[noober]

Why is there #1 and #1a on some contests? If you bet #1 and #1a win do you win something? Sorry for the noob question.

[jw]

From http://www.mrracetrack.com/glossary.html

Short answer : yes - you get both horses .. either wins - your bet wins ..

Long answer:
In California, when two or more horses entered in a race belong to the same owner, they are called "entries" or "coupled" horses. In other states, a coupled entry is defined when two or more horses are trained by and/or owned by the same person. The coupled entry is comprised of two or more horses and are a single betting interest. For example: In California, Mrs. Smith owns horse A and horse B. Mrs. Smith's entry would thus be 1 and 1a. This is considered a bet on #1 for betting purposes. Once in awhile, there will be more than one coupled entry: Mrs. Smith owns Horses A and B while Mr. Jones owns Horses C and D. Mr. Jones' entry would be numbers 2 and 2a. In other states, if the same trainer conditions Horse A and Horse B, these horses will be coupled, and/or if the two horses are owned by the same person, they will be coupled.

While this seems complex, what it means is that you get two horses for the price of one. However, it usually means that a horse you thought would be at long odds may be affected by the other "coupled" entry. The industry has not determined how to address this issue. Some bettors believe that common interests mean that the horses should automatically be coupled (to prevent conflict of interest). Other bettors believe it isn't fair that the other horse has lower odds because of common ownership (or conditioning). This is the reason that each state has differing rules on coupling.

[noober]

Thnaks a lot for the answer.

[wtt0315]

yes i remember one of my first times to the track a couple of years ago i placed a 20 dollar exacta box on the 1 and 5 and the 1a and 5 came in and it paid 650 bucks i was so pissed because i thought i lost and didnt know how to place a bet on the 1a. i threw the ticket in the trash. i left and a week later was told they count together. i never got the ticket back

[str]

yes i remember one of my first times to the track a couple of years ago i placed a 20 dollar exacta box on the 1 and 5 and the 1a and 5 came in and it paid 650 bucks i was so pissed because i thought i lost and didnt know how to place a bet on the 1a. i threw the ticket in the trash. i left and a week later was told they count together. i never got the ticket back

You could have filed a lost ticket claim. They would have needed the details like, the time you bought it, where in the track. ( approx. location, window or auto machine), type of ticket, (describe the ticket amount and type, 1-5 straight , box or whatever) . They would have traced the ticket to the machine you bought it from,flagged it and if it was not cashed, one year from the date you bought it ,you would have been paid.
Someone should have been able to tell you that.
After one calender year it is to late.
The State got the money.
Sorry you did not know.