The nation’s newest wager premieres this Saturday and Sunday when the Coast-to-Coast Pick Five ties together races from Gulfstream and Santa Anita.
The $1 pick five bet will be offered each weekend in January, February, March and April and has a low 15% takeout. Races selected for the weekly wagers will be announced each Wednesday (for Saturday) and Thursday (for Sunday). Betting outlets around the country, including 1/ST BET and Xpressbet, will offer the Coast-to-Coast Pick Five.
Gulfstream and Santa Anita are America’s top winter racing destinations and host to many of the most important stakes races and Triple Crown trail prep races. The Coast-to-Coast Pick Five will mix those headline races with the most competitive betting propositions on the card each weekend. That, and the $1 base minimum, should insure excellent payouts. In the case that the wager is not hit on a particular card, the Coast-to-Coast Pick Five will have a carryover provision.
As far as betting strategy and ticket construction, the recommendation here is to find an opinion or two you hold strongest and single that horse (or horses) for cost considerations and the budget ability to spread out in other legs of the wager.
What To Watch For This Week
Early season Triple Crown trail preps this week include the Gotham at Aqueduct and the Cal Cup Derby at Santa Anita on Saturday, as well as Santa Anita’s Sham on Sunday ... 3-year-old turfers are spotlighted Saturday at Gulfstream with the Dania Beach and Ginger Brew Stakes … Sam Houston in Texas kicks off its winter meeting on Friday. The track will run live racing Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday with a 1 p.m. CT post time.
Friday Weekend Firestarter
Trainer Sandino Hernandez Jr. lit up the track at Gulfstream Park with his runners last week and he’s got a single starter on the Friday program. Race 7 is a maiden claiming race in which #4 Botita is a first-time starter to consider. Hernandez runners won 3 of 4 starts last week at Gulfstream. Win-Place bet.
1/ST BET App Top Handicapping Tracks of the Week
The free 1/ST BET app allows you to apply millions of data points across dozens of handicapping factors in mere seconds and immediately place your wagers. Here’s where the artificial intelligence was most dialed-in last week by win percentage:
39% Turf Paradise
32% Oaklawn
28% Laurel
24% Gulfstream
24% Delta Downs
Tracks With Most Reliable Favorites Last Week (By Win %)
50% Turf Paradise
48% Fair Grounds
43% Oaklawn
41% Hawthorne
32% Laurel
Tracks That Were Longshot Havens Last Week (Most Winners 10-1 or More)
8 Turfway Park
7 Gulfstream
5 Fair Grounds
5 Tampa Bay Downs
4 Laurel, Mahoning Valley
America’s Hot Jockeys Last Week
Angel Rodriguez (7-17, 41%) // Penn National, Laurel
Walter Rodriguez (6-18, 33%) // Turfway
Juan Hernandez (6-21, 29%) // Santa Anita
Jevian Toledo (8-28, 29%) // Laurel, Penn National
Julio Felix (7-25, 28%) // Hawthorne, Turfway
America’s Hot Trainers Last Week
Jorge Delgado (6-12, 50%) // Gulfstream, Tampa
Brad Cox (13-28, 46%) // Oaklawn, Fair Grounds, Turfway, Delta
Bret Calhoun (6-13, 46%) // Fair Grounds, Delta
Bill Mott (5-12, 42%) // Gulfstream, Aqueduct
Robertino Diodoro (6-16, 38%) // Oaklawn, Turf Paradise
Xpressbet Beat the Host is Back
Contest players at Xpressbet are familiar with the annual Beat the Host handicapping contest, which returns Saturdays in January and February for the 18th year. Place $5 Win bets on the 10 host-selected contest races in your account, and if your total beats the selected handicapping expert each week, you’ll win weekly prizes and be eligible for season prizes that include cash and paid entries into the year’s most lucrative, real-money handicapping contests. For more, visit Xpressbet.com/tournaments.
– Statistics courtesy Betmix