RICHARD ENG:
Pick 6 betting calls for savvy money managing
In my book, "Betting on Horse Racing for Dummies," I called the Pick 6 a thinking man's lottery. On Wednesday, the Fairplex Park races showed what I meant by that.
A four-day Pick 6 carry-over had swelled to $988,445. Then nearly $3 million was bet chasing the money. There ended up being 33 winners, who each received $78,794. Some spent many hundreds or even many thousands of dollars to win.
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However, a good friend at Sunset Station won with a ticket costing only $96. It easily could have been reduced to $48. I think it proves once again that with good handicapping and good money management you can beat the races.
The $96 ticket was bet 2x3x2x1x2x2. The first three legs were won by the favorite: Scofield Honour ($4.40), Precocious Rene ($5.60) and Virgo Genius ($7.60).
In betting the Pick 6 with a limited bankroll, you must single a horse, and sometimes two, to keep the cost down. My friend singled Signoretto Sig, 9-2 in the morning line. When the dead late closer got up in the final strides to win Race 9, a big hurdle was passed.
There were still probably hundreds of live Pick 6 tickets across the country. Next, Kimmy Potter ($7.20) won the Black Swan Stakes. However, she was 6-1 in the morning line.
The last leg, Race 11, proved to be the separator. A separator is a mid- to high-priced horse that separates you from the crowd.
My friend used the favorite Balance the Score and a 14-1 long shot named Waltz Time. The angle was in a cheap maiden claiming field Waltz Time had back class from running in a Turf Paradise stakes race. Waltz Time rallied from far back to win going away.
The $78,794 payout was a big overlay. Compare it with the late Pick 4, which included the four hardest races in the Pick 6 and paid only $3,946.
It's an example of why I believe horse racing is the best gambling game in a casino.
Yet the same person who wouldn't play $100 on the horses would bet it all on one turn in roulette or one hand at a blackjack table.
Richard Eng's horse racing column is published Friday. He can be reached at rich_eng@hotmail.com.
