NYRA Grand Slam bet

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by philcski

The problem with the bet is longshots are not worth any more than favorites. If your smart 20-1 runs 2nd, but the 1/5 shot clunks up for 3rd, you don't have an edge.

Of course you're right about this, but this isn't the thinking that would lead someone to necessarily play the bet. You look for a race in the sequence where you think a favorite, especially a reasonably heavy one, is extremely vulnerable, as if you can get that horse off the board, you rate to get, say, 6:1 to 10:1 for that race. Obviously that's easier said than done, but you do have to add in the insurance that you can still cash should you use a horse that hits the board and the favorite also runs in.

[philcski]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

Of course you're right about this, but this isn't the thinking that would lead someone to necessarily play the bet. You look for a race in the sequence where you think a favorite, especially a reasonably heavy one, is extremely vulnerable, as if you can get that horse off the board, you rate to get, say, 6:1 to 10:1 for that race. Obviously that's easier said than done, but you do have to add in the insurance that you can still cash should you use a horse that hits the board and the favorite also runs in.

This is the one time I think it's a worthwhile wager- almost like laying a heavy favorite. I know a lot of people that really like the bet, that don't approach it this way- they see it as a cheap way to get 4 races of action (which was the initial idea of the bet, I think). A very smart friend of mine plays it just about every day and does well with it. Just not my cup of tea because of the equal weighting.

Place pick-all's also have this problem to me.

[Kingturf]

I think after the amount it takes to get a good bet down, this bet does get you to be more creative when you are basically taking a three race parlay show into a win bet in the feature race.

I bet this through twins spires. Except for when I go to a live track, it's through the computer and watching the races on HRTV or TVG (I keep the volume off until the race is run on that channel).

A footnote; When I bet the grand slam, I combinate my bets by playing exactas, daily doubles and tri's and a few win bets on horses I really like over 6-1.