Betting on a horse race for the first time — even the first few times — can be an intimidating endeavor. What are all of these options? Here’s all the lingo you need to know before you place your first bet:
PLACE (P) bets require that a horse finishes in 1 st or 2 nd place. SHOW (S) bets require that a horse finishes in 1 st, 2 nd, or 3 rd place. I’m going to use the diagram (of the finish of a race) below to answer some common questions on the Win, Place, Show bets. There are several types of pari-mutuel horse bets. A few of the most common are: Straight Bets. Win Bets: Choosing the horse that crosses the finish line first. Place Bets: You are betting on a horse to finish second. Show Bets: Placing bets on a horse to finish third. Exacta: When you pick the first and second place horse in that. Place bet – A bet on a horse to finish first or second. Show bet – A bet on a horse to finish in the money; third or better. In the money – A horse that finishes first, second, or third. Across the board – A bet on a horse to win, place, and show. If the horse wins, the bettor collects three ways; if second, two ways (place, show);. This bet can be used with all bets except Win, Place and Show, an can be wagered in $1 increments. Please consult the front of the live program, a teller or a self-bet machine for cost of box wagers as each additional horse adds to the cost.
The Basics
Winbet – A bet on a horse to finish first.
Place bet – A bet on a horse to finish first or second.
Show bet – A bet on a horse to finish in the money; third or better.
In the money – A horse that finishes first, second, or third.
Across the board – A bet on a horse to win, place, and show. If the horse wins, the bettor collects three ways; if second, two ways (place, show); and if third, one way, losing the win and place bets. It’s actually three bets.
Morning line – The odds that the track handicapper predicts a horse will go off at.
Ready for the Next Step?
Exotic (bet) – Any bet other than win, place, or show that requires multiple combinations. Examples of exotic wagers are exacta, trifecta, Pick 6, Pick 4.
Daily Double (or Double) – Type of bet calling for the selection of winners of two consecutive races.
Exacta – A wager in which the first two finishers in a race, in exact order of finish, must be picked.
Box – A betting term denoting a combination bet whereby all possible numeric combinations are covered for certain horses.
Exacta box – A wager in which all possible combinations using a given number of horses are selected. For example, an exacta box using horses 2,4,6 would produce a winning ticket if any two of those three horses finished first and second, regardless of the order (2-6, 4-2, 6-4, etc.).
Trifecta – A bet in which the first three finishers must be selected in exact order.
Trifecta box – A trifecta wager in which all possible combinations using a given number of horses are bet upon.
Pick (6 or other number) – A type of multi-race bet in which the winners of all the included races must be selected. Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, Pick 6 are commonly used by tracks in the United States.
Brush Up on Gambling Lingo
Where To Place Horse Bets
Bounce – A racehorse’s especially poor performance on the heels of an especially good one.
Chalk – Betting favorite in a race.
Chalk player – Gambler who wagers on favorites.
Key horse – A single horse used in multiple combinations in an exotic bet.
On the board – Finishing among the first three.
On the nose – Betting a horse to win only.
Overlay – A horse whose odds are greater than its potential to win. Professional bettors target overlays, meaning they target bets that offer better than fair value odds.
Underlay – A horse whose odds are less than than his potential to win. Betting horses whose odds are worse than fair value is a poor strategy.
Parlay – A multi-race bet in which all winnings are subsequently wagered on a succeeding race.
Speed Figure – A metric that rates a horse’s performance in a race, which is determined by a combination of the horse’s performance and the level of competition he/she competed against.
Wheel – Betting all possible combinations in an exotic wager using at least one horse as the key.
In New York, there may be rigid laws pertaining to online gambling, but there are still many ways to bet in the state. NY residents have long enjoyed the thrills of live horse racing and there are some great tracks in the state that support real money wagers on races.
The Best Online Horse Racing Sites
Twinspires
TVG
AmWager
Earn 10% bonus cash back for every eligible dollar wagered for the first 30 days after signup. If a player wagers $5,000 over the 30 day period, they will receive the maximum $500 bonus cash back. Must be of legal age in the relevant jurisdiction to open a wagering account. Full T&C Apply. Full T&Cs
/KentuckyDerby-56a8f08e3df78cf772a215bf.jpg "Where To Place Horse Bets")
Horse Racing in New York
All racing activities that take place in the state are overseen by the New York State Racing and Wagering Board and this will include off-track betting, harness racing, quarter horse racing, and thoroughbred racing.
Where To Place Horse Bets
Within the state, bettors can enjoy the action of racing at four different Thoroughbred tracks and seven Standardbred tracks. While live betting at these venues has been a popular pastime for many years, there is also the opportunity to engage in off-track betting.
With this option, bettors can place wagers on races that are being run in different locations.
How did Horse Betting Become Legal in NY?
Long before online gambling could be visualized, Capitol Hill lawmakers were tackled with interstate off-track betting. Up until 1970, Nevada was the only state that allowed off-track betting. Bettors in one location were given legal room to bet on horse races that are taking place on another track. Thanks to TV’s broadcast live feeds of distant races, audiences in an off-track betting facility could bet and watch the event in real time without stepping on the racetrack.
All that changed when New York went ahead and legalized off-track betting parlors in 1970. This created huge businesses in the Empire State by connecting New Yorkers to racetracks all over the country. After some time, hundreds of off-track betting facilities started to sprout all over New York City as well as the upstate area.
By the year 2000, a powerful amendment was passed (Interstate Horse Racing Act 2000) which expanded the activity to include the pari-mutuel wagers placed via the internet. From that point forward, betting over the internet was now legal within the US. And since New York had already allowed interstate off-track betting, the law also applied to New Yorkers.
