Dream pools in the offing

According to TAB boss Vee Moodley: “The normal pools for a Monday meeting are R450,000 to R480,000. With the R100,000 carryover to Monday’s Pick 6, the pool reached R937,975.

“The Place Accumulator and Jackpot pools were also quite a bit higher than normal and it seems the change in the Pick 6 rules has generated a new energy into tote betting.”

Unfortunately, not even a fraction of the Pick 6 was won on Monday. Port Elizabeth racing has been unpredictable recently – only two-thirds of the bet was won last Friday when couplings did apply – but it was clear after the fourth leg on Monday (won by Velvet Lady, who was coupled with better-fancied Misty Day) that the bet would not be won. The money not won will be carried over to the bet’s carryover pot, which is divided across the bet’s pools at weekend race meetings.

“Because the Pick 6 carryover cycle runs from Thursday to Wednesday the next week, the pot might be swelled even more to give punters a bite of even bigger cherries this weekend!

“We believed racing was lacking a dream bet. TAB has created three millionaires and three multi-millionaires as well as paying out R500,000 and more to 101 individual winners through our sport betting in the last year. Racing lacked that kind of dream bet but now I believe we have one! I can’t wait to hand over a cheque for R3 million or R5 million to one of our Pick 6 punters.”

Moodley continued: “We’ve had the accusation levelled at us that dropping the couplings favours big punters, but Monday’s Pick 6 shows that is untrue – even the big punters could not win the bet.

“There are different mentalities when playing Pick 6s – those who want to win the whole bet and fractional bettors, and the odds often favour the punter who takes a fractional bet because he likely to have more horses in each leg.”

At time of going to press, R450,000 of the total carryover pot so far will be put into Friday’s Arlington pool, which should generate an estimated total net pool of R1.5 million. Turffontein’s Pick 6 on Saturday will be boosted by R0.5 million, which is set to lead to a R2.3 million pool and the Pick 6 at Clairwood on Sunday could attract a pool of R2.4 million, including a R411,000 carryover.

“The carryovers are not subject to any deductions and are simply added to the relevant pools,” said Moodley. “And punters know that with TAB there is no limit to the amount that can be won because we obviously pay the full dividend.

“Get a TAB ticket in your hand! You can win big money.”