DERBY JOY

Celebrate the Run for the Roses at home . . .
. . . with a bunch of red roses, a mint julep drink and NBC sports

PLAYER'S CHOICE TOURNAMENT

Thank you, Alyssa!
Glen Gray wins tourney after waving fund-raiser necklace over program notes

That’s Glen Gray “filtered” behind the hawk and beard

Retired construction worker Glen Gray waved his “lucky” Alyssa Selman fund-raiser necklace over his handicapping notes before Saturday’s Player’s Choice handicapping tournament and--tadaa--he won!

And he’s particularly glad he did because “now I can remind everyone about Alyssa Selman who went through so much when she went down in a race a few years ago.” Jockey Selman was paralyzed in an accident at the Downs in 2015. Many fans bought a necklace with a mini-horsehoe attached to raise money for her.

Was it Gray’s thoughtfulness and consequent good karma that put him over the top? His bankroll was a considerable $117.10 boosted by a $45 horse in race 9 at Oaklawn Park. He told The Insider that 25 different aspects go into his horse selections--from Equibase speed and averaging pace numbers to the number of days a horse has been off. He also connected with a $16.90 horse at Gulfstream and a $17.10 horse at Churchill.

Harness player Glen Burke played bridesmaid again, just as he did in the February tournament, with just $1.80 less than Gray. Burke worked hard to get ready for the tournament. When his favourite track, Mohawk, cancelled racing over the past few weeks because of COVID-19 restrictions, he practised playing races at Meadowlands in New Jersey and Miami Valley in Ohio. He caught $30 horses at both of those tracks.

The top five players and their bankrolls and prizes were:
1. Glen Gray--bankroll $117.10--prize $1,000 and a trophy
2. Glen Burke--$115.30--$400
3. Trevor Phelps--$103.20--$200
4. Len Charney--$99.50--$100
5. Scott Anderson--$96.70--$50   See full results here.

KENTUCKY DERBY GREED

ANSWER TO TRIVIA TEASER (at the top of The Insider): The average $1 superfecta ticket over the past 13 Kentucky Derbies has paid $54,000 and the average $1 pick-4 has paid $21,000. 

One bet on Derby Day could change your life
Pools and payoffs can be GIGANTIC!

With millions of dollars at stake in Saturday’s Derby Day pools, you have a chance to land a score that could change your life--or certainly make it more comfortable.

The past 13 years of Kentucky Derby superfectas, pick-4s and pick-5s (which started in 2011) are listed below. The highest $1 superfecta: $280,000 in 2009 when 50-1 Mine That Bird won, the highest $1 pick-4: $140,000 in 2018 when Justify won. The highest pick-5 came the same year. A $1 ticket paid $1.4 million.

• 2008 – Big Brown (2-1 followed by horses with odds of 13-1, 27-1 and 37-1). $1 superfecta paid $29,300, $1 pick-4 paid $7,300. 
• 2009 – Mine That Bird (50-1 followed by horses with odds of 16-1, 19-1, 12-1). $1 superfecta paid $280,000, $1 pick-4 paid $20,400..
• 2010 – Super Saver (8-1 followed by horses with odds of 11-1, 2-1 and 30-1). $1 superfecta paid $101,000, $1 pick-4 paid $37,000..
• 2011 – Animal Kingdom (20-1 followed by horses with 8-1, 9-1 and 23-1). $1 superfecta paid $24,000, $1 pick-4 paid $12,000. $1 pick-5 paid $427,000.
• 2012 – I’ll Have Another (15-1 followed by horses with odds of 4-1, 12-1 and 30-1). $1 superfecta paid $48,000, $1 pick-4 paid $15,000 and $1 pick-5 paid $48,000.
• 2013 – Orb (5-1 followed by horses with odds of 34-1, 6-1, 9-1). $1 superfecta paid $28,000, $1 pick-4 paid $175 and a $1 pick-5 paid $650.
• 2014 – California Chrome (5-2 followed by horses with odds of 37-1, 8-1 and 6-1). $1 superfecta paid $7,500, $1 pick-4 paid $800 and $1 pick-5 paid $1,400.
• 2015 – American Pharoah (5-2 followed by horses with odds of 9-1, 4-1 and 10-1). $1 superfecta $600, $1 pick-4 $1,000 and $1 pick-5 $5,000.
• 2016 – Nyquist (2-1 followed by horses with odds of 5-1, 10-1 and 11-1). $1 superfecta $500, $1 pick-4 $11,000 and $1 pick-5 $48,000.
• 2017 – Always Dreaming (9-2 followed by horses with odds of 33-1, 40-1 and 6-1). $1 superfecta $75,000, $1 pick-4 $7,000 and $1 pick-5 $100,000.
• 2018 – Justify (5-2 followed by horses with odds of 9-1, 7-1 and 85-1), $1 superfecta $20,000, $1 pick-4 $140,000 and $1 pick-5 $1.4 million.
• 2019 – Country House (65-1 followed by horses with odds of 14-1, 5-1 and 4-1), $1 superfecta $51,000, $1 pick-4 $22,500 and $1 pick-5 $145,000.
• 2020 – Authentic (8-1 followed by horses with odds of 3-5, 46-1 and 7-1), $1 superfecta $8,000, $1 pick-4 $5,500 and $1 pick-5 $153,000.

WHAT DOES IT COST TO WHEEL ONE HORSE WITH ALL 19 OTHER HORSES IN A SUPERFECTA WAGER (for $1 which is the minimum): $5,814

WHAT DOES IT COST TO WHEEL A KEY WITH A KEY WITH “ALL”WITH “ALL”: $306

With the potential of a superfecta paying tens of thousands of dollars, here’s a “take a shot” play that would cost you $306. Wheel ALL with Essential Quality with ALL with a horse you think will finish fourth. If you want to go bigger, you can take two horses in the fourth position.

Saturday’s “I won bigger” betting group will make a number of plays similar to that, based on the opinion of players in the group. Pick a horse you think will finish first or second and wheel that to a horse you think will finish third or fourth--with ALL horses between them in the “sandwich.” Will your HPIbet account be fattened with enough winnings to buy a new car--or even a house?

Ken Miller

THE WEEK THAT WAS

FORMER ASD RACE CALLER DOES A CAMEO THIS WEEKEND: Remember Ken Miller who called races at Assiniboia Downs from 1982 to 1989? Well, you’ll get to hear him in a cameo appearance tomorrow and Saturday calling races at Prairie Meadows in Iowa where he’ll be sitting in for regular announcer Bobby Neuman. “I can’t wait (to call the races again),” Miller told The Insider in an email. Ken has been hosting Sports Talk Radio in Des Moines for the past 25 years. Does he still have attachments to Manitoba? Look at the logo on his toque! Prairie Meadows races go to post tomorrow (opening day) and Saturday at 4 p.m.