There are few more exciting sporting events on the international calendar than the Triple Crown races in the United States. The opening race on the schedule is run in early May at Churchill Downs before the Preakness Stakes follow two weeks later.
You can read more about Preakness, which is coming up on May 17th here: https://www.twinspires.com/preakness-stakes
The finest horses in training than both to New York for the final leg in June, as the Belmont Stakes completes the Triple Crown. But, what are the key factors to consider when it comes to the betting markets available?
Win Betting
The most popular way to bet on any of the Triple Crown races is by wagering on the win market. Here, you will be trying to find the winning runner of the race. If you put your stake on the horse that is declared the winner, then the returns will be awarded.
Place Betting
Place betting is most popular when it comes to the Kentucky Derby, as there is a much bigger field of horses to consider. This market will require the bettor to wager their stake on a horse that finishes in the top two positions. It is mostly for bettors looking to wager on an outsider.
Show Betting
Like place betting, show betting doesn’t require the bettor to find the winner of the race. Instead, they will simply need to find a selection that will finish in the first three places. Like placing wager on the place betting market, you will be looking at the selections at bigger prices to achieve more substantial returns.
Exacta/Trifecta Betting
The preferred betting market among more experienced bettors is the Exacta and Trifecta options. To land an Exacta, you must correctly predict the horses that will finish first and second in the correct order. Meanwhile, the Trifecta is very similar, but you must also correctly predict the horse that will finish the race in third.
Exacta/Trifecta Box Betting
While betting on the Exacta and Trifecta betting markets is among the most popular, many will instead select a number of runners and place them into an Exacta or Trifecta Box. Here, you can select as many runners as you wish, but for the prior you must have at least two, and for the latter you must have at least three. This is a smart way of covering off a number of options, and the horses selected don’t need to finish in a specific order, they only have to finish in the top two or three.
Future Betting
Betting markets for the Triple Crown races open month before the final fields are officially declared. This often gives the most experienced bettors the best chance of finding value in their selections, as they can put down their money early for their idea of the winner of the Triple Crown race. However, if the selection doesn’t qualify or line-up for the race, then the stake is lost.
Specials Betting
Many of the best online sportsbooks for horse racing offer a number of engaging special markets when it comes to the Triple Crown races. This includes being able to bet on a runner to win all three Triple Crown races and joining legendary stars such as Secretariat, American Pharoah and Justify in achieving that feat.
Other specials that bettors will be able to wager on, include the option to bet on selections in the head-to-head markets. Here, the bet will be settled by the runner that finishes best out of the selections in the market. Bettors can also wager on the finishing time of the race, and the stall position of the winning selection.