What Is A Trifecta Race Average ratng: 3,7/5 8021 votes
A Trifecta bet in horse racing is when you make a wager on the three horses that you believe will finish the horse race in first, second, and third place, in a specific order. If the three horses you chose finish the race in the correct order, you win your bet. In horse racing or greyhound racing, a Trifecta bet is when you place a bet on the three horses which you think will finish the race first and second and third, in a specific order. If they finish in the correct order you win, and you can win big!
Trifecta betting is a challenging betting option in horse racing where you must select the first three placegetters in finishing order. There are massive payouts on offer for those lucky enough to win. Trifecta punters can be daunted by the number of combinations needed to cover all possible outcomes. However, I show you legitimate and proven strategies to increase the chances of winning without escalating bet costs.
Trifecta results in huge payouts
It’s no secret that trifecta betting can lead to huge payout figures. Dividends can be in the thousands of dollars. However, more commonly, payouts are in the hundreds. For example, the trifecta in the 2019 Stradbroke Handicap, won by Trekking $7.60 in a field of 18, paid $586.80.
Melbourne Cup trifecta: Melbourne Cup trifectas are usually massive because of the huge betting pools and the number of runners. In Vintage Crop’s year (1993) the trifecta paid $61,867.90. In 2012, Green Moon’s trifecta paid $51,117. None of the favourites hit the board in that race. The next year when Fiorente won, the trifecta paid $3,362,40. In 2014, won by Protectionist, the Cup trifecta paid $2,173.10. The trifecta paid $20,010.30 when longshot Prince of Penzance won the 2015 Cup. Almandin won in 2016 with the trifecta paying $1,541.30. In Rekindling’s year, it was $3,025.10. The trifecta in last year’s Cup, filled by Cross Counter $8.00, Marmelo $13.00 and A Prince of Arran $23.00, paid a handy $2,479.40. Huge dividends! Wouldn’t it be superb to win the trifecta on the Melbourne Cup. Arguably, the punter’s holy grail.
Trifectas in the range of $150-$500 are very “gettable” and can produce a nice little profit. In the right race, it’s very possible to win an even bigger trifecta, of more than $1,000. With dividends like these, no wonder the trifecta is one of the most popular exotic betting types.
The overall aim in trifecta betting
The secret to trifecta betting is to maximise value while minimising the cost of the bet.
You want to look at your form analysis to find reasons to eliminate fancied runners. In many cases this is not possible and an alternative method must be used. You can also simply “pass” on the bet.
How often do favoured horses finish out of a place? There is usually a valid reason for why they did not feature in the finish. It’s up to the trifecta punter to seek out and identify these hidden form pointers, as these are invaluable for reducing costs.
The 2020 Australian Cup. Avilius was a $3.20 warm favourite after being backed consistently over the previous days, in from $4.60. Everyone was spruiking Avilius. The race was won by $7.00 chance Fifty Stars from Regal Power $6.00 and Vow and Declare $14. Avilius found itself further back in the field than preferred, and was running on at the finish but missed a place. In a 14 horse field, the trifecta for 3 well-fancied runners (less the favourite) paid almost $400 ($396.70). In our strategy on the day, we decided to exclude the favourite and two $150+ outsiders, predict the winner and box the rest for the minor placings. Unfortunately, we didn’t have Fifty Stars, but the strategy was valid and would have paid handsomely.
Below I show you proven strategies to win at the trifecta. For each strategy, I have provided a real world example. The key is to find the right race. Not all races are suitable for trifecta betting. In reality, there may be only one or two races at most on the program where you can have a legitimate punt on the trifecta. Remember, the trifecta is one of the best ways to win on the punt so treat it with steely focus and resolve.
How to estimate the payout figure
The trifecta dividend is calculated by dividing the number of winning tickets into the total pool, less the take out. The betting agency’s takeout figure on a trifecta is usually 20% or more. A takeout of 21.5% is published on the TAB website.
We do not know the number of winning combinations prior to the race. Thus, dividends are not shown in many jurisdictions. However, it can be calculated electronically. On big race days, the trifecta payouts are bigger because of the increased size of the trifecta pool. These are the best days to have a go at the trifecta. Even better to hit the Bet Boost button!
