There is nothing more exciting than to see the horse you just bet on cross that finish line first to bring home a winning ticket. That is the most basic bet in horse racing along with a Place bet for second and a Show bet for third. One of the most interesting things about betting on horses in general is the vast number of exotic bets that you can also place to really dial up the excitement for that day’s racing card.
Also Read: Annual Breeders’ Cup Preview Guide & Picks
One of the biggest betting events of the year in horse racing traditionally takes place the first weekend in November at one of the top racing venues in the nation. This year’s Breeders’ Cup heads back to the West Coast to Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Southern California on the heels of last year’s trip to Santa Anita Park. Starting on Friday, Nov. 3 with the first four events on the card, there will be over $26 million in total prize money up for grabs over the two-day run with a total of 13 major graded stakes events to bet on.
Breeder Cup horse racing features the best of the best from around the world so you already know that each of the fields for the 13 events is going to be deep in talent. One of the best ways to maximize your return on investment is to place an extacta bet on two horses to win and place. If you play a straight-up exacta, the horses must finish in the exact order you bet them. The most common strategy for exacta bets is to box the wager so your top two picks can finish in either order.
You can add a third horse to the mix to round out the show position in a bet that is known as a trifecta. The same rules hold as far as a SU finish, so most bettors will box this wager as well. Keep in mind that a $2 exacta bet will cost you $4 to box it. That same $2 trifecta bet boxed is $12. Going chalk with the top two or three contenders may appear to be the safest way to place these bets, but with the depth of talent in each of the Breeders’ Cup races, you should take your handicapping efforts a bit deeper into the field to try and boost your overall return on a potential winning bet.
Another way to bet a race is to ‘wheel’ your favorite with a few other horses in a trifecta. This means that you are betting on one horse to win along with a number of other horses to fill out the other two spots in the top three. Your top horse has to win, but any of the other horses you add to the wheel can fill the place and show positions in the bet. The more horses you add to the wheel the more that type of bet will cost. For example, if you wheel your top horse with two other contenders, a $2 bet will cost $4. By adding another horse to the wheel the cost goes up to $12 given the greater number of winning combinations.
Daily Doubles, Pick 3 and Pick 4 bets are other types of exotic wagers that can bring home a big pay day at any track, let alone at an event as big as the Breeders Cup. To win the Daily Double, you have to correctly pick the winner in the two designated races on the card. The Pick 3 adds a third race to the mix and the Pick 4 requires four correct winner in each of the designated races.
