by George
Horse Money!
Big payoffs were the order of the night at the Downs on Wednesday, capped by $47 winner Orville Got Even in the seventh race, which triggered a Pick-4 carryover of $3,488 when nobody held a winning ticket.
Only two favourites won on Wednesday, Adorci ($4.20) in the first race and Pleasant Closing ($2.80) in the fourth. But despite the heavy favourite winning the fourth race, the Pick-4 still went off the rails when Deceptive Miss ($21.20) won the fifth, Family Holiday ($14.40) won the sixth and the aforementioned Orville Got Even won the seventh. Nobody won the Pick-5 either, and there will also be a carryover of $1,735 into that wagering pool on Friday.
Both the Pick-4 and Pick-5 betting pools should be a good size before the gate opens on Friday night and you’ll definitely want to be chasing these rainbows.
Other big payoffs on Wednesday included a $182 Exactor in the third race when favourites Vader and Fresh Ice dueled each other into submission and finished fourth and fifth in a 5-horse field. The winner, Seven Tuff, ridden by Jennifer Reid for trainer Wendell Matt, and runner-up So Shiny, were both 9-1. The Triactor paid $468.10 when 5-1 Galloping Gulch finished third.
More big payoffs followed when Deceptive Miss won the fifth race under jockey Trevor Simpson for trainer Maria Stanford and paid $21.20. Runner-up Queen of Tahoe went off at odds of 5-1 and third-place finisher Miss Smoke Signals went off at 12-1 to set up a Triactor of $4,195.90 when heavy favourite Let’s Rocket finished fourth.
And just to top it all off, when Orville Got Even won the seventh race by a desperate nose at 22-1 for trainer Shelley Brown and jockey Gustavo Ortiz, he topped a Superfecta of $5,934.10. Orville Got Even was only the second winner for Ortiz at the meeting, but he was certainly a profitable one!
Extraordinary performances of the night go to Ortiz for his ride on Orville Got Even and to Pleasant Closing, who sprinted away late in the fourth race despite dueling throughout. Also of note was Prayven Badrie’s winning ride on 5-1 Many Crows for trainer Clayton Gray in the second race. Badrie showed a level of confidence in the stretch drive that will go unnoticed by most, but it indicated to the press box cronies that he’s ready to move up in the jockey colony faster than expected if he can continue to secure live mounts.
Tyrone Nelson was the only double winner on the card, jockey or trainer. Single wins went to jockeys Prayven Badrie, Jennifer Reid, Trevor Simpson, Tim Moccasin, Gustavo Ortiz and Robert Reeves Jr. as well as to trainers Roger Hansen, Clayton Gray, Wendell Matt, Murray Duncan, Maria Sanford, Steve Thompson, Shelley Brown and Carl Anderson. Current leading riders Paul Nolan and Rohan Singh were both skunked.
Don’t forget to read this week’s Insider Newsletter to learn about how you can get a 3% rebate on your bets on Wednesday’s live racing cards at the Downs.
You’ll also want to want to read about: Saturday’s upcoming handicapping contest, where you’ll get another chance to earn a trip for two to Las Vegas in the Get Serious Las Vegas Horseplayer Challenge; superstar filly Black Caviar’s dramatic near miss in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes in England; Canada Day Equine Bingo, and last but certainly not least — a bettor making serious money at the races.
Next Post Time for Live Racing: 7 p.m. Friday, June 29, 2012