Types of betting in horse racing
The history of horse racing dates back to Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations and it remains one of the most popular sports in the world today. It goes without saying that a lot has changed since then and innovation has played a critical role in the sport’s development and continued popularity. Perhaps the most significant of those alterations over the course of the modern era is the advent of betting on the races in the 18th century. As the sport developed beyond an event purely for the upper classes and information became readily available through new media formats, betting on runners became a readily available and common practice and that is especially the case today. There is a massive variety of options out there for punters who fancy a flutter at the races, whether that be at the track itself or from the comfort of their home online. It can be dizzying assessing your options at times so here’s a beginner’s guide to some of the different types of betting available on horse racing.
Singles
Starting out with the simplest type of bet out there, the single refers to a bet placed on the outcome of a single event. So simply put, you bet on a single horse in one race and that’s it. For instance, betting on the current favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2024 Galopin Des Champs to win that race would be a single. It’s the simplest bet out there, the easiest to understand and the most popular as a result (perhaps the best type to start out on if you’re new to betting).
Accumulator
Getting a bit more complex now, accumulators (accas) are bets that feature four or more selections (often referred to as ‘legs’) in one single bet. All selections that are part of the bet have to be successful otherwise there are no returns. If the first leg is successful then the returns on that becomes the stake for the second leg and so on and so forth for however many legs there are. Some bookmakers offer as many as 20 legs as part of punters’ bets so accas often have a large amount of risk attached to them but also offer the potential for the best overall returns. In the context of horse racing, accas have become an immensely popular form of betting and are often utilized for a specific day’s events. For instance, the results of all the races in a single day of Royal Ascot could be part of an acca.
Patent
While the previous two entries on this list are types of betting often utilized in other sports, a patent is usually only placed in horse racing in the UK and is a significantly more complicated arrangement. A patent is a total of seven bets of equal value placed on three separate events. In other words, a bet that comprises three singles, three doubles and a treble. A double simply being two separate races you’ve bet on that have to both be successful for a return to come through. Similarly, a treble contains a bet on three separate races and all have to be successful for a return. The overall price of the bet is often higher as a result of the doubles and treble and the subsequent risk is also higher given the multiple facets of the bet.
Trixie
A trixie is slightly less complicated that a patent in that it removes the three singles from the equation. Four bets of equal value on three separate events are placed in the form of three doubles and a treble. For anyone betting using these methods they can make use of the Kwiff welcome offer.
Yankee
If you’re feeling exceptionally confident in your lucky streak then you might want to up the ante with a Yankee. A Yankee bet consists of 11 bets of equal value on selections in four separate events. This can take the form of six doubles, four trebles and a four-fold bet. Different to several other types of bet on this list, there is only a need for two selections to win to provide a return on the bet.
Lucky 15
The next entry on our list has earned a particular affinity amongst horse racing punters looking to chance their arm on a day at the races. Called the Lucky 15 because it consists of four selection and 15 bets, this has become one of the most popular types of bet to place in horse racing. The makeup of this bet is four singles, six doubles, four trebles and a fourfold; essentially the equivalent of a Yankee but with four singles and this time only one selection has to win to bring in a return. The chances of winning big are slim due to the multiple selections but the necessity of only one selection to win makes this a tantalizing available to punters.