With a pair of notable tweaks adding a bit of extra pizzazz to the menu, Del Mar will provide a wide-ranging collection of options when its fourth fall race meeting – and its first presentation of the Breeders’ Cup – gets off and running next Wednesday (November 1).
The seaside track’s “Bing Crosby Season” will offer racing fans 14 different wagering options during its 16-day run (that includes the two BC days) going through Sunday, November 26. The betting selections extend from single-horse-single-race bets like the classic Win, Place and Show, all the way to combination – or “exotic” – bets that require as many as six winners over six races.
In a unique variation to the shore oval’s usual autumn happenings, racing’s “show of shows” – the Breeders’ Cup World Championships – will set up shop and present 13 races worth $28.5 million during Del Mar’s opening week on Friday, November 3 and Saturday, November 4. Because of the Breeders’ Cup, the track will offer a variation on its usual Pick Six, the popular bet that requires the picking of the final six races on a day’s program. In yet another wagering change, the track will alter its minimum bet on another fan-favorite option, the Pick Three, in which a player must select the winners of three consecutive races. That wager previously had a minimum bet of $1, but now will be offered at .50¢. The Pick Three is available starting on the day’s first race and going through to the third-last one.
The two Breeders’ Cup days – and also the Sunday following them – will be considered as a Pick Six mini-meeting of its own. Pick Six betting on Breeders’ Cup Friday that includes a carryover naturally goes to Saturday; then, if there is a carryover on Saturday, it will go forward to Sunday with a mandatory payout guaranteed that afternoon, whether there is a carryover or not.
The “three-day Pick Six mini-meet” will see wagers on that exotic bet conducted under a pool division that has 85% of the pot going to the primary payoff, while the remaining 15% goes to consolations. For the first two days of its meet – and for all other days outside of the three-day mini-meet – Del Mar’s Pick Six pool will be presented under “Jackpot” rules, meaning 70% to the main prize, 15% to consolations and 15% to a “jackpot pool” that is only paid out in the event of a single-ticket Pick Six winner.
Should there be a Pick Six carryover – either with the primary pool or the “Jackpot” one – on Thursday (November 2) before the Breeders’ Cup, it would be moved forward to the next regular day of racing at Del Mar following the mini-meet, which will be Friday, November 10.
The track’s “Jackpot” addition to the Pick Six bet began at last year’s fall meeting and it provided a solid boost for the venerable exotic wager. Del Mar stats show that betting on the Pick Six on non-carryover days since then has increased by 34%.
The seaside oval also will continue to feature the .50¢ Pick Four – which has evolved into the sport’s leading exotic wager. The Pick Four, which requires selecting the winners of each of the final four races on a day’s card, carries an added incentive of guaranteed pools going in – namely a minimum of $200,000 on Thursdays and Fridays and $400,000 on Saturdays and Sundays.
Other exotic bets that will be offered on a daily basis are the .50¢ Player’s Pick Five on the day’s first five races (offering a reduced takeout rate of 14%) and the $1 Super High Five wager (requiring the picking – in order – of the first five finishers in a race) presented on the day’s final event.
The full array of Del Mar bets is as follows: $2 Win, Place and Show; $1 Exacta; $2 Quinella; .50¢ Trifecta; $2 rolling Doubles; .50¢ rolling Pick Threes; $1 Superfecta (.10¢ minimum); $1 Place Pick All; $1 Super High Five; $2 Pick Six; .50¢ Player’s Pick Five, and .50¢ Pick Four.
With the exception of Opening Day (when there will be nine races) and, of course, the Breeders’ Cup days, Del Mar will follow a schedule that has it presenting eight races on weekdays and nine on weekends. First post daily for all days will be 12:30 p.m. with the exception of Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 23) when racing begins at 11 a.m. with the last race at 2:30 p.m. to allow fans plenty of time to be home for turkey dinners.