Jeff Newton
Del Mar Thoroughbred Club report

Sept. 2 certainly looked and felt like a late-in-the-meet Thursday at Del Mar.  The lowest attended day of the 2010 season initially lacked the drama, atmosphere and intriguing subplots we’ve come to expect from our favorite seaside track.  With local schools and the workweek in full swing, along with a card that carried zero stakes races, Del Mar’s quiet afternoon was understandable, even expected. 

Relatively few observers actually witnessed longshot Win for M’Lou, who went off at 29-1, and jockey Victor Espinoza’s three-quarter length victory in the seventh race. On the surface, their unexpected win offered only a mild surprise during a slow card. For handicappers, horseplayers and daydreaming bettors, though, Win for M’Lou’s upset laid the foundation for a wild Labor Day weekend at Del Mar.

29-1 shots go mostly unnoticed until they run a spectacular race and ruffle the natural order of things on the track.  Espinoza’s mount wiped out nearly every remaining player in Thursday’s Pick Six, which had been tickled by a relatively low $96,154 carryover from Wednesday, so only a handful of tickets were alive in the eighth race. And when none of those eligible handicappers pegged 6-1 Gnarly Dude and jockey Patrick Valenzuela, easy winners in the day’s finale, potential players slept on a $488,667 two-day carryover. 

Astronomical payouts, the six-figure kind, cause even the greenest race goers, first-timers unfamiliar with furlongs and past performance sheets, to fantasize about how they might burn through some serious cash.  There’s a quick avenue to hopefully wipe away debts, pay off home loans and book a five-night suite near some gorgeous cove in Bora Bora. 

And unlike the state lottery, where players are at the mercy of pure luck, Pick Six players control their fate to a certain degree.  One great day of handicapping and, more importantly, one great day of betting, seems tangible, a realistic opportunity that rewards meticulous research and savvy analysis.

Del Mar patrons breezed into the grandstands Friday with a little added kick in their steps.  Their positive energy carried from the paddock to the concession stands.  Track employees also revealed broad strokes of excitement.

“There’s a little buzz, you know,” said Bill Navarro, Del Mar’s director of pari-mutuels, just before the first race on Friday.  “There’s the anticipation and the excitement of maybe a double carryover.”

The good news came earlier than expected for Navarro, and the racing community in general, early Friday evening.

31-1 shot Haimish Hy, ridden by jockey Alonso Quinonez, ran down Lions Story through the final sixteenth for a major upset victory in Friday’s featured El Cajon Stakes.  In the process, the 3-year-old eliminated every live Pick Six ticket with one race still left on the day’s card.  The crowd’s initial shock over a surprising win immediately subsided once the $1,597,470 three-day carryover, a Del Mar record, flashed on the infield screen. 

Forget a week in Bora Bora; you could buy a private Caribbean island with that money.  The attention grabbing, seven-figure total contributed to a string of interesting numbers. $1,997,315 in “new money” was bet into Thursday’s $488,667 carry, resulting in a total Friday pool of $2,485,982. The carryover pool swelled from five figures on Wednesday evening to almost $1.6 million by Friday night.  Game on for anyone interested in making a fast $1 million.  Fans and handicappers quickly got to work on Saturday’s form.

Less than 10 minutes after Haimish Hy entered the winner’s circle, two sharply dressed men, probably in their mid-50s, discussed what to expect from the big news. As they exited one of Del Mar’s Turf Club elevators, the pepper-haired gentleman joked to his friend, “Looks like we’ve got a long night in front us.”  Both men burst out in laughter. The thing is, there were serious plans behind their humorous words. They, along with thousands of other racing fans, would tear into Saturday’s entries, and sift through page after page of PPs, over the next several hours.

When Saturday morning rolled around, “Pick Six” was Del Mar’s second-leading phrase after “hello.”  It’s always fun to watch players scheme and trade notes about each race, as if they’re discussing classified information.  Whether it was a professional handicapper on the phone with partners back east or a $2 novice with no real illusions of a big payday, the topic rolled off everyone’s tongue again and again.  With respect to Saturday’s first four posts, races five through 10 held every patron’s full attention.  The handle reflected their enthusiasm.

Betting on the Pick Six closed with $5,059,121 in new money for a sweeping total of $6,656,591, the highest carryover pool in Del Mar’s history. The players did their part; how the afternoon unfolded was now up to the horses.

Heavy buzz and pent up anticipation make for a jovial build up, but an early exit can turn a chatty handicapper into a somber mute real fast. Such was the case early on Saturday, where many of the slightly defeated ticket holders lowered their hopes to a smaller payout in the consolation.  When that possibility disappeared, the best option was to bandwagon on someone else’s live ticket, in the same way a busted blackjack player lives vicariously through a buddy’s hands.     

It’s easy to separate the contenders from the down-and-outs by the pitch in their screams. Contenders shouted as if they’d never experienced this level of excitement. Losers searched for a stiff drink to hold them over until musical guests ZZ Top took the infield stage.

More than 3,000 tickets were still alive prior to the 10th race. Harmony’s Hope, a 10-1 shot, beefed up what looked to be a small payout with her $22.40 win in Saturday’s finale. In the end, 124 correct Pick Six tickets paid out at $35,543.40 each. Not bad for a day’s work.

Maybe Saturday at Del Mar wasn’t the Powerball lottery, where a handful of charmed individuals win the kind of money their families can get fat on for generations.  The energy and anticipation this record-breaking carryover sparked, however, provided power aplenty where the turf meets the surf. 

We were supposed to wind things down, to reflect on a great meet over a relaxing Labor Day weekend.  But the unusual circumstances wouldn’t allow us. Horseplayers and big money will always enjoy a healthy marriage. That point was underscored when Win for M’Lou was a surprise winner on a calm Thursday.   

Benoit Photo
Victor Espinoza wins aboard Win for M’Lou at 29-1 Thursday at Del Mar.