Byron King: Low takeout on exotic wagers makes Retama Park attractive

If you bet sports, then you know all about the vig – the amount the casino or bookmaker charges you in excess of your wager for the privilege of betting with them. Want to put $100 on a game Saturday? Expect to bet $110 to try to win $100. That extra $10 is the vig, or the juice, as it sometimes is called.

A track’s takeout is really not much different from the vig, only it is deducted from the total amount bet before being split among winners, and it is a much higher tax than in sports betting.

When it comes to exotic wagers, that tax is hefty, usually in excess of 20 percent and sometimes going to 30 percent if one bets trifectas and superfectas at Parx and Penn National. These takeouts are according to the Horseplayers Association of North America, a horseplayer advocacy group.

Thankfully, not all tracks engage in such extreme takeouts. Right now, the low-cost track for playing popular exotic bets happens to be a track few would expect: Retama Park, which hardly gets a passing glance from mainstream horseplayers.

It is time to give credit where credit is due, so the focus of this handicapping column is on Retama, which has the lowest takeout of any track running for daily doubles and pick threes, as noted by HANA. The takeout rate on such bets is only 12 percent, and the pick threes can be played for as little as 50 cents.

Think of betting there like playing sports for half the standard vig. So, let’s get to some Retama handicapping.

Here are my thoughts, race by race, excluding only the opener, which is for Arabians, a breed I don’t regularly follow. Use these horses in combinations in the rolling daily doubles and pick threes.

Race 2: Bear Bottom is a standout in this $15,000 nonwinners-of-two claimer, dropping in for a tag for the first time and coming off a close third-place finish over the Retama surface. And the one-mile distance suits her.

Race 3: Contention runs deeper in this race, leading me to use three horses. In order of preference, those runners are Shining Value, Hidden Ticket, and Steady Roar.

Race 4: Flashy Pearl is a speedy, sharp filly who should beat these if she runs to her potential, but she is known to stop on occasion and it seems wise to use her with at least a few others to lesser extents. Zara Lauren and My Golden Belle are steady-paced types who look suited to the seven-furlong distance.

Race 5: With the threat of inclement weather leading up to Saturday, the guess is that this scheduled turf race gets moved to the dirt. Under that scenario, Sexy in Stilettos sees her stock go way up, having won seven races on dirt. The chances also increase for Kidding, who ran well in a pair of off-the-turf races at Lone Star this year.

Race 6: In this stakes race for 2-year-old fillies by Texas sires at six furlongs, the twice stakes-placed Bakken Baby is the likely winner against a deep cast. She has it all: tactical speed, consistency, and experience.

Race 7: Another turf race, this one for optional claimers, and again there is a good chance that this gets moved to dirt. Seven-time dirt winner Big Scrape should capitalize if this race comes off the grass, as should Bronce Bellator, though he ranks as the second choice due to inconsistency.

Race 8: Juve niles by Texas sires return in this stakes race, and this one for males is deeper than the filly counterpart in the sixth race. Ibaka, a flashy second-out winner for trainer Bret Calhoun, is the top selection and is followed in order of preference by stablemate Circustown Flyer, Aces N Jacks, and From Day One.

Race 9: Last up is yet another grass race, and the focus again will be on dirt horses, with the expectation that rain might force this race to the dirt. With this race being a five-furlong dash for maiden claimers, players are best advised to go deep. Prince Alex, Z Our Cat, and the erratic Top Deniro are the suggested ones to use.