Going for Long Shots in 6-Horse Races Pays Off

Jack is a casual kind of gambler who likes to go the race track only when he has nothing else to do. If he isn’t going somewhere with his kids or his wife or his entire family, then he and his son may decide at the last minute to visit the track.

When he does get to the track, he usually bets every race. But the one race he prefers is limited to a six-horse field. Distance doesn’t matter, only the number of horses in the race. When he finds such a race, he’ll ignore the favorite and bet on the two horses with the longest odds.

Jack isn’t concerned with losing, either, because, at most, the race will cost him $4. And during the nine-race card, if there are more than two races with six-horse fields, that would be a lot.

In fact, during the recent meeting at Hollywood Park, six-horse races appeared about twice a day on an average and during the track’s first 37 days didn’t come up at all during nine days.

What Jack is looking for is big payoff. He loves the action and the excitement and more than anything else enjoys cashing in a ticket on a high-priced nag. Most of the days he has gone to the track, he has hit some huge parimutuels.

For example, on April 29 at Hollywood Park there was only one race with a six-horse field. The third was a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, that were running for a $20,000 purse.

The lineup and odds were:

1--Oh Marie, $15.40

2--Shayne A Dam, 5.70

3--Lou’s Fast, 3.30

4--Feeling Tipsy, 19.00

5--Showtime Lady, 2.50

6--Popping Champagne, 1.30

Studying the totalizator board just before the start of the race, Jack bet Feeling Tipsy and Oh Marie. At the beginning of the race, Feeling Tipsy settled into third place while Jack’s other horse, Oh Marie, dropped into fifth.

By the half-mile mark, Feeling Tipsy took a head lead, and Oh Marie moved up to fourth. By the stretch, Feeling Tipsy was still a head in front and Oh Marie was still running fourth.

In the stretch, both horses moved up. Feeling Tipsy took a half-length lead and won the race as Oh Marie passed a tiring horse to move into third, where it ended up. When the prices were posted, Jack found himself with a $40 mutuel and a profit of $36 on the race.

On May 10 at Hollywood Park, Jack couldn’t have had a more action-packed day, winning two out of two races and collecting boxcar figures on both.

In the third, Jack bought tickets on Waveby, which went off at $26-$1 odds. Also, Jack bet Fascinating, which was only $8.60-$1. However, since Fascinating was one of the two highest long shots in the race, Jack had to automatically bet the nag. But when the race started, he rooted for Waveby, which went off at the higher odds.

At the start of the race, for 4-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, running six furlongs, Waveby was fourth although the horse broke from the No. 1 post position. However, the nag quickly moved up to second at the quarter-pole and entered the stretch 1 1/2 lengths in front, while Fascinating was running fifth.

At the finish, Waveby, a tiring horse, managed to hold on and win by a head. Fascinating, which didn’t make a move, took fifth, only beating the favorite, Radiant Star. For his $4 bet, Jack collected $54 on the win and pocketed a $50 profit.

In the eighth, Jack was delighted when the field turned out to be another six-horse race. He bet Prince Ruffian, which was $14.70-$1 and Silent Prince, which went off $10.40-$1. When the 1 1/16-mile race on the turf for 4-year-olds and up started, Prince Ruffian was in fourth place and Silent Prince was in third.

Prince Ruffian made a small move to take second by a head at the three-quarter pole as Silent Prince dropped back to fifth. However, in the stretch, Prince Ruffian tired while Silent Prince moved up to fourth. Moving quickly through the stretch, Silent Prince passed two other horses and moved toward the front. At the wire, Silent Prince pushed his head in front of the second-place horse and took a $22.80 victory. Prince Ruffian ended up last, about eight lengths behind the leader and out of the money.

Jack collected $22.80, subtracted the $4 he bet, and came up with an $18.80 profit. Added to the $50 he had previously won, he was ahead $68.80 for the two races.

Another time Jack won two out of two races in one day was on May 31.

In the third race, Decora, running 6 1/2 furlongs for 3-year-olds and up, beat the fading favorite, Cascading, to the wire by a head. The head victory was worth $16.80 to system backers, and $12.80 in winnings to Jack.

In the ninth race, 1 1/16 miles for 4-year-olds and up, Jack bet Janitor at $13.10-$1 and In Bold at $9.50-$1. In Bold finished in front by 3 1/2 lengths, while Janitor was finishing fifth. The nag paid $21 to win and Jack was ahead $17. For the day’s two six-horse races, Jack ended up with a $29.80 profit.

Although Jack wasn’t at the track every day to bet his six-horse fields, the 11 winning races of the 45 that took place would have resulted in total mutuels of $234, while the 34 losing races would have cost Jack a total $123 in losses. Thus he would come out $111 ahead for the first 37 days of racing at Hollywood Park.

Jack views such winnings philosophically, however. And since he only bets such races to make a big hit and doesn’t mind losing his $4 a race, he always says to anyone who will listen whenever he wins: “Jack be nimble, Jack be quick . . . cashing in on long shots is really slick!”