When to “pass” on the trifecta
Everyone likes winning but it’s also important to know when NOT to bet on the trifecta. It’s better to keep your hands in your pocket if there is no value, or the cost of the bet is too high.
Reason to pass No.1 – Favourites
There is no value in trifectas when your form analysis predicts that favourites will fill the placings. If that occurs, there will be too many winning tickets. The total pool is divided amongst all the winners and thus, the individual dividends will suffer accordingly. No value! Even worse, including a hot favourite in a trifecta is a very bad bet.
Look for races in which the favourite is under some risk, and leave it out! Value will come from other, less fancied runners.
Reason to pass No.2 – Bet cost
Another reason to not bet is when the cost of the bet is too high. The more horses to include in the combinations, the cost of the trifecta bet can escalate very quickly.
The cost of boxing 3, 4, 5 or 6 horses are $6, $24, $60 and $120, respectively. You can reduce the cost significantly by nominating one of your selections as a standout, eg; a horse that you select to win, and boxing the other horses to fill the placings. In this case, the cost will be $2, $6, $12 and $20, respectively. You can nominate a standout in any position.
Excessive bet cost happens commonly when there are too many runners in the race, or at least too many legitimate chances. If you need to bet too many combinations to secure the win, the cost will be high and perhaps the risk-benefit excessive. In this case, just give it a miss and find another race to try.
In trifecta betting, it’s all about risk reduction. To get the risk pendulum swinging in your favour. However, risk reduction often comes at a cost, so beware of escalation in that area.
Preparation for trifecta betting
First thing you need to do is open an account with Unibet, which is the best online bookmaker for villagebet punters. Unibet is outstanding in providing trifecta punters with all the tools necessary to enjoy and profit on this popular wagering option. Joining up is easy and only takes 2 minutes.
What Is A Trifecta Bet
As always, when starting something new, try a few hands at the trifecta without investing any money. You’ll begin to learn the techniques and things to look out for. Review past races and study the trifecta result. What were the odds of the placegetters? Where were they in the market? How about the widest runners?
The key is to look for the right race. Different races require different strategies so it’s important to fully understand the contest from top to bottom.
Strategies to win the trifecta
Listed below are proven strategies to win at the trifecta. Make sure your strategy excludes hot favourites as they destroy any value in trifecta betting. Either exclude them from the trifectas or choose to pass on the race altogether.
Exclude the hot favourite
Some professional punters choose to exclude the favourite altogether from trifecta bets. However, my recommendation is to decide on a case-by-case basis. Is there enough risk around the favourite to consider leaving it out of the trifecta. If not, there is little point in continuing with the bet as the likelihood is high that the favourite wins. Particularly avoid including favourites that are odds-on (less than $2.00) as any dividend will be severely compromised. If there is some risk in the favourite, then this is an opportunity to consider leaving it out altogether.
It often occurs that the favourite, for some reason, fails to finish in the top 3 placings. Punters who backed the favourite straight-out are seen throwing tickets away in despair, or standing around with that perplexed look on their face. It happens quite frequently. The horse may be “over the top” in its preparation or meet unexpected bad luck in running. However, when this happens, trifecta punters are in business! The payout figure on any trifecta in that race will be great. It’s important for the trifecta punter to reap the reward when the favourite bombs.
Pick the winner
Trifecta betting is a lot easier if you have confidence in a particular horse to win the race. If you can lock in a horse to fill the 1st place, you can box horses to fill the minor placings. Once again, it’s much better if you can find a horse at greater than each-way odds who you think will win the race. Do not use a hot favourite. Use other strategies, listed below, to remove further horses from consideration. Then, we are starting to formulate a workable trifecta bet.
Not confident in the winner? You can lock in two horses to finish on top. These horses are known as bankers. Bankers are one or two horses that can be locked into a certain position. It doesn’t need to be the winner. You might lock a horse in for 3rd position, say a long shot you suspect could sneak into the frame. A little speculative but will give any successful dividend an enormous kick. The third position is often filled by a longshot so don’t be afraid to use a longshot as a stand alone in the third position. It’s important to try lots of ideas and be vigorous with your post-race analysis. Only then will you find that elusive edge as a trifecta punter.
