Ellis Park is offering a Pick-4 with a 4% take out! Yes, that’s right, 4 percent. If
we horseplayers want to send a strong message to the industry at large that takeout rates DO matter to us, then now is the time to get in the starting gate.

Any horseplayer worth his or her salt should be participating in this pool as often as possible and for as much as possible. Not only does the Ellis Park Pick-4 offer fantastic value, it also provides an opportunity for players to show the powers that be that significantly lowering takeout rates is crucial in today's competitive gaming environment.

In an effort to encourage you to play this bet as often as possible, I will be making the XTRAS and SHORTS for Ellis Park available on the Equiform home page for free downloading for every Saturday of the Ellis Park meet. You can also download the legends for both products along with the Equiform Pattern Guide. The XTRAS and SHORTS will be posted by 1 PM EST on Friday. This a great opportunity to wager on the Best Bet in the game today while also learning about Equiform pace and final performance numbers.

I cannot stress strongly enough the importance of heavily supporting the Ellis Park Pick-4. As a member of the NTRA players panel, I have been fighting for lower takeouts for a long, long time. How serendipitous it was for me to finally meet a racetrack executive who not only shared my vision, but also has the connections and financial clout to make it a reality.

Please start spreadin' the word. On opening day, July 4th, the $2 win parlay on the Ellis Park Pick-4 was $1318. The Pick-4 returned $10,858 - eight times the parlay. Mathematically, the Ellis Park Pick-4 should return 28% more than a Pick-4 with the industry standard 25% takeout (.96/.75 = 1.28). Looking at it another way you are only paying 1% per race as this 4% take is only extracted once. You won't find a better gamble anywhere unless it's late in the blackjack shoe with a surfeit of face-cards remaining.

IT'S ONE STEP BY RON GEARY but a GIANT STEP for HORSEPLAYERS.


So there it is folks. A great bet that affords us the chance to speak with our pocketbooks. Lets SEND IT IN on the Ellis Park 4% Pick-4 and take this first step in turning this industry on its head. Maybe then, the game will receive the recognition for what it is - the best game on the planet.

Now, on to Saturday's Pick-4

In each race I will list my keys and then, after the slash, my secondary contenders. Mix and match as you like. I suggest setting up your tickets such that you hit it if you get any two keys home. More on how to structure such tickets in next week's column.

NO LIMIT PLAY FOR ELLIS PARK 4% PICK-4

Race 7 7/2,3,5,8

Lord Maybe is the fastest horse - Mightyhansum is a nice longshot off the New Pace Top (NPT)

Race 8 4/1,3,5,9

Liveinthepresnt may take 'em all the way - Wild UR is only 2-time winner over Ellis weeds - Doro's Don Juan is on a Turf Decline Line (TDL)

Race 9 4/1,2

Peace and Joy is a win machine (23 for 62) and can win on the front or sit off the pace - Best horse to single if you need to cut corners -

Race 10 1/4,5,6,7,9,11,12

The E Dubai(s) come out running - Sea of Fire on a Compression Line (COMP) which often portends a nice turf effort - This race is a real crapshoot, so spread if you can afford it.


Cary Fotias
President - Equiform