With large fields becoming the norm at Race Park This winter and spring, bettors who can think of a corner or two have been handsomely rewarded.
The lucrative stakes that caught the riders’ attention and the synthetic surface that allowed the race to advance in Northern Kentucky’s changing weather conditions helped Turfway Park average a yard size of nearly 10. horses—9.94 per race—for the 523 races contested there since Nov. 30. With three days remaining in the winter-spring encounter, Turfway paid $25.19 million in his wallet. .
Consider that just 5 years ago at two consecutive full races (holiday meeting, winter-spring meeting), the total paid out was only $5.18 million, and it’s understandable at why the average number of starters per race for the two meetings has increased to 9.94, an increase of almost 1.5 horses compared to 2017-2018.
The winter-spring meeting ends the last three days of this week, Thursday, March 29 through Saturday, April 1.
Turfway launched the biggest race day of the year on Saturday, and the entire Pick 5 series ended with an impressive victory over Two Phil in Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) saw a streak of three favorites, a second pick and a long-term goal return $1,839.91 on a 50 cent winning bet. Granted, the challenge is to accept five races where on average just over 10 people start a race, but bettors will be rewarded.
Also, a useful issue is that the track offers a 15% bonus for Early Pick 5 and Late Pick 5. A second draw was added at the end of December. Turfway reported that during the first 41 race days at the current winter/spring race (through March 22, the average payout for a Pick 5 was 5). 10,437.85 dollars.
The writer of this article still wants to see what this meetup can do with lower odds on its more basic winning bets, placement and display, but at least the coin break applies. State-level use at all racetracks in Kentucky seems to have effectively helped put a dent in the takeout. The $2 average win rate is $15.95 (through March 22nd), which is $1.14 higher than the 2022 average of $14.81 on a coin change. .
‘Affordability test’ annoys UK bettors
If you haven’t read Julian Muscat’s Letters from Europe column in the March issue of BloodHorse (what are you waiting for?), it addresses industry concerns about tighter regulatory checks on those Place bets in the UK using online betting platforms.
“So far, checks have alienated bettors because of their intrusive nature and strict conditions that bettors must meet in order to continue to place bets,” writes Muscat. these ‘affordability tests’.”
Muscat notes that affordability testing is a concept introduced by the Gambling Commission, a government-appointed quango agency with a mandate to tackle gambling addiction and prevent money laundering. The affordability check can go so far as to require players to have a bank statement to determine their ability to place responsible bets.
The Racing Post reported a week ago that the UK Horse Racing Authority had called for such checks so as not to affect the vast majority of players who bet responsibly.
“We are not in favor of generic measures of affordability and believe that if measures are introduced, they should be targeted at the individual and reflect their specific circumstances.”
