Make God Laugh
You want to make God laugh? Tell him your plans. For those that like to eat chalk, sometimes called bridge jumpers, when they make chalk plans God really laughs.
You see it every once in awhile and it always amazes me to think that somebody is putting a ton of money on a 1-5 shot.
Bridge Jumpers are the rare bird that places huge wagers on a supposed stand out to get the minimum 5% payoff.
Think about taking a gamble in the show hole the next time you see a ‘cinch’ getting bet like the race has already been run.
A few seasons ago at Del Mar an entry that went 30 cents on the dollar finished off the board. That left the door open for a 6-1, a 14-1 and a 12-1 to complete the trifecta. Show prices came back $19.60, $25.80 and $32.00 respectively.
The jumpers are equal opportunity idiots as it has happened with Arabians horses too. Several years ago fans hammered a runner named Eat My Stardust in an Arabian stakes.
She was a filly trying males for the first time, had won prior three races by a combined total of 30 lengths and she had won at 3 different venues. Well, this time she got dusted. The race totally fell part as the early 4 leaders ran 4th through 7th and the trailers early completed trifecta.
A fat 10-1 shot won, a 9-2 shot ran 2nd and a 33-1 shot ran third. For the wise guys that bet win and place, they were not too happy as the show prices respectively came back $21.80, $13.60 and $87.80. The total win, place and show pool was just under 84 grand.
A couple of meetings ago at Oak Tree at Santa Anita, one jumper lost huge and a show horse paid $254.
And the beat goes on.
And ‘jumpers’ appear at the Big Apple too.
In the Garden City Stakes at Belmont last year in New York fans made Gozzip Girl 2/5.
She clipped heels, didn’t make the trifecta and the show prices of the first 3 came back double digits in 2 of the 3 slots.
It just goes to show there are no cinches in this game. These are poor examples of trying to ‘steal’ some money on a short number and in the long run, you pretty much have to be perfect to make any money at all. One loss, and you have to win the next 15 bets or so just to get back to even.
Think about taking a little swing the next time at the oval when you see a prohibitive chalk that appears a bit vulnerable. You can probably cover the field in the show spot for about $25 and just may walk away with $500.
And we all know there are a million ways to lose a horse race from bad luck, to a bad ride, to just not performing to one’s ability to trouble which results in being disqualified.
This is not the kind of bet to make every day but there is limited exposure most of the time and the upside can be huge.
