Best Win

[Lemon Drop Husker]

I'm flat out tired of hearing all the negatives on here.

Time to tell the story of a great win in here.

Damn, lets get some positive mojo going.

[Prytanis]

Years ago at Yonkers
I bet a single pick four(it was a three dollar bet at the time)
7-7-5-5 it paid $28.000

[zerosky]

In the uk we have a bet called a Yankee, 4 selections, 11 bets (6 doubles, 4 trebles and a fourfold accumulator)

many years ago on a holiday weekend I placed the bet and without watching the races. In the evening I checked the results, the first two selections won, the third selection won but was disqualified and placed second whilst the 4th selection came second but was placed 1st after another disqualification.

so I expected to collect with three winners. The following day much to my surprise the bookmakers handed over almost £500 needless to say I got out of there double quick.

As it turned out (this was pre computer settling) they had marked all 4 as winners. Happy days.

[elhelmete]

Wife and I at the Del Mar Nov meet last year.

MSW, with one horse that looked superior except he was coming out of one of those rare $100K mdn claimers. Everyone else was coming out of another MSW or was a fts. At 17-1...gotta go in.

I had like $60 left on a voucher so I made a bunch of bets keying the 17-1.

He wins for fun. Weekend paid for.

[thaskalos]

I invested $360 on a twin-trifecta at Hawthorne about 30 years ago...and cashed for $125,000. I promptly quit my job...and declared myself a professional gambler. Alas...I was back at my old job after 6 months.

[elhelmete]

What the heck, here's another one.

I'm not even 21.

I'm laying low at Rockingham Park and it's maybe the second time I've ever been to the track by myself.

For absolutely no good reason, I zero in on a horse named War College, I think because the sire was Secretary of War so I assumed some link to Secretariat (wrong). He's like 6-1 M/L. Trained by king of the fairs Carlos Figueroa and I think that day Harry Vega up.

As they approached the gate, he throws the jock and runs like 3/4 mile and gets corralled and jogged back to the gate. No scratch but everyone around me is freaking out wondering if they can cancel (this was 1989 or 1990.

I'm too scared to try anything since I'm underage. I believe for some strange reason I had $6 across the board. I think his odds floated up to 8-1. Anyway, he breaks clean, goes to the front and wins for fun.

[ultracapper]

Couldn't tell you what year it was exactly, but not that many anyway. I watched a replay of a horse that had made his first start in about 10 months or so. Mike Pender was the trainer if I remember correctly. Anyhow, in this first start back, the horse pressed the pace right to the 5/16ths pole, and the jock basically quit riding. This was the first time I recognized, through replays, a "paid afternoon workout". I knew the next race was a go. Horse comes back about 3 weeks later, wires the field at 13/1, and I had $75 on his nose. It was April 1 of whatever year it was and the horse actually set the track record at Santa Anita for 5 furlongs in the process. That horse still holds that record, so you can find who it is, watch the race preceeding that record setter, and you'll see what I mean. Wasn't the biggest win, but it was the one that lifted my confidence exponentially in my ability to understand race replays. It is the single most profitable race of my life, as since that time, my ROI has taken an appreciatable hike.

[reckless]

Couldn't tell you what year it was exactly, but not that many anyway. I watched a replay of a horse that had made his first start in about 10 months or so. Mike Pender was the trainer if I remember correctly. Anyhow, in this first start back, the horse pressed the pace right to the 5/16ths pole, and the jock basically quit riding. This was the first time I recognized, through replays, a "paid afternoon workout". I knew the next race was a go. Horse comes back about 3 weeks later, wires the field at 13/1, and I had $75 on his nose. It was April 1 of whatever year it was and the horse actually set the track record at Santa Anita for 5 furlongs in the process. That horse still holds that record, so you can find who it is, watch the race preceeding that record setter, and you'll see what I mean. Wasn't the biggest win, but it was the one that lifted my confidence exponentially in my ability to understand race replays. It is the single most profitable race of my life, as since that time, my ROI has taken an appreciatable hike.

Interesting post and a very, very belated WTG!!

The funny thing about your post is that yesterday afternoon I am cleaning out one of the closets and I find the updated version of the book, Betting Thoroughbreds, by Steve Davidowitz.

There is a chapter in there about the VCR (a video cassette recorder for all you millenials out there) being a handicapper's best friend since players could (now) watch the races and pick up on trips the DRF trackman might miss.

[La billos]

Don't really have the biggest wins but the most I've hit was a 6500 P5 at Tampa a few years ago.

Lately I'm more notorious for chasing 30-1's in races when I get a feeling. In the last month I've hit 50 bucks on 3 30-1's, although I've given it all back haha

[La billos]

Don't really have the biggest wins but the most I've hit was a 6500 P5 at Tampa a few years ago.

