Betting on horse racing has become popular online due to its accessibility and convenience, and many bettors are trying their chance to participate. If you’re one of them, you’re in luck! 

Horse racing presents three huge annual major championships, Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. These race events are legs for the Grand Slam title, where only 13 crowned horses have been since 1919 with sir Barton. 

Up to this day, many fans look forward to the next Grand Slam winner every year. If you want to multiply the excitement of your horse racing experience, participating in betting can give you that extra fun. 

For starters, here is a list of betting types you can place in every horse race.

Exacta Wager

Starting with one of the oldest types of horse racing bets, exacta wagers. Exacta wager is a type of exotic wager that involves betting on multiple horses in a single or multiple races. 

In Exacta’s case, the bettor must predict the first two possible winners of the race that will win first and second places. You can only succeed if both the horses make it to the finish line, as you have predicted. If you expect Horse A to come first and Horse B to be second, but only Horse A comes first and Horse B as third, you lose your bet. Again, to win Exacta bets, you must correctly predict the first two finishers of the race.

Trifecta Wager

Aside from Exacta wager, there is also a similar bet in the exotic wager that involves predicting the top finishers. For the top three finishers, the chance is called a Trifecta.

The same guideline with the Exacta works for this bet, except that you will need to correctly guess the first, second, and third in their proper order. Trifecta increases the risks of the bet, so if you win your wagers, you can bring home more than you have bet for.

Win Wager

Wagering on a winning bet is a laid-back bet. The win wagers are considered the most basic type of bet. Its guideline is very straightforward and even a totally new bettor can participate. The only thing you’ll need to do is predict the race’s final winner. This means betting on a single horse only.

Place Wager

However, if you’re feeling a bit under the weather, you can try out betting for the place bet instead. This wager is similar to winning stakes, but you can have better chances of winning. To participate in the place bet, you only need to bet on a single horse. Then, you can win if the horse can finish first or second in the race.

Double, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5

If you had fun with exacta and trifecta, you should also try other exotic betting types. Double, Pick 3, Pick 4, and Pick 5 involve multiple betting. However, in their case, you will need to wager on numerous races. If you bet on doubles, you must bet on two races. 

For pick 3, it would be three races, pick 4 is four races, and so on. The maximum number of legs you can bet on will vary by the sportsbook. To win these bets, all your horses from various races must win their designated events. If you participated in pick 4 and found out that one of your four horses came second by a few seconds, you still lost. 

It is crucial that all four of them must win to get all your bets. Again, you will place money on the four horses where they must finish first in their various races.

How to Win Your Horse Racing Bets?

There are many ways that you can improve your chances of winning in a horse racing bet. A few of which would be handicapping and looking into horse racing odds. 

Handicapping in horse racing is when every runner will be assigned a weight to carry according to their past performance. The more skilled a horse can be, its handicap will be heavier. Horses that run for handicap races have already proven their skills and are up for the challenge.

A popular type of handicapping method is speed handicapping. It’s picking horse winners and determining who can run the fastest on the track. Sportsbook also presents handicap data that bettors can use to their advantage. 

To win a bet using handicapping methods, you will need a reliable sportsbook that provides updated and relevant information such as the tvg handicapping horse speed. On the other hand, odds are presented by your sportsbook, showing the possibility of the horse winning the race. 

It’s usually written with a minus sign that indicates the favorite horses and a plus sign for the underdog before the numbers. A -109 odds are more likely to win the race than the +200.

Final Thoughts

There are many horse racing events available annually where you can participate and bet. After figuring out the right betting type for you, you can then strategize on how you can win in every bet you place. If you are confused about what to bet, you can use this guide you. Place your bets to have extra fun while watching your favorite horses run.