Eliminate horses with no chance
A third general strategy in trifecta betting is to not waste money on horses with absolutely no chance of getting into the placings. These would be horses whose odds are greater than approximately $80. An 80-1 shot has a 1.25 percentage probability of winning the race, so it’s highly unlikely. In most cases, unless you have a very good reason, these horses can safely be eliminated from your trifecta betting.
It’s also important to identify any track bias. In trifecta betting, track bias can help eliminate some horses from the list of chances and also elevate others. Keep an eye on racing patterns earlier in the day.
No.1 Trifecta Strategy: Eliminate the favourite and widest runners
The favourite winning will severely impact the size of the dividend. Hence, if you think there is some risk around the favourite, leave it out altogether. Conversely, horses at greater than about $80-1 have little chance of running a place. In fact, the price put up for these horses by bookmakers is seriously understated; in reality their chance is 200-1 or more. These horses succeed so infrequently it’s really not worth including in your bet.
In this strategy, we will remove the favourite and the horses with next to no chance of hitting the board. If you can do this in a race with only a dozen or so runners, you can end up with only a small group of horses to include in the combinations.
Example 1: 2019 J.J. Atkins Plate at Eagle Farm
In a field of 15 horses, No.1 Accession was favourite at a steady $3.50. He was unproven at G1 level and hadn’t run the distance, sufficient risk to remove him from trifecta betting in order to preserve value.
In addition, the bottom 7 horses (Nos. 9-15) were given next to no chance of finishing in the placings. Six of those horses were at triple-figure odds and a 7thhorse, Ballistic Boy, was $81. A great opportunity to really narrow down the field by eliminating all those horses.
Of those left in our trifecta bet, Prince Fawaz $4.40 was identified as the likely winner of the race. He really impressed in his recent run and had Kerrin McEvoy on board. At greater than each-way odds he was the perfect choice to peg as a standout in the first position.
In summary, we had the No.7 horse winning the race, and 6 other horses with the possibility of filling 2nd and 3rd placing. The cost of the trifecta is therefore 1x6x5 = $30, quite a reasonable stake.
J.J. Atkins Plate result:
Ist: No.7. Prince Fawaz $4.40 K. McEvoy
2nd: No.6. Kubrick $21.00 J. Allen
3rd: No.8. Reloaded $7.00 J. McDonald
Trifecta $375.50
A straight-out win bet of $30 on Prince Fawaz would result in a return of $132.00. Instead, with the same selection as the winner, our $30 trifecta returned $375.50. A great strategy that reduced the field to 7 runners including one standout selection.
Example 2: Rosehill R2, 15th June 2019
The 2nd race at Rosehill on 15th June, 2019 is a good example of excluding the favourite and widest runners. Fifteen horses and 4 emergencies accepted, however 4 horses from the main field and 2 emergencies were scratched, leaving a field of 13 to run.
At least 2 horses ($91 and $201) were given no chance by punters, and were excluded from our trifecta bet. If we also leave out the favourite, Galapagos $3.40, we are left with 10 runners to combine.
Because there are still 10 runners, our top selection No.3 Zardoro was used as a roving banker. This meant that Zardoro could finish anywhere in the first 3 home. The trifecta with 9 other horses boxed around the roving banker costs $216 in total. It won, paying over $4k.
Rosehill Race 2 result:
Ist: No.17. Upper House $31.00 R. King
2nd: No.3. Zardoro $11.00 S. Clipperton
3rd: No.15. Onemore Sapphire $9.00 C. O’Brien
Trifecta $4,385.70
Many punters would find $216 too much to bet on a somewhat risky trifecta. However, if you select your stake using flexi-betting, you can still come home with a nice collect. A $50 stake for instance, results in a $1,015.21 collect!
