When the first odds for the 2017 Belmont Stakes hit the board at Bovada Racebook, it wasn’t much of a surprise to see Classic Empire at the top of the list. Unfortunately, the Mark Casse-trained colt was taken out of the running Wednesday with an abscess in his right front hoof. That will make Irish War Cry the new favorite for Saturday’s race. On June 10, thousands of people will bet on him to win the Belmont.
That’s not the only way you can bet on the Belmont Stakes. Even if this is your first time betting at Bovada, you’ve probably heard of Win/Place/Show. It’s become part of our language; a place bet means you’re picking a horse to finish in the Top 2, and a show bet is for finishing in the Top 3. The payouts get smaller as you move from win to place to show, but so does the risk. Remember how Orb was the favorite (3/1 on the morning line) at the 2013 Belmont after winning the Kentucky Derby? He ended up in third place behind Palace Malice and Oxbow, but still paid out $3.90 for a $2 show bet.
Exacta Knife
These single bets are definitely the most popular way to bet on Belmont Stakes action, but dedicated horseplayers won’t restrict themselves to betting on one horse. You can bet on two horses to finish exactly first and second (the exacta), or to finish in any particular order (the quinella). This combo bet will bump up your payout if you get it right; if you had Creator and Destin in your exacta for last year’s Belmont, you earned $269 on your $2 ticket.
Belmont Stakes betting gets even bigger when you add more horses. The trifecta is another bet that has entered our regular vocabulary – pick three horses to finish 1-2-3, and your payout jumps even higher, all the way to $2,751 if you had Lani coming in third last year behind Creator and Destin. Still not big enough? If you also had Governor Malibu coming in fourth, you had a winning superfecta bet for the Belmont, and nearly $14,000 in profit for a tiny $1 wager.
Many bettors will choose to place boxed wagers for their trifectas and superfectas at this year’s Belmont. They’ll pick three or four contenders and bet every possible combination featuring those horses – just like the quinella bet when they pick two horses to finish 1-2 or 2-1. You can place all these boxed wagers quickly and easily at Bovada Racebook, without having to work out all the combinations yourself. For more information on these and other ways you can bet the Belmont Stakes, check out our comprehensive FAQ section on Wager Types, and as always, may the best horse win.