion Wise Dan, and wouldn't it be something if Americans had the superfecta at Royal Ascot?

     But seeing those four in the same gate would be amazing regardless of locale, and any of the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes, Dixie Stakes, or Manhattan Handicap would be a fun setting for such a match up since all three of those races are on classic undercards.

    MONDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: Per Mike Welsch, Point of Entry will not point toward Dubai and instead have what appears to be a more domestic campaign with the Arlington Million and Breeders' Cup Turf being major summer and fall goals, respectively. I bet a Phipps horse who won those two race plus another Grade 1 a la Little Mike would be champion.

    Anyway, doesn't sound as if we'll see Animal Kingdom take on any of his conquerors (Wise Dan and Point of Entry) again, but he is taking on the world, and that's definitely something.

    Following up on my future wager action, I had to call an audible late Sunday afternoon because seven horses at 15-to-1 or less plus the field at 8-to-5 meant some decent prices elsewhere that I just couldn't ignore. I ended up playing eight different horses to win at $20 apiece to bring my total Kentucky Derby investment to $200 with returns ranging from 3-to-2 to 11-to-1 on the 12 horses I've taken a position on.
    I passed on the exacta pool because I wasn't in a position to look closely at the will pays and didn't want to play "just because." In retrospect, probably would have been worth a few shekels to key box the field with the aforementioned eight horses I bet to win, but there'll be time enough for counting when the dealing's done. I mean, I still have two pools and the race itself to put myself in a more favorable position.

     The final 10-point-to-the-winner Derby prep races are this weekend with the El Camino Real Derby on Saturday at Golden Gate Fields and Southwest Stakes on Monday at Oaklawn Park. Then things really get interesting with the 50-point races since I project a win there almost certainly guarantees a spot in the Derby gate if more than 20 enter.

     Check this space for TCI weekend preview, free Brisnet.com Ultimate Past Performances, and TwinSpires.com promo info.