Example 3: Caulfield R1, 27th July 2019
With 9 starters, a hot favourite and a single wide runner, the first race at Caulfield had Villagebet trifecta punters licking their lips. Can’t Be Done was the $2.65 warm favourite, with Gettysburg Address the wide runner at $41. All other runners were remarkably bunched together between $4.80 and $17.00. Leaving the favourite and wide runner out of calculations, we had only 7 runners to box in the trifecta. Cost of bet is therefore 7x6x5 = $210.
Can’t Be Done finished 4th and the wide runner unplaced, making the trifecta a success, paying a whopping $1,664.70
Caulfield Race 1 result:
Ist: No.8. Parmie $11.60 D. Yendall
2nd: No.2. Igniting $11.00 M. Walker
3rd: No.4. Noble Fight $17.00 M. Zahra
Trifecta $1,664.70
A great result for this value trifecta strategy. An outlay of $210 yielded a $1,664.70 dividend, with an ROI of 692.7%.
No.2 Trifecta Strategy: Winner and roving banker
When you’re confident of the winner (and it’s not an odds-on favourite), and you have another horse that you think will be the hardest to beat, it’s worth taking a punt on this strategy in the trifecta.
In this strategy, there is a large onus on your ability to select the winner of the race. If you’re confident, then try this one. Make your selection in the standout first position. Then use your other selection as the roving banker to run 2ndor 3rd.
If you can identify the winner, there is so much more value if it’s not the favourite. Even better if it’s not one of the favoured runners, but sometimes this is unavoidable. If it’s a well-fancied runner, you’ll just have to be content with a compromised dividend.
In a 10-horse field, this strategy would cost (10-2)x2 = $16. The possible results for the trifecta bet would be:
1st position: Your selection
2nd position: One of 8 horses OR roving banker
3rd position: Roving banker OR one of 8 horses
Example: Flemington R2, 8th June 2019
Kings Brook is the morning favourite and expected to win. However, Mrs O’Malley has been in good form and appears hardest for the favourite to beat. Mrs O’malley is more than each-way odds and will be our roving banker for 2nd or 3rd place. The cost of the trifecta is therefore:
(1x1x8) + (1x8x1) = $16
Flemington Race 2 result:
Ist: No.4. Kings Brook $2.40 A. Mallyon
2nd: No.8. Mrs O’malley $7.50 L. Currie
3rd: No.10. Mrs Bignell $51.00 J. Eaton
Trifecta $432.30
A very good trifecta result for a $16 outlay. The dividend is enhanced by the $51 shot sneaking into 3rd place but this is the reason we covered all possible outcomes in the 2nd and 3rd spots.
No.3 Trifecta Strategy: Favourite in a small field
A simple strategy for trifecta punters is to bank the favourite in a small field. It’s unlikely to reap great rewards, but at least has a good chance of success. The key is to identify the right race, in which the favourite is more than even money and there are some horses with very little chance.
This strategy is almost the opposite of Strategy 1 but relies on astute race selection to achieve success.
Look for a small field of no more than 10 runners. When there is a clear favourite, but not odds on (in the red), and several horses at “London to a brick” odds, this strategy is open for business.
Example: 2019 June Stakes at Randwick.
The June Stakes at Randwick (Race 7, 08-June-2019) is an interesting example of this strategy. Deprive was considered a good thing, the favourite at $2.40. This is a little short but we were prepared for the smaller dividend.
The key advantage of this race was the scratchings of 3 of the 13 original entries and 2 of the remainders had little chance (odds $81 and $151). This left us with only 8 horses, one of which (Deprive) we locked in as the winner.
Cost of bet: 1x7x6 = $42
June Stakes result:
Ist: No.9. Deprive $2.40 R. King
2nd: No.4. Bon Amis $8.50 C. Reith
3rd: No.11. Brook Magic $15.00 B. McDougall
Trifecta $122.80
A straight-out bet of $42 on Deprive would have yielded $100.80. Taking the trifecta using this strategy added an extra $22 without further risk.
Two take home messages from this strategy and the example provided. Betting the favourite as standout in a trifecta severely impacts dividend. In this case, the trifecta only added approximately 22% on top, compared to taking the favourite straight-out. Second take-away is the importance of looking at trifectas in order to add value to betting the favourite straight out. In this case, we added 22% to the price without further risk.
