Superfecta Payout Question -- Which is Correct?

[Track Collector]

Hello,

On 12/04/11 at Aqueduct the late pick4 payout numbers (Per DRF/Bris/Equibase results charts) were 5 / 4 / 3,9 / 8. The 3rd leg was won by the Post Time Favorite #3 horse.

Also shown in the payout numbers for the 3rd leg was #9, who was shown as an EARLY scratch according to the NYRA Scratches/Changes document on their website. It is my understanding that per NYRA pick4 rules, LATE scratches get replaced by the Post Time Favorite.

It would seem to me that either the designation of the scratch as EARLY, or the listed payout numbers, is Incorrect.

How might I confirm which one is correct and which one is incorrect?

NOTE: This question is related to a PaceAdvantage Pick4 Contest. If someone were in possession of a real ticket and run it thru a parimutuel machine or examined their ADW wagering records, it would be easy to determine the answer.

Thanks for any help!

[Ocala Mike]

It's a matter of semantics, and how you define "early" and "late." If I recall correctly, scratches went up very late that day, and Aqueduct betting probably opened BEFORE all the scratches were programmed into the system. In other words, as long as it was POSSIBLE to bet on the horse as part of the P/4 for even a short time, the horse becomes a LATE scratch for P/4 purposes even though it might have been posted as a regular, or EARLY, scratch along with the other scratched horses for the day. I notice that NYRA is often the last track to open for betting at my ITW venue because they seem to get the scratches entered into their system relatively late each day.


Ocala Mike

[horses4courses]

When to comes to the PK4 - a scratch is a scratch, early or late.
If you have a scratch on your ticket, you get the post time favorite.