Lately I'm more notorious for chasing 30-1's in races when I get a feeling. In the last month I've hit 50 bucks on 3 30-1's, although I've given it all back haha

There was a few years ago where I was keyed to a 15-1ML last leg in the Belmont P4, Junior broke out of the 13 hole, opened up 10-15 lengths on turf and just held on. Paid 3200 I believe, and that's where my name came from

[cosmo96]

I've had several big wins. But, what is more important is the gloom and doom in this forum. There is a lot of sage advice. I appreciate this and have benefited from it. I enjoy horseracing for what it is. Win or lose I love it. I wish that everyone would look on the sunny side instead of the dark.

[BlueChip@DRF]

Man From Wicklow breaking his maiden. His pps looked like nothing with the exception of his last race where he moved and finished forward when he was given blinkers and more real estate. He controlled the pace in this race and put everyone to sleep by going :50 and change at the half. When they turned for home, he had plenty in the tank. 34-1.

[BlueChip@DRF]

Man From Wicklow breaking his maiden. His pps looked like nothing with the exception of his last race where he moved and finished forward when he was given blinkers and more real estate. He controlled the pace in this race and put everyone to sleep by going :50 and change at the half. When they turned for home, he had plenty in the tank. 34-1.

Correction: 45-1
Two weeks later, he ran in an allowance. Many thought his win was a fluke since his odds ho Fred above 30-1 that day. I guess maiden winners were not supposed to repeat, but this was turf racing. And this time he didn't go to the lead. He just ran at his own pace. This was the big hook that got me into gambling the ponies.

[Kash$]

I invested $360 on a twin-trifecta at Hawthorne about 30 years ago...and cashed for $125,000. I promptly quit my job...and declared myself a professional gambler. Alas...I was back at my old job after 6 months.

Priceless :lol:

[ultracapper]

I invested $360 on a twin-trifecta at Hawthorne about 30 years ago...and cashed for $125,000. I promptly quit my job...and declared myself a professional gambler. Alas...I was back at my old job after 6 months.

Lucky they took you back.

[Psychotic Parakeet]

2003 Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita. I only brought $60 with me to the track to bet the whole card + admission etc... (all I could afford). Probably the best day of my life on minimal investing by only handicapping six races on the whole card.

The first race, which was I think the Very Subtle S., I told the teller $5 win on the #1, and I didn't bother looking at the ticket when I left after placing the bet. I looked at the ticket a couple minutes to post and I noticed she put 7 instead of 1. It was too late for me to bully my way through the crowd to change it, so I just grumbled how stupid I was not double-checking the ticket before I left. To my huge surprise, the #7 wins it by a nose over the #1, and my ticket paid $50.00.

The second race, I did a #1 tri-box on Got Koko, Elloluv, and Adoration for a $6 investment. HOLY CRAP!!! It hit with the longest shot on top to pay over $1,000!!!! The people next to me were totally WTH is wrong with that girl because I was just going crazy. Plus that was my first bet that I had to sign for the IRS stuff.

The third race, I put a $5 win on Halfbridled, which she won and it paid something like $16, and my $1 exacta box on 3 horses paid $60-something dollars.

The seventh race, I did a $1 exacta box on three horses for $6 and it paid off around $180.

My 24th birthday was just about two weeks before this big day, and it was nice that my wish came true that my handicapping would pay off one day.

[Stillriledup]

Man From Wicklow breaking his maiden. His pps looked like nothing with the exception of his last race where he moved and finished forward when he was given blinkers and more real estate. He controlled the pace in this race and put everyone to sleep by going :50 and change at the half. When they turned for home, he had plenty in the tank. 34-1.

You're KILLING me LARRY!

You've GOT to be kidding bringing up this race. Do you know that i LOVED that horse and somehow forgot he was racing and didn't realize he was racing until i heard the announcer "and man from wicklow" is running in...wherever he was running.
I know exactly why you bet on him, it had something to do with his previous start which was across some river at another track.

Right?

[BlueChip@DRF]

The Big M!

He didn't win every race after these two, but I always bet him thereafter.

[Stillriledup]

The Big M!

He didn't win every race after these two, but I always bet him thereafter.

Did you remember his previous start and what was special about it?

[tanner12oz]

Biggest score was the BC pick 4 ending with blame...$3800

craziest win was the penta carry at woodbine....i was in Lexington for the bluegrass and dead tired...made a couple wagers and said f this I'm going to bed cuz they were running like 30 mins behind. Cancelled my wagers cuz if I ain't watching then what's the point. Twinspires let all the cancels go through but blocked 1...smallest of the tickets like $9 total. Said whatever its 9 bucks..went to bed..woke up in the am ate breakfast, didn't even think of the little ticket that didn't cancel...eventually flipped the account up $800 plus richer from the lucky bastard hitting. I about died after all the goofy bad beats over the years. Never will forget about this one...total dumb luck.

