While staying home and following the strict protocols because of the COVID-19 pandemic, successful horseplayer and horse owner Tommy Massis was starting to stall-walk, like most racing fans.
With racing on hold at most tracks in North America, including his favourite circuit, his home track of Woodbine, Massis recently decided to learn more about racing in Hong Kong which hold races a few days a week and the cards are offered on HorsePlayer Interactive, Woodbine’s betting platform.
Massis, who has won many handicapping contests, is a confirmed Pick 6, Pick 5 and Pick 4 bettor; he handicaps races and bets in a manner that gives him a chance to win “the pool”, or a huge payout. Playing races at Happy Valley or Sha Tin in Hong Kong is a good way to have a chance at a big score, since billions of dollars are bet on each card of racing in Hong Kong and the races usually have 12 horses in the field.
On April 29, Massis’ 6Up wager at Happy Valley, a Pick 6 bet requiring the bettor to pick the winner of six consecutive races, came in and won him over $1.1 million dollars. He spent $810 on the ticket.
Massis is currently making the rounds on horse racing radio shows and podcasts and will be on the Down the Stretch Podcast hosted by Peter Gross on Monday, May 11.
“I really want to thank HPI for offering wagering on Hong Kong racing and offering the 6Up bet,” said Massis, who races his horses at Woodbine under his Calico Racing.
In summary, Massis had some instruction from a friend familiar with Hong Kong racing about how to read and decipher Hong Kong past performances and information available on on the Hong Kong Jockey Club website.
Sifting through the six-race sequence, Massis watched replays of horses’ most recent starts and put together a ticket that included singling second-time starter Sky Show in race 5, a 6-furlong dash. Sky Show was coming off a 5-length score in a barrier trial and was 7 to 2.
No doubt the winning horse of race 6, a 3-year-old colt by the name of Delightful Laos, made his payout hit seven figures.
The Irish-bred was coming off a lengthy layoff but had several “barrier trials” and good connections.
“Tony Cruz is a great trainer; this was a three-year-old facing older horses and he was 8 to 1 in the morning line.”
Massis noted that the morning line odds on the past performance information are not accurate at all. Indeed, Delightful Laos went off at 50 to 1 and won.
Racing in Hong Kong is very popular and there is a vast amount of information available for horseplayers from replays to statistics and stewards reports. All of the information is free.
“That should be the model of horse racing everywhere, all of statistics are free.”
Massis offered up a horse to watch at Hong Kong as Cinquante Cinq, a favourite he left off his ticket in race 8 of his bet, “should have won the race’.
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