A quiet Wednesday evening at home playing the races turned into a celebration for 82-year-old Claude Isaacs after taking down Woodbine’s Jackpot Hi-5 for a bumper $235,983.30 score.
A native of Sri Lanka, Isaacs emigrated to Canada in 1973 with his wife Maureen and their children Ron and Christine.
“The very first Queen’s Plate winner I was privileged to see was Royal Chocolate,” recalled Isaacs. “He was ridden by Robin Platts. It was a muddy track, very soft going and he won very impressively. To this day, on Queen’s Plate day, we make a point to come over with the whole family to enjoy the day.”
Despite being a newcomer to Canada, horse racing managed to weave its way into Isaacs’ life.
“I’ve been a horse racing fan for quite some time,” said Isaacs. “I was the controller at the Heritage Inn, near Woodbine, in the 1970s and there were a number of racing personalities that used to frequent the Inn.”
Isaacs, who retired four years ago after working for a number of prominent Toronto hotels, has also owned a few horses over the years.
“The best filly we owned was Nadias Charm,” said Isaacs. “She had grass breeding and ran well in some of the big stakes races here. She won a few races in Florida over the winter before she was purchased by someone there.”
Nadias Charm, a dark bay daughter of Dewan-Becum the Begum, finished sixth in the 1982 edition of the Natalma Stakes, eventually breaking her maiden in June of 1983.
“Laurie Silvera was our trainer,” noted Isaacs of the Woodbine-based conditioner who earlier this year recorded his 1000th win in North America. “Who knows, maybe now I’ll come back and have a fling at owning another horse for Laurie to train.”
Isaacs believes that in racing, and wagering, success is often a matter of fate.
“I believe the stars play a big role. It’s not good for you every day, but certain days your lucky stars are shining,” he said.
On Wednesday night, the stars shone brightly for Isaacs.
“Wednesday became a very auspicious day for me as in the fifth race, there was an exactor of 4 and 10 which I normally bet as it is my birthday day and month, the tenth of April,” said Isaacs.
The exactor of Drop to Pop (4, 7-1) and Conquest Outlaw (10, 3-1) paid $99, providing Isaacs more than enough bankroll to put together 12 Jackpot Hi-5 tickets on the eighth and final race of the card.
The Jackpot proviso means that the entire pool pays out only when there is one winning ticket sold that correctly selects the first five finishers in exact order.
If there is not just one winning ticket, half of the wagering pool is carried over and offered on the next racing card. The other half is paid out in consolation payouts to those Jackpot Hi 5 tickets which have the correct order of finish. If there are no winners of the wager, the entire pool, minus takeout, carries over.
A carryover in excess of $210,000 going into Wednesday night’s card was bolstered by an additional $30,000 in new money.
Issacs, a member of HorsePlayer Interactive for some 15 years, employed an approach that combined traditional handicapping with a dash of good fortune.
“I put together 12 lines. I key the first two horses and then I box three more numbers,” explained Isaacs. “This is six bets in all for a total of $1.20. I then repeat the same thing putting the second horse first and move on down the line.”
The successful wagering line was as follows:
Woodbine Thoroughbred 8 HI5
7 | 10 | 3,8,11 | 3,8,11 | 3,8,11 $0.20 base TOTAL $1.20
Thundering Waters (#7), a bay Artie Schiller gelding trained by Mark Fournier for Centennial Farms (Niagara) Inc., went to post as the 8-5 favourite in Wednesday’s eighth race, a seven furlong ‘Poly’ tilt for three-year-olds and upwards.
Eurico Rosa da Silva was aboard the mutuel favourite which caught Isaacs’ eye.
“One day I was at Woodbine and Eurico won the entire Pick 4, all four races at very good odds, so I always watch for his mounts and if he’s the favourite I go for it,” said Issacs.
The rest of the ticket required a bit of good fortune.
“Eurico’s horse was the obvious choice. The 10 horse was pure speculation. I liked the number 10 because it matched my birthday and was lucky for me earlier. I then used three, eight and eleven because they add up – – three plus eight equals eleven,” said Isaacs.
A field of 13 sprung from the gate at 10:16 p.m. on Wednesday evening and less than 90 seconds later, Isaacs became a very rich man as Thundering Waters galloped home by 1 1/14-lengths.
A three-horse photo was required to separate Prized Humour (10, 23-1) who was a head better than My Silver Badge (8, 14-1), in turn a head in front of Accomplice (3, 76-1) who stayed on for fourth by half a length over Cytherean (11, 24-1).
“I knew who had won, but I didn’t know who had finished second and third,” grinned Isaacs who watched the race on his computer in the comfort of his own home via HorsePlayer Interactive.
The winning combination of 7-10-8-3-11 paid $235,983.30. Not a bad return for a single $1.20 line of wagering.
“This is my approach. I go for a very small investment. I invest the minimum and try to get the maximum. To my great joy, I happened to get the whole pool,” said Isaacs.
A lifelong fan of horseracing, Isaacs will continue to be a Woodbine patron.
“Going to Woodbine is always a time of great enjoyment,” said Isaacs. “My wife is a very big fan and great at cheering when the horses go past the winning post. It’s a great afternoon of relaxation for us.”
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Below is the full list of 12 lines ($1.20 each) totalling $14.40.
Woodbine Thoroughbred 8 HI5
1 | 7 | 10,14,15 | 10,14,15 | 10,14,15
Woodbine Thoroughbred 8 HI5
7 | 2 | 8,10,12 | 8,10,12 | 8,10,12
Woodbine Thoroughbred 8 HI5
7 | 1 | 10,14,15 | 10,14,15 | 10,14,15
Woodbine Thoroughbred 8 HI5
7 | 2 | 8,10,12 | 8,10,12 | 8,10,12
Woodbine Thoroughbred 8 HI5
2 | 7 | 8,10,12 | 8,10,12 | 8,10,12
Woodbine Thoroughbred 8 HI5
2 | 1 | 8,10,12 | 8,10,12 | 8,10,12
Woodbine Thoroughbred 8 HI5
1 | 2 | 8,10,12 | 8,10,12 | 8,10,12
Woodbine Thoroughbred 8 HI5
10 | 7 | 4,8,12 | 4,8,12 | 4,8,12
Woodbine Thoroughbred 8 HI5
7 | 10 | 4,8,12 | 4,8,12 | 4,8,12
Woodbine Thoroughbred 8 HI5
10 | 7 | 3,8,11 | 3,8,11 | 3,8,11
Woodbine Thoroughbred 8 HI5
7 | 10 | 3,8,11 | 3,8,11 | 3,8,11
Woodbine Thoroughbred 8 HI5
2 | 8 | 1,10,11 | 1,10,11 | 1,10,11
Total $14.40 for 72 combinations
Order of finish was 7/10/8/3/11. There were no other winning tickets.
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