An outlay of $42 may seem a little steep for many punters. Luckily, we have flexi-betting to bring the bet cost under control.
No.4 Trifecta Strategy: Discard top and bottom 3 in the market
A more adventurous strategy is to remove the most favoured and least favoured horses in the market. For example, leave out the top and bottom 3 in the market. Remove every horse at more than $30 odds.
Look for a very open race, ie; many chances in the market. The race must not contain an odds-on favourite who would be expected to win most of the time. And look for a group of horses given next to no chance in the race. In a small field, I would remove anything above $30.
It’s not easy, psychologically, to discard the top 3 horses in the market. However, in this strategy we are looking for a big return. Simply stated, including favoured horses will negatively impact the eventual dividend. In an open race, it’s not unusual for all placings to be filled by horses of better than each-way odds.
This strategy works alone or combined with other strategies.
Hopefully, after removing the top and bottom horses in the market, you’re left with only half the field to consider. You then have three choices:
- Combine them all in a box trifecta.
- Narrow down the field even further.
- Find a banker.
Example 1: Randwick R5, 8th-June 2019
This was an open betting race with 12 runners.
No.6 Call Me Royal was favourite at $2.60 and Nos. 8 and 11 were two others close up in the betting. The 3 widest runners in the betting were 1, 7 and 12 with odds of $35, $91 and $27, respectively.
Removal of 6 horses above, left 6 remaining. Thus, the cost of boxing all 6 horses in a trifecta = 6x5x4 = $120
Randwick Race 5 result:
Ist: No.2. Gongs $13.00
2nd: No.10. Connemara $13.00
3rd: No.3. Miss Exfactor $21.00
Trifecta $3165.10
A massive trifecta result ($3,165.10) given we’d narrowed the field to 6 horses. Looking at those 6 horses, many would confidently predict the winner Gongs. Making Gongs the Standout, would reduce the cost of bet to 1x5x4 = $20.
In this strategy, it also pays to check other betting agencies to determine the horses to remove. In this case, the No.12 horse was showing $27, the third widest runner. On another betting agency however, the No.5 horse was also showing $27 and could also have been removed on the basis of it being the equal third widest runner. This would leave only 5 horses! Boxing the five horses would cost $60. With Gongs as the standout winner, the cost of bet: 1x4x3 = $12 for a $3,165.10 return.
Example 2: Trifecta pays over $10k
In the 9th race at Flemington that same day, this strategy netted a massive trifecta, paying $10,310.50. Discarding the top and bottom 3 horses in the market, left 9 remaining. However, boxing 9 horses is far too excessive ($362,880) so further refinement is necessary to keep costs under control. Hopefully, while not deleting the $52 winner! Use a roving banker and flexi-betting.
No.5 Trifecta Strategy: Quinella and the field for 3rd.
How many times do you see a horse with long odds sneaking into 3rd place? It happens very often and this represents a terrific opportunity for trifecta punters. In this strategy, we will select the quinella (1st and 2nd, in any order) and take it into the field for 3rd place. The hope is that a horse of long odds sneaks into 3rd place.
Unlike other strategies, we are not leaving out any horses with long odds as this is the underlying premise of the strategy. The hope is that a horse with long odds finishes in 3rd place. In the case where there are still too many runners, we have the additional option of further reducing the field size by removing all horses at triple-figure odds.
As we are boxing the 3rd spot, we need to reduce bet costs in the other 2 positions. In this strategy, we’ll select 2 horses (labeled A and B below) to fill the first 2 placings, in any order. This is the same as a quinella, ie; select two horses that must fill the first 2 positions home, regardless of order.
In a 15-horse race, the trifecta combinations to bet are:
(Horse A – Horse B – 13 horses) plus (Horse B – Horse A – 13 horses)
Cost of bet = $26
Example: 2019 Brisbane Cup at Eagle Farm.
