Switzler Jammin Runs Out at Palm Beach Kennel Club and Makes Somebody Very Happy

Greyhound racing is a sport that lends itself to huge upsets on occasions, as there are so many variables in a race that determine the outcome. There was no bigger shocker recently than Switzler Jammin running out of the money at the Palm Beach Kennel Club on Saturday afternoon, August 4th in a Grade A race. Jammin had been so good as of late that it was virtually impossible to envision that he wouldn't come away from this contest with his fifth win of the new meet, but he not only lost, his absence from the ticket was responsible for some mutual payoffs that resembled phone numbers.

Any greyhound, no matter how fast or strong he or she is, can be beaten under the right circumstances, and that is what happened to Switzler Jammin in a heat that he figured to dominate on paper. He was in the three box in the feature twelfth, in a familiar scenario, in front of a huge Saturday matinee crowd of over two thousand racing fans. Thousands more from around the nation looked on in simulcast parlors, with very few of them looking at the race in their programs and thinking that Jammin was going to have much trouble with this bunch. WSR Craigies Son had the one box, and you could have easily seen him running second based on his performances a few lines back, but no better. Bow Raisetheroof in the two had been off his form lately, and faded from the lead in his last start to come in fourth. Cieara Star in the four was coming off a six week layoff, and was a router besides. Bohemian Telesto was showing one win in his last six, a grade B affair, and he had run no better than sixth in four of his five Grade A starts during that span. KB's Accusharp had the six but appeared overmatched here. LNW Charming in the seven was a more than capable sprinter that had two top level victories in her last six, while KS Sweetheart out in the eight had perhaps an outside shot of hitting the board with a good break.

When the lure went by and the box was opened, Jammin came out behind both the one and the two, but ahead of the rest of the pack. However, things started to go badly right after the first few steps. While attempting to outrush Craigies Son and Raisetheroof, Jammin was hit twice, first by Charming in the seven and then another tap from Sweetheart in the eight. Sweetheart proceeded to head in towards the rail, keeping Jammin from hopping out wide to try to make up ground on the two leaders. At first it looked as if this might have been for the best, as both of those greyhounds collided slightly going through the first turn and Jammin seemed to be in good position on the rail to perhaps slip through unscathed. But just as the dogs approached the beginning of the toteboard, Jammin was shut off ever so slightly by Raisetheroof, and the black male basically called it a day at that point.

Sweetheart ran by him on the inside as he was falling back a bit, and then he ran into some more traffic going into the far turn. By now even the most optimistic bettor could see that this was not Switzler Jammin's finest hour, but some of them, a precious few, were seeing their best laid plans coming to fruition. WSR Craigies Son at 7-1 was not getting caught today, Ks Sweetheart at 23-1 was driving up along the rail for second place, and the three year old distance dog, Cieara Star, had come from seventh to grab third. 20-1 KB's Accusharp was on the fly as well, and he crossed the line in fourth. While most of the bettors were beginning to start a rain of confetti in the form of ripped up tickets, some were checking and rechecking theirs, with the reality of the situation beginning to sink in.

Jammin had gone off as the two dimes to the dollar super-chalk, and had figured prominently on the vast majority of wagers made on this 545 yard sprint. Craigies Son in the one and KS Sweetheart in the eight formed an $80 quiniela, which was a little low because that combo is always played quite a bit. The perfecta was much more satisfying at $245, and the triple had to bring a sense of euphoria to those that had played their license plate or house number, as nobody could actually admit to having handicapped the race to get this result. The trifecta came back for $2,144, sending those that held live tickets into a tizzy. The superfecta, of which there had to be just one ticket, could have sent the son or daughter of the lucky person that had hit it to a major university, at least for one semester. Whoever had it had the entire pool, minus the Palm Beach Kennel Club's cut, as it paid an eye-popping $9,245.

Switzler Jammin finished in seventh, sending scores of people grumbling to the exits of whatever facility they viewed the contest from. The track champion from the prior meet, the winner of forty races, will more than likely come back and trounce the next seven greyhounds he competes against at Palm Beach Kennel Club. But for one day he was just another dog, taking his medicine, helping to make memories for a handful of bettors that will last for some time to come, and for one fortunate soul he contributed to the payoff of a lifetime.