Gulfstream adds super high five wager for every race

Gulfstream Park will add a super high five wager to every race when it opens its Gulfstream Park West meet Oct. 7 at the Calder Race Course property in Miami, with the bet carrying over to the next race if no one correctly selects the first five finishers, the track announced.

The addition of the super-exotic bet to every race at the meet is a significant expansion of the availability of the wager. Previously, Gulfstream Park had only offered the super high five on the last race of the card. The minimum for the bet will be $1, and the takeout will be 15 percent.

The wagering card also will include a new pick five linking the first five races at a minimum of 50 cents. That wager also will have a 15 percent takeout. In addition, Gulfstream will offer a quinella on the last race of the card with a minimum of $5 and a takeout of 15 percent. Quinellas have gradually lost favor among the handicapping community over the past several decades, in part because pools for the bet have become so small.

Under the super high five carryover rules, the entire pool will pay out if a bettor or bettors select the first five finishers in the correct order. If no ticket has the correct order of finish, the entire pool will carry over to the next race, and there will be no mandatory payout at the end of the card, with the pool carrying over to the start of the next card.

Gulfstream officials have said they will evaluate the additions to the wagering menu after the Gulfstream Park West meet concludes in early December. Opening day for the next meet at the Gulfstream Park property in Hallandale Beach, Fla., is Dec. 5.

“We’ll see if the wagers work, don’t work, or need refinement,” said P.J. Campo, the track’s general manager.