Horse racing carries on despite the Coronavirus. (Photo credit:: © Cheryl Quigley – Dreamstime.com)
Okay kids let’s not panic. All major sports have shut their doors, leaving us with very little to wager on. At least for now, horse racing is still an option and it is very easy to do it from the comfort of your home. And it certainly beats binge watching Netflix.
If you are new to horse racing, you can stream all the action using the Watch TVG App. The horse betting company based in the U.S. is offering $300 Risk Free Bet.
Among the tracks still scheduled to run are Gulfstream Park, Tampa Bay Downs, Golden Gate Fields, Fonner Park, Will Rogers Downs, Los Alamitos, Remington Park and Oaklawn Park.
The horse racing industry does not rely on huge crowds and revenue from television. The industry is driven by betting handle, so the show is going on at racetracks with no spectators. Over 80% of the money wagered on horse racing is bet off track anyway.
The Kentucky Derby, the first jewel of racing’s Triple Crown was scheduled to be run on May 2, but it has been rescheduled for Saturday, Sept. 5. Oaks and Derby Day are cash cow days for Churchill Downs, and they want over 100,000 fans to attend each day.
Are you new to horse racing? I thought it might be a good idea to give everyone a quick and very basic primer on the different horse racing bets available.
Win, Place Show Betting
Win: If you wager $1 to Win on your horse, you collect only if your horse finished first.
Place: If you wager $1 to Place, your horse must finish first or second for you to collect. But remember, you don’t get the Win payoff, just the Place payoff, which is generally smaller than the win payoff.
Show: If you wager $1 to Show, your horse must finish first, second, or third. But remember, you only collect the Show payoff.
Exacta Wagering
An Exacta Wager involves picking two horses that you believe will finish first and second. A $1 exacta box using three horses would cost $6 and would be a winner if two of the three horses finish in the top two positions.
Daily Double Wagering
The Daily Double wager is similar to the exacta, but you are working with two consecutive races. Most tracks now have “Rolling Doubles” meaning you can play just about any two races. The minimum wager at most tracks is $1.
Trifecta Wagering
With a Trifecta bet you must choose three horses that you believe will finish first, second and third. To win the bet, those three horses must finish in that order. Most tracks now offer a .50 cent increment. You could box four horses in a Trifecta bet for $12 and if three of the four finished in the top three spots the ticket is a winner. Playing a Trifecta key or wheel is better when managing your bankroll if you can isolate several main contenders to play in the top spot.
Here are a few ways to get good coverage with modest invests:
#1,#2 with #1,#2,#3 with #1,#2,#3,#4,#5,#6 = $8
#1,#2 with #1,#2,#3,#4 with #1,#2,#3,#4,$5,#6 = $12
#1,#2,#3 with #1,#2,#3,#4 with #1,#2,#3,#4,#5,#6 = $18
Pick 4 and Pick 5 Wagers
The Pick 4 and Pick 5 have become very popular wagers over the past couple of years. Hitting a Pick 4 means correctly selecting the winner of four straight races. The Pick 5 is tougher, having to pick the winner in five consecutive races. The best way to play these bets is with multiple tickets, using less horses in races where you have a strong opinion and more horses in races that are more wide open or you do not have a strong opinion.
Sam Houston offers an industry low 12% takeout on Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5 wagering. Aqueduct has an early and late Pick 5 with a 15% takeout. These wagers can pay large if you can beat a couple of favorites in the sequence.
I plan on posting my Best Plays Report each day this week. Gulfstream Park is back in action on Wednesday and my full card report will be available.
Check the television schedule for FS1, FS2 and the NBC Sports Network, who plan on broadcasting horse racing later this week.
