What is believed to a first in horse racing history, Pompano Park’s third race on Wednesday night has listed all of the entrants the same odds in the morning line.
“When I looked at all of the past performance lines and visited the replays, there was hardly an inch of separation among these combatants,” said John Berry, who handles the morning line duties. “So I made them all 7/2. There are six of them in there, so, if an equal amount of money was wagered on each horse, they’d pay $9.60 to win - or 7/2 odds.”
That race is the opening leg of the Pop-Up Series for claiming pacers that have not been third or better in their last three starts with all starts being in a the same claiming class.
“Those odds represent the ‘par value’ in a field of six,” Berry added. “Had there been seven in there, the ‘par value’ would go up to 9/2 and so on with the addition of each additional entrant.”
According to Berry, the morning line may be one of the most misunderstood things in the program.
“The morning line is meant to be a barometer or opinion of one person on what a horse will be at ‘off’ time—not necessarily an opinion on which horse will win. There is no right or wrong because it’s the combined opinions of the racing fans with their wagering dollars that, of course, eventually set the odds. The only thing in which I am interested is making a valid morning line. There is a lot of mathematics involved to have a viable morning line—one that is possible to achieve on a tote-board.
“If it’s not possible on the tote-board, it’s not a valid morning line. It takes time, yes, but, if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing correctly.”
Besides the Pop-Up Series on Wednesday night, Pompano Park will feature an Open Handicap Trot featuring Its Payday Friday and Coco Lindy, both seeking repeat wins in the top class.
The $13,000 final of the Sea Eagle Late Closer is also on tap along with a guaranteed Pick 4 pool of $7,500. Post time is 7:30 p.m.
(Pompano Park)