10-CENT SUPERFECTA WAGERS MAKE FOR WINDFALL WINNNINGS
Ask the two unidentified horseplayers who wagered on Monday's Thistledown-Beulah Park seven-and-seven race card which U.S. president they consider to be their lucky charm and they'll probably answer "Franklin D. Roosevelt."
Roosevelt's image is stamped on the U.S. dime, and a pair of 10-cent superfecta wagers on the Ohio card combined to return more than $17,000 in winnings. Quite impressive for an investment of just 20 cents.
The pari-mutuel fireworks began in the 11th race at Thistledown when 27-1 shot Its True Its True led home 14-1 Level Bid, 50-1 Fluffy's Girl, and 6-1 One Nice Lover.
The winning superfecta combination of 6-7-3-9 was held by a bettor at Hazel Park in suburban Detroit. He got the entire pool for a minium wager of 10 cents because nobody else had a winning ticket, be it for $2, a dollar, or a dime.
In situations where a $2 ticket is sold on the winning four numbers, those holding 10-cent winning tickets get 1/20th of the posted payoff. If a $1 payoff is reported, as in the Daily Racing Form, those with a 10-cent winning ticket receive 1/10th of the posted payoff.
An hour after the player in Michigan cashed big at Thistledown, a Thistledown bettor scored a major superfecta hit on the 14th race at Beulah Park.
He put Thistledown shipper New Portwest, a winner at eye-popping odds of 98-1, on top of 6-1 Royal Reprieve, 14-1 Homer T, and 3-1 Austin Echo, and collected $6,667.13 for a dime wager.
"Many of our patrons love the 10-cent superfecta wager," said Thistledown VIce-President and General Manager Brent Reitz. "The betting pools are large enough where somebody could get very lucky for a modest investment."
Thistledown offers superfecta wagering on each and every race, including the seven races from Beulah Park when it combines with the suburban Columbus track to create 14-race programs.
EIGHT IS ENOUGH --- Midwest Thoroughbred's Sailfin, the easiest of winners of Tuesday's sixth race at Thistledown, moved into elite company with the sprint score. The 5-year-old gelding is just one of five horses who has won eight times this year at North American tracks. The most familiar name in the fivesome is none other than Rachel Alexandra, perfect in eight starts among them being the Preakness Stakes.
Sailfin, trained by Jamie Ness, has run 14 times this year and is getting better as the Thistledown season draws to a close. He has won his last five starts. All but one of the eight wins have come at Thistledown. The lone out-of-town triumph was at Presque Isle Downs.
JOCKEY ROAD TRIPS --- Champion Thistledown jockeys Scott Spieth and Ernesto Oro, both out of town Saturday for rich stakes races, returned with contrasting results. Spieth scored the richest victory of his career when he urged Sydney Racing LLC's My Sister Margaret to a nose decision in the $500,000 West Virginia Breeders' Classic at Charles Town.
"Everything went pretty much like I wanted it to," Spieth told reporters afterwards. "I liked being in the 10 (post). I was able to stay out of trouble and nurse it for the first half mile. It played out perfectly."
Meanwhile, Oro was at Calder Race Course to ride Peruvian import Lady Shatzi in the $100,000 Grade III Spend A Buck Handicap. Lady Shatzi never picked up her feet, finishing eighth and last.
"She bled," said Oro. "First time in the country. Maybe it was the water, or something else. But she'll come back and I hope to ride her."
DOWN THE STRETCH WE COME -- Thistledown's 122-day racing season comes to end a week from Saturday with a 14-race Halloween program with Beulah Park. Racing will be offered Thursday through Saturday this week, followed by next week's final five programs. Thistledown is dark on Wednesday and Sunday but offers full-card simulcasting seven days a week.
LEADERBOARD --- Through 67 programs of the 76-day Randall-Cranwood Meeting, Ernesto Oro and Jamie Ness continue to hold comfortable leads in the jockey and trainer races, respectively. Oro has 78 winners to current runner-up David Cardoso's 59 winners. Ness has 41 winners to Gerald Bennett's 33 winners. Jeff Radosevich is third with 31 winners.
FEED BAG --- Veteran trainer Bart Barnes has held a hot hand of late. Barnes has 13 winners over the last three weeks, nine of them at Thistledown and four more at Mountaineer Park . . . Thistledown apprentice Kris Fox packed his tack and headed for New York where he scored with his first mount last Saturday at Belmont Park. Fox is riding with a seven-pound weight allowance . . .Female riders dominated Thistledown's Saturday card. Faith Schorr rode two winners and Jane Magrell and Anne Sanguinetti each chipped in a winner . . . Louis Stokes, last year's champion Thistledown jockey, got back to his Louisiana roots last Tuesday (Oct. 13) when he won a quarter horse race at Beulah Park . . . Horsemen are reminded that Tuesday, Oct. 27 will be the last day to school horses at the starting gate . . . The Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association is hosting HBPA Wing Night at the Winking Lizard on Miles Road on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Tickets are on sale for $5 at the HBPA's backstretch office.
(For more information contact Bob Roberts, Thistledown publicity, 216-956-0762)