Many of the top-rated racetracks in NY offer simulcast races, so bettors have the chance to place wagers on events that are being held all over the world, increasing their chances of winnings and enhancing the betting experience.
In New York, bettors will have a wide selection of live tracks to visit and wager. These include popular venues that are known to host some of the hottest and most popular horse races being run.
The available tracks within New York include:
- Aqueduct Racetrack
- Batavia Downs
- Belmont Park
- Finger Lakes Gaming and Race Track
- Historic Track
- Monticello Raceway
- Saratoga Race Course
- Tioga Downs
- Vernon Downs
- Yonkers Raceway
Betting on Horse Races Online
Even though there are a number of top-notch racetracks in the state of NY, some bettors will want more betting options and will turn to online sites that support real money bets on horse races.
Our Top 3 Horse Racing Betting Sites
BetAmerica
BetAmerica is the US top horse racing sites and is fantastic for punters since it covers horse racing, harness racing and greyhound racing, but you can bet on these events all around the world. BetAmerica Horse Racing features over 200 horse racing tracks from around the world including Canada, Australia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. However, US domestic tracks get special attention.
The wagering process works exactly the same as if you were actually on a track and you receive full track odds on all winning wagers. Major horse racing events such as the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Breeders Cup are well represented. BetAmerica additionally offers a great mobile app that you can access while you are on the go.
TVG
TVG is famous for their easily available tips and handicapping. At TVG, you can find expert daily picks, past performances and races replays, and all of this for free. TVG first started as a TV network that was known for broadcasting horse races. When online wagering became legal in the US, an online site was added that now allows bettors to enjoy extensive TRVG horse race betting. The site has a number of high paying TVG bonus offers and there are always new promos being presented.
To place a wager, you just register or login, select your race from the track list dropdown menu and you can monitor your slip in real time right away.
Twinspires
TwinSpires is the official partner of the American classic that heads off the Triple Crown. It should therefore be your favourite online operator, if you annually bet on on the Kentucky Derby. Members can enjoy a variety of different rewarding TwinSpires promotions featured on the site and TwinSpires offers some best odds in the industry.
Of course, other global races and tracks are supported on TwinSpires as well. You can find special information about them in the blog section, thoroughbred news, and content about harness racing.
What are the Best Horse Racing events to Bet on in NY?
If you are a thoroughbred betting enthusiast, then you’ll be impressed by the runner competitions organized in New York. The events come in plenty all year round depending on the season. If you have time on your hands, you can watch some of the most exciting races in history live at the stables. In case you are on the lookout for some of the best horse racing events to bet on in New York, we’ve got your back. Here are a few options that will blow your mind and earn you solid payouts if you make the right predictions:
Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race which takes place on the first and second Saturday every June. You can catch the action live at Belmont Park, in Elmont New York. It is known as the “Championship Track” because nearly all American champion runners have competed in the Track. With it’s wide, long homestretch and sweeping turn it is considered to be one of the fairest tracks.
Jockey Club Gold Cup
Established in 1919, it is a thoroughbred race open to horses of three-year-old gender and above. It is the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park. Just like Belmont Stakes, the event is a spring meeting.
Wood Memorial Stakes
This is an American flat thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old horses, which takes place annually in April. The runners go head to head on a 9 furlongs dirt track at the Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens New York. This event was ranked as a Grade II event since 2017, but before that, the grades were switched back and forth from Grade I.
Types of Horse Racing Bets Available
When it comes time to begin placing bets on horse races in New York, one will find they have many great options that can yield impressive payouts. So first of all, you will want to make sure you know exactly how to talk about NY Horse Betting.
Most used Horse Betting Terms
Here is an explanation for the most used Horse Betting Terms:
- Blinkers: Blinkers are also known as blinders. These are devices shaped like cups that cover the horses’ eyes. This narrows their field of vision to just the track ahead of them.
- Win: This is the most basic type of bet that you can make. You just predict the winner of the specific race.
- Daily Double: This is a bet that requires wagers to pick the winners of two highlighted races. Typically, this races happen in a row.
- Handicap: This is where a weighting system is added to the better horses in order to even up the odds in the race.
- Colt: This is a young male horse.
- Filly: This is a young female horse.
- Pari-Mutuel: This is a type of bet where the bets end up pooled together and then the pay out is determined by the amount of bettors who picked the winning horse.
- Place: This is a bet where bettors decide whether they think a horse will place first or second.
- Show: This is a bet where bettors decide whether a horse will finish first, second, or third.
- Trifecta: This is a bet where bettors choose which horses will place first, second, as well as third.
- Furlong: This is a measure of distance.
- Exacta: A type of bet where you have to choose the first and second place finisher in the correct order.
- Gelding: A hard to control horse who ends up getting neutered to make him easier to control.
- Harness Racing: A type of race where jockeys ride in small carts behind the horses.
- Post Position: This is where the horses are in position in the starting stalls that is in relation to the position of the rail.
What are best bets to place?
Many new bettors will begin placing straight wagers as these are the easiest to place and the simplest to understand. There are a few Straight bets that are supported at leading horse racing venues in New York.
Here, one can bet to Win, Place, or Show. All of these can provide some great payouts based on the amount of the bet.
For those that are seeking a bit more action and wish to win more from the races they bet on, exotics may be a better option.
These are a bit more complex than Straight bets but they will offer more in terms of payouts when they win. Exotic bets can include Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta and Box bets.
Bettors will also have the ability to place Multi-Race bets at some of the leading horse racing locations in New York and with these, one will be selecting the winner on consecutive races.
These bets include Daily Double, Pick Three, and Pick Four.
With so many betting options available, those visiting tracks in New York or betting at trusted online sportsbooks will find they always have great ways to wager and some outstanding opportunities to collect high paying returns.