Racing: Punters get crack at $1 million Pick 6

By MIKE DILLON


One million dollar Pick 6 punters at Te Rapa on Saturday are almost certainly out of luck - Falkirk is not running in one of the Pick 6 legs.

There are no certainties in horse racing, but the unbeaten galloping sensation Falkirk would have provided Pick 6 punters with an anchor leg. Falkirk was yesterday nominated for the 3-year-old 1200m and the PQ 1200m, races one and two.

The Pick 6 pot will operate on the last six races on the card and Waikato Racing Club chief executive Tony Enting said those races had been predetermined.

"Looking at the level of nominations I can't see a reason why we'd alter those races when the acceptances are done tomorrow."

This will be the 10th $1 million Pick 6 the New Zealand TAB has operated and only the second on a full gallops programme.

The first million dollar pot was in 1991 with five galloping legs being added to Chokin's New Zealand 2YO Championship at Addington.

There have been seven harness $1m Pick 6s, the only galloping meeting used was the Taumarunui Cup meeting at Te Rapa in July 1997.

The last Pick 6 of a million dollars was at Addington in July 1999.

Most huge Pick 6 pools are generated by jackpotting unstruck pools, but this week's will start with a mere $26,000 left over from Avondale last week.

"The idea of guaranteeing a million dollars was floated when the big Ellerslie jackpot [$584,492] was coming up," said TAB spokesman Michael Dore.

"We thought, if this isn't struck let's make it a million dollars, but it was struck and we said let's do it anyway."

With no guaranteed big result, Pick 6 pools build slowly, but Dore said by guaranteeing a million the TAB is assured of massive support.

"We are expecting betting of between $700,000 and a million dollars."

Dore said percentage betting had breathed new life into Pick 6 pools.

With six legs to cover, the permutations can become extremely expensive in 50c units - Pick 6 dividends are declared for 50c.

A 2x2x3x3x2x3 ticket costs $108 - and punters are obviously relishing the comfort of being able to take that back to 10 per cent of the outlay and perhaps spreading much wider in several legs.

"It's made a huge difference to the way people approach Pick 6," said Dore. "When the pool got to $750,000 on this day at Te Rapa last year I think it had taken 10 weeks to build with no percentage betting back then."

The pool will jackpot if not struck.

"If the pool is actually a million dollars of betting and is struck by a 20 per cent percentage bet, then the dividend will be $200,000 and $800,000 will jackpot. In that case we would definitely guarantee a million dollars again next week. The gallops meetings have been very competitive in recent months and it's not easy picking six winners."

Dore said a lot of interest had been generated by the fact that a syndicate of 11 drinking mates from Kaiaua held the sole winning ticket on the $584,492 Ellerslie Pick 6.

Betting can be made at any TAB and any betting window at the racetrack, but only on Saturday.

"Unfortunately, we can run only one Pick 6 at a time and we would be lynched if we knocked the Friday night harness Pick 6 on the head.

"We have a very loyal customer base for the Friday night Pick 6."

$1 million Pick 6

* The Pick 6 at Te Rapa on Saturday will jackpot if not struck.

* The pool starts with a mere $26,000.

* The TAB expects between $700,000 and $1 million in bets.

* Randomly selected Easybets make up half of all tickets sold.