Most memorable bets

[Ray2000]

My most memorable bets

Looking back on 40 years of betting Harness, the bets that stand out the most are..

The Meadows, last race of night, 9 horse field. I was on a horrible losing streak, I had $15 left and a C-note hidden in my wallet, didn't want to break the hundred but wanted to wheel a longshot (8) so I tossed out the 7 horse and part wheeled the 8. Came in 8-7 and paid over a thousand......

Also at The Meadows, my best bet was going to be the 5 in race 3 that evening. It's Happy Hour and I'm sitting at the Holiday Inn bar, the cocktail waitress who dated Davy's brother Mike has a "HOT TIP" on the 3 in that same race. Her info's always good so we agree to share a 10$ box (I bought a $20 box) on the 5-3. She'll come up to the track after her shift is over. At post time we're at the finishing line watching the race and all is going well. Fast Quarter, here comes my 5, 1st over, the 3 pulls out directly in the path of the 5, wheels hook and down they go... No drivers or horses hurt but that image of that tangled mess of bikes, straps, poles, animals and a 40$ ticket is forever burned into my brain.


Anyone else have any memorable bets...?


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[melman]

Wow Ray you never had any good stuff happen? I had my share of tough beats but the two that stand out for me are both positive (and lucky) ones. I think these two are standouts for me because they both happened long ago at a time I really needed the money. Cash was very tight then and one had to drive to the track to see and bet a race. Yeah that far back. One I have posted about a few times already. It was a late spring night at Liberty Bell Park. Funds were low and I really wanted a score as I loved taking the much longer drive in the summertime down to Brandywine. A race late in the card came up where I hated the first two favorites. Both of them had won there last starts on perfect pocket trips. I box three in the exacta's and four in the tri's. It was an 8 horse field and 5 of them had BIG trouble right at the start. Two of the horses laying on the ground and three others just staggering around. Guess which three where left? Yup my three. I of course spent the rest of the time rooting for the longest prices. The exacta was for just over $150 and the tri just over $500. Very lucky has the third place horse had trouble also and had trouble finishing the race. Lucky payoff, lucky they did not call the race a "no contest". The other was on a 18-1 shot who had no right winning. The leader halfway down the lane by at least 3 lenghts for some reason went on a wild break and jumped the rail. The 2nd place horse reacted and went way to the outside. This allowed my 18-1 shot to sneak up the rail and win by a nostril.

[camourous]

One of my more memorable bets was back in the late 90's at the Meadowlands, i was at Philly Park on a friday night watching the simulcast, and a horse i always bet on was in with trainer Paul Keyes driving, Perfect Companions, ended up getting a 2nd over trip and getting up to win by a head at 99-1.. i had a win bet on him, but also had the exacta with the 5-2 favorite who led til deep stretch. It wasn't my biggest score, but i'll never forget that race

[Robert Goren]

I have several $100 winners, but my memorable bet is memorable because how stupid felt the race was run. I was in college and betting $2 tickets at the time. Up pops a state bred race. There was a 2 horses entry and both looked to be about 20 lengths better than the rest of the field. so I stuck $40 to show on the entry. One of the horse horses ran dead last. The other got show in a photo by a long nose. Even though I made $ 4 on the race, I realised how dumb a bet that it really was.

[PICSIX]

Easy one for me. $100 win on Lemon Drop Kid in the Belmont Stakes. My reasons for betting: He skipped the Preakness and had a start over the Belmont track and he had lower odds in the Kentucky Derby then Charismatic. I was working in the Cleveland area at the time and took my crew to Thistledown and we had a blast!!!

I can't remember the race but I bet the LDK and Vision & Verse exacta when they met again after the Belmont.

