Let 8 Ride Player Turns $24 Into $6,553.20

Charles Assini’s ride from $24 to $6,553.20 got a lift from the stewards, who placed Bold Rally third and elevated Coco Mon to the win spot in the eighth race on Friday, July 4 at Arlington International Racecourse—day two of the four-day Let 8 Ride game available exclusively on TwinSpries.com.

Assini did not squander the opportunity, successfully wagering $504 to win on Saint Leon in race 8 on Saturday, July 5, and $1,461 on There’s no Telling in race 8 on Sunday, July 6. There’s No Telling paid $7.60, giving Assini $5,551.80 from win bets plus another $1,000 for being the only player to let it ride on Sunday.

“My thinking after Saturday is that I probably was going to play,” Assini said on Tuesday. “I thought with the bigger win amount there was a good chance the other person wouldn’t play, so I figured I’d get $1,000 no matter what. I like to narrow down my options in a race, and if I can’t make a decision then I won’t play, but it worked out that this is a race I wanted to bet.”

Assini said he landed on There’s No Telling because of competitive speed figures with the field and the added angles of running third off the layoff and a return to jockey Florent Geroux—the meeting’s leading ride by wins who had won on this horse before.

Assini began on Thursday, July 3, with a trio of $8 win bets and caught Senor Tremendo ($20.20). He then let his $80 ride on the aforementioned Coco Mon, who got put up from second because the winner interfered with the third-place finisher.

“I got lucky, but things have to go your way to make a score in this game, and fortunately they took [Bold Rally] down and put up my horse [Coco Mon],” Assini said.

Assini said he plays Let 8 Ride every week, using 3-4 horses on day one (for $24-$32 wagered) with the primary goal of just advancing. I.e., he’s not looking for value to start.

“I don’t worry about odds because the money gets up there pretty quickly,” Assini said. “You want few players but usually after Friday the herd thins and then you get to play for the added money. You have to be willing to make some tough decisions.”

A new game starts Thursday with race 8 from Arlington; follow racetrack analysis Gabby Gaudet, Alyssa Ali, and John G. Dooley for their selections. $8 to win gets you started. You can wager on as many horses as you want on the first day, but must let the winnings ride on a single horse in day 2 and beyond.

For more information on Let 8 Ride, click here. For FREE Brisnet.com Ultimate Past Performance with Comments for the eighth race on Thursday at Arlington, click here.