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Triple Crown Betting Odds Guide

Straight or Basic

When talking about Triple Crown betting odds, there are many different wagers you can choose when wagering at the track. All of these bets are based on one premise: Bettors receive payouts based on Win, Place, and Show. In other words, the first, second, and third-place finishers.

Across The Board

This means you are wagering on a horse to Win, Place, and Show. You get one ticket that has all three wagers. If the horse you picked wins, you receive Win, Place, and Show payouts. If the horse you picked finishes second, you receive Place and Show payouts. If the horse you picked comes in third, you receive the Show payout. You are actually placing three wagers, therefore the minimum wage is $6.

Daily Double

To win this bet you must select the winners of two consecutive races.

Exacta

You pick the first two finishers, in exact order.

Approximate Payoff for a $2 Win Bet

  • Odds Pays Odds Pays  
  • 1-9 $2.20 2-1 $6.00  
  • 1-5 $2.40 5-2 $7.00  
  • 2-5 $2.80 3-1 $8.00  
  • 1-2 $3.00 7-2 $9.00  
  • 3-5 $3.20 4-1 $10.00  
  • 4-5 $3.60 9-2 $11.00  
  • 1-1 $4.00 5-1 $12.00  
  • 6-5 $4.40 6-1 $14.00  
  • 1-1 $4.00 5-1 $12.00  
  • 6-5 $4.40 6-1 $14.00  
  • 7-5 $4.80 7-1 $16.00  
  • 3-2 $5.00 8-1 $18.00  
  • 8-5 $5.20 9-1 $20.00  
  • 9-5 $5.60 10-1 $22.00  

Here are some strategies that will be helpful to the newcomer when wagering on the odds of the race:

  • Put your money on the favorite. The favorite is the horse with the best odds. It is the horse on which the most money has been wagered. Favorites win about 33% of the time
  • Check the local newspapers. Look for the Daily Racing Form and the handicapper’s selections. The newcomer can benefit a great deal from the observations and advice of a recognized expert. This is a popular learning tool for developing handicapping skills, and a great shortcut for the newcomer.
  • Buy a tip sheet. These are created by professional handicappers and will help provide useful wagering selections.
  • Check the program for a list of trainer and jockey standings that include the number of wins to date. The highest-ranked riders generally ride the best horses, and the best trainers usually have a high win percentage.
  • Watch the horses.

Triple Crown Betting History

The Triple Crown or the “Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Horse Racing” in full refers to both the three biggest thoroughbred horse racing events: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes, and the title given to the three-year-old thoroughbred who wins all three. Triple Crown betting Odds has been widely popular in the United States and is one with the richest online sports betting history going as far back as the 1800s.

Triple Crown betting odds are offered from the BetUS online sportsbook notably each of the three individual races plus a plethora of props. Find these odds from both the “Racebook” in the upper menu or from “Horse Racing” on the left-hand panel of the sportsbook.

Once in a while, a Triple Crown contender emerges and this horse becomes the focus of the Triple Crown betting odds. They are awarded the Triple Crown Trophy, which was first commissioned in 1950.

Triple Crown Betting Odds: Winners, Stats, and Records

Sir Barton became the first horse to win the Triple Crown betting odds in 1919. Since his triumph, only 12 other horses have won this prestigious title. That averages to a Triple Crown winner every eight years making this one of the hardest trophies to win in any sport. But Triple Crown odds have been available for many horses almost every year.

Here is a list of the Triple Crown winners (as of 2020):

Year Horse Jockey Trainer Owner Breeder
1919 Sir Barton Johnny Loftus H. Guy Bedwell J. K. L. Ross John E. Madden
1930 Gallant Fox Earl Sane Jim Fitzsimmons Belair Stud Belair Stud
1935 Omaha Smokey

Sanders

Jim Fitzsimmons Belair Stud Belair Stud
1937 War Admiral Charles Kurtsinger George Conway Samuel D. Riddle Samuel D. Riddle
1941 Whirlaway Eddie Arcaro Ben A. Jones Calumet Farm Calumet Farm
1943 Count Fleet Johnny Longden Don Cameron Fannie Hertz Fannie Hertz
1946 Assault Warren Mehrtens Max Hirsch King Ranch King Ranch
1948 Citation Eddie Arcaro Jimmy Jones Calumet Farm Calumet Farm
1973 Secretariat Ron Turcotte Lucien Laurin Meadow Stable Meadow Stable
1977 Seattle Slew Jean Cruguet William H. Turner, Jr. Mickey and Karen L. Taylor,

Tayhill Stable/Jim Hill, et al.

Ben S. Castleman
1978 Affirmed Steve Cauthen Laz Barrera Harbor View Farm Harbor View Farm
2015 American Pharoah Victor Espinoza Bob Baffert Ahmed Zayat Ahmed Zayat
2018 Justify Mike Smith Bob Baffert China Horse Club

Head of Plains Partners

Starlight Racing

WinStar Farm

John D. Gunther
  • The iconic Secretariat has the record for each three races; his time of 2:24 for the 1½-mile in the 1973 Belmont Stakes is still unbroken
  • Gallant Fox and Omaha are the only father and son pair to each win the Triple Crown betting odds
  • Jim Fitzsimmons and Bob Baffert are the only owners to have owned two Triple Crown winners
  • Steve Cauthen (18) is the youngest jockey to win the Triple Crown while Mike Smith (52) became the oldest
  • The longest gap between Triple Crown winners is 37 years when Affirmed won in 1978 followed by American Pharoah in 2015

Triple Crown Betting Odds: Upsets and Missed Bids

There have been many upsets of great quantity and magnitude with Triple Crown races. Many Triple Crown favorites have stumbled and not lived up to their Triple Crown betting odds while some dark horses emerged to the surprise of everyone. These upsets are also why Triple Crown betting odds is popular as fans hope to see a big underdog come through.

Here are some of the biggest upsets to happen in the Triple Crown betting odds along with horses who fell short (as of 2020):

  • A total of 52 horses were one race shy of becoming Triple Crown betting odds winners
  • A total of 23 horses failed to win the Belmont after winning the Derby and the Preakness; thus it has a reputation as being the hardest to win
  • Sarava scored the biggest upset in Triple Crown history by winning the 2002 Belmont as a 70-1 underdog
  • Alydar is the only horse to finish second in all three Triple Crown betting odds races, finishing behind Affirmed in 1978
  • Silver Charm narrowly missed the 1997 Triple Crown by finishing half of a length short during the Belmont
  • Victor Espinoza and California Chrome lost in the Belmont in 2014 as a heavy favorite; had he won, he would have become the first jockey to win two Triple Crowns

Glossary of Racing Terms

Entry – A horse entered in a race. Once in awhile, two or more horses are said to be “coupled” and run as an “entry,” and are therefore a single wagering unit. If you wager on one horse of an entry you are wagering on both.

Furlong – 220 yards. One-eighth of a mile. furlongs are used to measure horse races.

Morning Line – This is a prediction of how the morning linemaker thinks wagering will occur in any particular race. These Triple Crown betting odds are printed in the program and posted on the Infield Odds Board before wagering actually starts.

Post position – The horse’s position in the starting gate. The gate is numbered from the inner rail outward.

Purse – The amount of prize money won by the owners of the first five or six finishers in a race.

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