[cecil127]

1st time at the Big M: (over a decade ago)
lost about $60 on the nite and Luc ends up driving Duke of Abbey to a win in the finale at odds of 35/1 or so. had $2 on him to win propelling me into the black
celebrating at the rail i cheered for them both as they made their way back to the paddock. sudddenly a bitter bettor charges the fence and hurls his program at one of the millers yelling, "way to beat that horse miller you (bleep-bleep-bleeeeeeeep)"
i laughed all the way back to PA.....

then there was this one on saturday: wrote down the 10 over the 6/2 in the opener at the meadowlands. drove to my friends house to watch on the big screen and walk in to hear him saying, "wow, bombs away in the first bro!"
i reply-"who the ten horse?" he nods and i begged him not to show me the 2nd place horse. naturally its the six horse, i show him my paper of picks and we both just about

[beaucap]

Well here's mine...A friend of mine owned a horse, i'm sure everyone here had one of those. It was on a saturday night at Sportsman Park in Chicago. He called me early that day and told me his horse was running in the 6th race and to bet my house and everything else i had. Again i'm sure everyone here has heard that before. That night i was unable to go to the track because of a inlaw Birthday party. The party was near Maywood Park so i knew i could sneak away from the Birthday and make a bet...so i did. I bet a $100 to win on him and played $20 exactas with 2 other horses. I ended up winning about $6000. I called my friend up the next day and said i owe you one i collected good. He told me the horse was coming out of the paddock and hit his leg against a pole. He was limping. They were going to scratch him but did not. No one else bet the horse but me. The moral of this story is you must have a little luck to stay alive in this sport and i certainly did that night. Thanks for Birthday partys.

[Tom]

I had a 1-9 shot at Batavia back in the 70's.
I played it over and under two 35-1 shots in the exacta.

The 1-9 broke stride in the stretch and the two 35-1 shots came in. I had them both on the ticket, but not together.

Thank GOD for Budweiser!

[melman]

Tom--Similar thing happened to a friend of mine. Also back in the early 70's I think. At Liberty Bell, horse was Armbro Ranger who was a VERY good one and had been winning all his races easy. Goes off at 1-9 and halfway down the lane decides to hop the rail and go for a swim in the infield pond. My friend had the two longshots underneath only.

Beaucap---Now that was a beautiful story. Love it. Did you at least buy your friend a big dinner afterward.

[jdhanover]

My top ones:

#3 Was at the Big M a few years ago with a friend who never plays horses but she knows horses (farms etc). We both see the #4 and it looks like it is asleep on the track. Listless etc. And it had a funny name - "A Very Nice Horse" (no joke). We laugh about it, bet others, then I cry when it wins and pays over $225 for each $2 win ticket.

#2 At the Big M many, many years ago with friends and for the last race (for reasoins i do not know to this day given the few $ I had), I bet a 5 horse $1 exacta box ($20 - enough to cover 5 races at that time!). I knew I had a couple of longshots and the heavy favorite in there. Race goes and finishes 5-9 and I glance at the board and see the 2/5 won over the 30-1. So I am happy figuring I will make a few bucks. Then I look again and see it was 25/1 over 30/1. Paid $394. Needless to say it was a good night!

#1 Many years ago I stopped at the OTB before heading home. Pre-cellphone days. I bet a 2x1x1 $2 Pick 3 at Fairmount Park for a whopping investment of $4. First race one of my horses (thought it would be about 5/1 when I made the bet) wins by a head at 20/1. 2d race I have the second choice which goes to the lead with the heavy fave in the pocket... who breaks 5/8 into the race scattering the field behind him - easy win for my horse. Final race - I have the 8/5 fave who is dead last into the stretch (on the outside though). Pulls out and zooms past the field as if it were standing still. $2,200 - and of course there is paperwork to sign. So I am VERY late for dinner. I walk in and the Mrs was NOT happy....until I pulled out the wad of Franklins and started counting them out. Then she was VERY happy.

