Contrasting bets bring massive payouts

TAR Racing Writer

BIG bucks were won with contrasting bets at the weekend, highlighting the differing fortunes of wagering on horse racing.

First, Saturday’s Ketch 9 was taken down by a single-winning ticket staked for $64,800, returning $1.9 million to the bettor who went against banking 1-5 chalk DRONE STRIKE in the fifth event, won by 8-1 upsetter C W TREASURE, who reversed 16 and three-quarter lengths off a July 18 third-place run behind the heavily backed favourite.

MY FRIEND MICKI landing the sixth at 6-1 was not a surprise outcome against three-year-old maidens in September, having shown good form in earlier races this season against better runners.

Saturday’s Reggae 6

Saturday’s Reggae 6 returned $31,592, sending a $1.65 million single-winner bonus to yesterday’s card, which an $8,640 ticket swept, taking the entire pot of $7,426,905.

Bettors were warned in Friday’s Reggae 6 preview that things “could get tricky from the opening event”, which HAIL THE QUEEN won, stumping many Sunday Reggae 6 bets by making all in the opener at odds of 9-1.

HAIL THE QUEEN ran fellow speedsters GENERATIONAL and NATURAL DANCER off their legs before repelling closer WAYNE’S PRINCESS at five and a half furlongs.

The winning Reggae 6 bettor might have heeded the WEEKEND STAR’s preview to “start Sunday’s Reggae 6 with caution before banking on CITY OF DREAMS to replay the speed he displayed at seven furlongs”, which Peter-John Parsard’s runner repeated, winning at a king’s ransom of 7-2.

NEBUCHADNEZZAR took down many bets at 8-1 in the third, but the real Reggae 6 kicker came in the fifth when LIFE IS LIFE, touted as “a free banker, going for a fourth consecutive win”, ran an absolute stinker of a race in the event won by 2-1 chance MONEY MONSTER.

The Reggae 6 starts anew on Saturday with its minimum guaranteed payout of $3.5 million for a single-winning ticket.