The 2019 Brisbane Cup had 18 runners. To reduce the field size, we exercised the option of removing the 3 horses at the bottom of the weights, which were each at triple-figure odds. These horses had no chance.
Thus, there were 15 horses remaining. Our strategy is to first select the quinella and then box the remaining horses in the 3rd position.
2019 Brisbane Cup result:
Ist: No.3. Sixties Groove $4.00 D. Oliver
2nd: No.4. Grey Lion $11.00 K. O’Hara
3rd: No.1. Big Duke $27.00 J. Allen
Trifecta $666.20
Sixties Groove $4.00 was second-favourite behind Haripour $3.10. Grey Lion was 4th in the betting at $11.00. The two horses (Sixties Groove and Grey Lion) would have been selected by many punters to quinella the race. If you take the “favourite out” rule, then Sixties Groove was your first choice.
This strategy allows for Big Duke to place 3rd at $27.00 and boost the dividend. A $666.20 trifecta for the cost of $26 is a good return.
Selection skills still paramount in trifecta betting
Betting on horse racing has a lot going for it but it is a serious business. The strategies for trifecta betting shown here are proven with real world examples, however in each of them, it remains important for the trifecta punter to maintain a good level of selection skills. Identifying the right bankers and standouts is critical to success and relies on astute form study and hard work. Deciding which horses to leave out of trifecta calculations is equally important as identifying those to include. Particularly when trying to reduce bet costs. Thus, it’s important to listen to the form, gather knowledge and follow trusted experts.
Our racing tips and best bets published every raceday morning will undoubtedly help you with selections to achieve your trifecta goals. Hopefully they can make your day as successful as the red-letter day we had at the 2019 Caulfield Guineas.
Proven Results
03-Oct-2020 Flemington R6: 15 runners. Discard favourite (No.2) and runners >$15 (Nos.1,3,8,13,14,17,19,20). Select No.15 ($10.00 SP) to win. Box remaining horses for minor placings (4,5,6,11,12). Cost of bet $20 for 100% dividend.
1st: No.15. Persan $10.00
2nd: No.6. Sound $15.00
3rd: No.4. Steel Prince $7.50
Trifecta $1,147.70
16-May-2020 Flemington R7: 14 runners. Discard every runner under $10 (4,11,15). Discard two widest runners (8,14; $151 each). Box remaining. Cost of bet $504. Use Flexi-betting to reduce cost, eg; 10%.
1st: No.5. Super Titus $16.00
2nd: No.6. Mahamedeis $31.00
3rd: No.13. Chapada $11.00
Trifecta $4,200.50
25-Apr-2020 Flemington R5: 11 runners. Discard No.2 the $4.20 early favourite. Select No.3 ($4.20 SP) to win. Box rest of field for minor placings. Cost of bet $90. Consider using flex-betting to reduce cost of bet.
Ist: No.3. Betcha Flying $4.20
2nd: No.8. Independent Road $9.50
3rd: No.12. Excelman $7.50
Trifecta $311.30
14-Mar-2020 Caulfield R8: 8 runners. Discard No.2 the $2.00 favourite and widest runner No.7 ($81). Box remaining 6 runners. Cost of bet $120.
Ist: No.4. Guizot $8.60
2nd: No.6. Scarlet Dream $17.00
3rd: No.1. Hellova Street $8.50
Trifecta $675.90
12-Oct-2019 Caulfield R1: 8 runners. Discard No.1 the $4.80 favourite and the two widest runners (Nos. 4 & 7). Select No.2 to win ($7.50), then box remaining runners (5,6,8,9) to fill minor placings. Cost of bet $12.
Ist: No.2. Tanker $7.80
2nd: No.6. Euphoric Summer $5.00
3rd: No.9. Queen Of Rocks $7.00
Trifecta $307.60
28-Sep-2019 Mornington R7: 8 runners. Discard No.4 the $3.80 favourite. Select No.6 to win ($4.00), then box remaining runners to fill 2nd and 3rd. Cost of bet $30.