[Tempogain]

I live overseas. Back in the days before the internet I only could bet the Big M on trips back home. I managed to hit an exacta for about 300 and had to leave to pick up my sister soon at the airport. Knowing I couldn't bet for the next year, and liking the next race, I naturally decided to bet it all on two exactas, with Joe Schwind over two other horses. I can't remember their names unfortunately. I sat and watched quietly, until when they came around the turn Schwind was in the lead, one of my 2nd horses was first over and the other coming off cover. I began rooting rather loudly at this point (HOLD WITH THIS TWO or something,) unsettling the people in the row behind me a bit. Schwind and the cover horse hit the wire too close to call. I left the row and began some heavy duty pacing. This still surprises me but Schwind held up by a nose and I cashed a $79.20 exacta 75 times (that I remember.) I felt like I was on cocaine or something at the time. My dad didn't believe me and asked "Yeah, show me what $5000 looks like" and I did of course. First really solid hit I ever made and still the biggest sadly.

[jimnancy]

My best hit came back in the days when Bay Meadows was racing and you had to be at the track to make a bet. I used to watch the exacta payoffs and try to find a live long shot. This was before the internet changed the way the money came into the pools. I picked up on a 35-1 shot that was getting some action. back in the day my bet amount was based on how good I felt about what I saw. I think I invested about $200 by the time the teller was done punching exacta tickets. This horse at 35-1 whent right to the front and never looked back. I was just watching for the second place horse and sure enough I had it. I had to count how many tickets I had on that combo and counted 8- $5 tickets that paid $500 each for 4k total. The funny part was I was by myself at the track that day. If you know the area Bay Meadows was in (not real nice) I didn't celabrate until I got back in the car with the doors locked.

Great theard Ray

[Sea Biscuit]

Mine is a good luck story and it happened many many moons ago but I can still remember as if it happened yesterday.

I like a horse #4 who was going off at 6-1. As it was close to post time in my haste I forgot my program on my seat. There was one guy before me at the wicket. When my turn came I mumbled 'gimme $10 w/p on the #5'. As soon as the teller punched my tickets the bell rang and the window closed. As I walked backed to my seat I realized I bet the wrong horse. I looked at the toteboard and the #5 was going off at 60-1. No way I said to myself is this horse going to win this race and I quietly dropped my ticket under my seat in disgust.

As the race developed the #4 was leading in the stretch by about 2 lengths and I was getting sick looking at this race. Out of nowhere there came this horse from way off the pace and nicked the #4 at the wire. I couldn't believe my eyes it was the #5.

I quickly picked up my ticket, cashed it and smiled all the way back home and thanked the Gods that govern harness races for my good fortune.

[rycommon]

I have three memorable bets. the first at Los Alamitos in the eighties, I bet $2 on the pick 6 just for the heck of it since there was a large carry over. All 6 favorites came in and I made over $600 for the $2 bet. My second one came at Hollywood Park, being bored between races I was walking around glancing at the tickets thrown away on the floor. I notice a show ticket that was a winner that some one threw away. It cash for $8 which I used for 2 exacta tickets. the $5 dollar was for Tempest Direct to Without Fear and paid $285. But the one that really stand out in my mind was also at Hollywood Park. There was a horse Pacing Hi with H Parker that was bet down big and he left fast for the lead, He was going so fast that his legs got tangled in the hopples and broke. The next week, he came back and was send off at a price. won by double digits length and the exacta to the favorite paid over $100 to a $3 exacta. got it 10 times and it was the biggest pay day I ever had.

[WPL]

1987 Kentucky Derby I made absolutely the biggest bet of my life and won every bet they paid out. I also had the worst and only headache I ever had as they came down the stretch. I was never more stressed at the track. I thought I was dying right there in the clubhouse at Aqueduct.
That headache lasted for hours.
Next year the 1988 Kentucky was a similar bet for me in terms of what I liked. I made a 'rational' bet and cashed every bet they paid out.
Neither the money bet nor the money collected was close to the previous year - but I was a lot happier.
The 1987 Derby taught me a great lesson about betting w/in myself and respecting my real limits for accepting risk.