[BlueChip@DRF]

Did you remember his previous start and what was special about it?

He finished 5th at The Meadowlands, much better finish than his previous races.
He usually ran towards the front chasing/challenging the pace and then tired out. But this time around at the Meadowlands, he stayed back, made a middle move, then lost 7 lengths on the turn, was 8th in the stretch by 11 lengths and then finished 5th by 6 lengths. Two moves in the same race - you could say it was a "sign of life". Plus he got an up-and-coming busboy with a 5 to 9 lbs weight break on the entire field but one.

Apparently, Violette got him to run at his own pace.

[Stillriledup]

He finished 5th at The Meadowlands, much better finish than his previous races.
He usually ran towards the front chasing/challenging the pace and then tired out. But this time around at the Meadowlands, he stayed back, made a middle move, then lost 7 lengths on the turn, was 8th in the stretch by 11 lengths and then finished 5th by 6 lengths. Two moves in the same race - you could say it was a "sign of life". Plus he got an up-and-coming busboy with a 5 to 9 lbs weight break on the entire field but one.

Apparently, Violette got him to run at his own pace.

Visually, he was stunning at the wire. Exploding with run. I don't remember if he galloped out on top, but he was really kicking in at the line, when i saw that race i was like "who was that" and it was him.

[raybo]

Not my largest hits in supers, but May 28th 2004 (day after my birthday), EvD race 5, $36 super ticket paid $3047.20 for a buck base. The next night, May 29th, EvD race 6, $36 super ticket paid $2447.60 for a buck base. And that was before the slots money hit Louisiana tracks, lucky if the pools were $8k - $10k!

[BlueChip@DRF]

Not my largest hits in supers, but May 28th 2004 (day after my birthday), EvD race 5, $36 super ticket paid $3047.20 for a buck base. The next night, May 29th, EvD race 6, $36 super ticket paid $2447.60 for a buck base. And that was before the slots money hit Louisiana tracks, lucky if the pools were $8k - $10k!


EvD is awesome with supers, even today!

[Capper Al]

Years ago playing on a three man handicapping team at e-Ponies, as a Da Cappers, we had about a 7 week winning streak going. Back in the day, the fantasy bets were only a $2.00 win ticket. It looked like the streak was gone. Our team hadn't hit a win in the first 6 races. Then to my surprise my team mate, Turfway Ed, and I had the same horse going off at about 12/1. We hit, won the contest, and kept our streak going.

There was also another contest here in PA when I hit the largest exacta payoff in the contest history, the contest Jay Trotter used to run. I actually had real money on that one.

[happy camper]

This isn't one of my biggest hits either, but I remember being at the track, Pocono Downs, and I bet a pick 4 at Tampa. I lost the first leg, and bet a pick 3. A 45-1 kicked off the pick 3 followed by some 9-2, then 7-2 prices. It was back in 2004 and it was a $1 bet. I cashed in for around 5k. I'm pretty sure I had the only ticket. What makes it great was I had to scramble back to my table because the pick 4 paid 3 out 4 for $700 something. At the time, there was an old man who would swoop by and pick up tickets off the table when you went to make a bet. Because of this, I would rip my losers up so he couldn't get them. Luckily, I only ripped it in half and the teller punched in the #'s.

I was pretty stoked after that.

Another goodie, which was my first big hit, I had $5 left and around 18 or 19 age wise, on my voucher. I did an exacta keyed with the favorite on top. The problem was I thought I bet Detroit Racecourse. It was like a 6 horse field. I look at the ticket and it was for Arlington. I can't remember if the DRC ticket would have been a winner, but I remember looking and seeing Arlington was about 20 minutes til post, then seeing the horse keyed to win was either 20-1 or 40-1, thinking 40-1. I had this horse for a $1 exacta 3/456 or whatever and 3/45 for $1. It came in 3/5 and I got over $500. Dead serious, when I saw how long it was til race and the odds on the horse I had keyed, I was going to leave and throw my ticket away. Dumb kid.

[soupman2]

As horses were entering the starting gate, I bet a $1 tri box and a $1 exacta. When I sat back down and looked at the ticket I realized I bet the wrong track. I waited for the right race and saw the horses were all long shots. It came in, the exacta paying just over $200 and the tri like $2700. It remains my biggest hit (just a $1 bettor) on a single race.

[Robert Goren]

Back in college, had a system that add and subtracted points from the speed rating in a horse race for various things like a jockey change. It mostly ended up on favorites, but it caught a $100 winner at Aksarben once. It also caught over 40 straight losers when the racing switched from Aksarben to Lincoln. Easy come, gut wrenching, not so easy go.