What Does Trifecta Mean
Ist: No.6. Valac $4.20
2nd: No.7. Exemplar $9.00
3rd: No.9. Creedence $10.00
Trifecta $233.70
Category: Betting Strategies
Whether you consider yourself a newcomer to horse race betting or a veteran with years of experience, everyone should have a basic understanding when it comes to placing a trifecta.
Even though trifecta betting is not the easiest wager type in the world, it remains an extremely popular choice among horse racing enthusiasts as it can potentially lead to enormously profits. In fact, it’s considered one of the best horsing bet types if you’re interested in winning big without risking too much of your own hard-earned money.
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A trifecta bet will usually cost you a mere $2, and the potential returns you can make on such a small bet can be extraordinary.
For instance, during the Kentucky Derby in 2005, Giacomo had a 72/1 chance of winning. After he shocked the world with his victory, the trifecta payout was a whopping $133,134.80. It’s nearly impossible to find anything else that will pay this well from such a small bet amount.
Obviously, the payouts are not always this impressive when it comes to trifecta betting. The average payout of a trifecta is usually around $7,000 during the Kentucky Derby. However, that amount drops significantly once you start looking at other races from around the world.
It’s still worth mentioning, however, that you will only spend $2 on a trifecta bet.
So, even if your winnings are only a couple of hundred dollars, you will still make a sizable profit. For that reason, trifecta betting is not only popular with serious handicappers, but with casual bettors as well.
So, for an in-depth look at trifecta betting, read on. After explaining what trifecta betting is, we will walk you through how trifecta betting works and what the differences are between trifecta and boxed trifecta.
We will also help you to calculate trifecta bets and payouts and explain the differences between trifecta, superfecta, and exacta. Keep reading for some frequently asked questions surrounding this popular form of horse race betting, too.
What is a Trifecta?
A trifecta in horse racing is basically an exotic bet where you’ll be required to predict the first three horses to finish the race. You will also need to predict the finishers in the correct order before you will qualify for a payout.
If you are unable to correctly predict the first three finishers in the race, or you simply get the order wrong, you won’t win anything from your bet. As you can see, this is not a simplistic bet to make, which is why the payouts for this bet type can be astonishing.
The typical bet amount for a trifecta is around $2. However, you will find several horse racing events which will allow bets at a reduced cost. For instance, there’s a handful of horse racing events that will offer a $1 trifecta, or even a $0.50 trifecta. However, do remember that the potential payouts will also be reduced once the initial bet amount is reduced.
Now that you have a better understanding of what a trifecta is, let’s expand your knowledge even further by taking a look at the different types of trifecta bets.
Types of Trifecta Bets
You will essentially come across five different types of trifecta betting opportunities in horse race betting. This includes straight trifecta, boxed trifecta, trifecta key, trifecta boxed key and trifecta wheel. Let’s take a closer look at each of these trifecta betting types and explain them in more detail.
Straight Trifecta
This is the most simplistic type of trifecta bet. All you need to do is select three different horses and decide in which order they will finish the race. This can only be first place, second place or third place.
Example: Let’s say you select horse #4 to win the race, horse #6 to place second and horse #2 to place third. This means your betting slip will look similar to this: $2 Trifecta (4-6-2).
Boxed Trifecta
The boxed trifecta gives you more flexibility when compared to a straight trifecta. You will still need to select three or more horses to finish a race. However, you don’t have to predict the exact order in which they will finish, as long as the selected horses finish in the top three positions.
A boxed trifecta will cost you more than a straight trifecta, as you will need to pay for every combination. Even though the minimum bet for a boxed trifecta is only $1, you will need to pay a minimum of $6 if you select three horses.
Example: Let’s say you select horse #8, #6, and #3 to finish in any order with a boxed trifecta bet. You will need to pay $6 as the three horses can finish in six different combinations.
The more horses you select, the more combinations will be formed and the more you will need to pay.
For instance, a 7-horse trifecta box will come with 210 different combinations, which means you will need to pay $210 to cover your minimum bet.
Trifecta Key
This trifecta bet will require the ‘key’ horse to finish in first position, while the remaining horses you selected can finish in any combination to cover second and third place.
Example: Let’s say you select horse #8 as the key followed by horse #3, #5, and #4. At a minimum bet of $1, you will need to pay $6 to cover your bet. Your Key horse will need to finish in first place, while two of your other selected horses will be required to finish in second and third place before you can consider yourself a winner.
Trifecta Boxed Key
This trifecta bet will include all possible combinations where your key horse will be combined with all non-key horses in a single box bet.
Example: Let’s say you place a $1 Trifecta Boxed Key bet and you make your Key horse #8 along with horse #2 and #6. This means your total bet amount would be $6, as it will create a total of 6 combinations.
Trifecta Wheel
This trifecta betting type can either be a full trifecta wheel, or a part trifecta wheel. The easiest trifecta wheel will be the full trifecta wheel where you will need to select a single horse to finish the race in a specific position, while backing all possible combinations with all the other horses in the field.
Example: Let’s say you select horse #3 to win the race. However, you are struggling to predict which of the remaining horses will be able to finish in second or third position.
When this occurs, you simply place a full trifecta wheel bet that will look like this: 3-All-All.
This will basically cover all combinations with horse #3 in first position.
How Does Trifecta Betting Work in Horse Racing
Trifecta betting in horse racing is when you select three horses from a single racing event and predict which of the three horses will finish in first, second, and third position.
Please keep in mind, however, that your prediction needs to correct in both horse selection and the order in which they finish the race.
If your three selected horses finish in first, second and third (in the order you predicted), you will win. If one of your selected horses is not in the top three, or one of your selected horses doesn’t finish in the position your predicted, you will lose your bet.
What is the Difference between Trifecta and Boxed Trifecta
With a trifecta bet, you merely need to select three horses from a single event and ensure they finish in the top three positions in the exact order you predicted.
However, with boxed trifecta, there is no need to predict in what order the three horses will finish. You merely need to select three horses that you think will finish in the top three positions.
Boxed trifecta does give you more freedom and flexibility, but it will cost you more as you need to cover more combinations as opposed to only covering one combination with a standard trifecta bet.
How to Calculate Trifecta Bets and Payouts
Trifectas form part of the pari-mutuel betting system. This basically means the payouts for trifectas are not calculated using odds, but are instead shared among players in a betting pool.
For each horse racing event, a new betting pool is created, and all the bets from trifecta tickets will be accumulated in the betting pool. The betting pool will then be shared with all winners at the end of the horse racing event.
$1 Trifecta Cost Chart
Let’s take a look at a simple example to show you how this works:
- 100,000 trifecta tickets are sold for a horse racing event at $2 per ticket.
- The betting pool is worth $200,000 ($2 x 100,000 tickets)
- 100 bettors manage to correctly predict the top three finishers in the exact order.
- Each of the 100 tickets provides a payout of $2,000 ($200,000 ÷ 100)
Obviously, the breakdown of the above-mentioned trifecta bet will not be this straightforward in reality. Online betting sites will obviously take their cut and you will notice that not all trifecta tickets will come with a standard price of $2. But the above example does give you an indication of how trifecta bets are calculated and how the payouts are distributed towards winners.
Trifecta vs. Superfecta vs. Exacta
The main difference between an exacta, trifecta and superfecta is the amount of horses you’ll be required to bet on during a single horse racing event.
With an exacta, you will need to select two horses to finish in first and second position, in that exact order as well. With a trifecta, you will need to include three horses in your selection to finish in first, second, and third position, in that exact order.
A superfecta bet is considered the most difficult, as you will need to include four horses in your selection to finish in the top 4 positions, in the exact order as well.
What Is A Trifecta Race Bike
Origins of the Trifecta Bet
The trifecta bet type was first introduced during the early 1970s and was derived from the bet type perfecta. A perfecta bet type, also known as an exacta, requires you to select two horses to finish in first and second place, in the exact order you predict.
The term trifecta was introduced for bettors who wanted to select three horses to place in the top three positions, hence the term ‘tri’, which means three. The trifecta bet type was first used in the United States during 1971 at Arlington Park. In 1977, it was introduced in Australia at the New South Wales Tab, and in 1983 it was introduced in New Zealand.