Betting on the Breeders' Cup races

The Breeders' Cup World Championships recognize some of the year's best performers, but the feature race of the entire event comes at the conclusion with the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic. Other high stakes races include the Juvenile, Juvenile Fillies, Distaff, Sprint, Mile, and the Turf.

The key to wagering on any one of the Breeders' Cup races is a horse's performance record over the past year. Therefore, research on past performances is very valuable. Here are a few suggestions on how to conduct your research, along with tips on what to do with your research once you're ready to place your Breeders' Cup wagers.

Types of Breeders' Cup wagers
Straight or Basic: There are a number of different wagers you can choose when wagering at the track. All of these variations stem from one core premise: Bettors receive payouts based on the first, second and third place finishers. Or, in racing terms, they are based on Win, Place and Show. Win: A wager on the horse that will win the race. Place: A wager on the horse that will come in 1st or 2nd. Show: A wager on the horse that will come in 1st or 2nd or 3rd.

Other types of Breeders' Cup wagers
Quinella: A wager on the two horses that will run 1st and 2nd in one race, any order.

Exacta: A wager on the two horses that will run 1st and 2nd in one race, exact order.

Trifecta: A wager on the three horses that will run 1st, 2nd and 3rd in one race, exact order.

Superfecta: A wager on the four horses that will run 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th in one race, exact order.

A few things to consider when wagering on the Breeders' Cup
Wager on the Breeders' Cup favorite: the favorite is the horse with the lowest odds or the one on which the most money has been wagered. Favorites win approximately one third of the time.

Check the local papers, the Daily Racing Form and the program handicapper's selections. Breeders' Cup experts offer their observations and advice and are generally a good guide for the newcomer. This is also a great tool for developing your own Breeders' Cup handicapping skills.

Purchase a Breeders' Cup tip sheet. Prepared by professional handicappers, these tip sheets provide useful wagering selections.

Check jockey and trainer standings. The Breeders' Cup program or web site should have a list of jockey and trainer standings, which include the number of wins to date. It's important to note that the top riders generally ride the best horses, and the hottest trainers generally have a high win percentage.

View the Breeders' Cup horses. Watch the Breeders' Cup Championships on television. You want to catch the horses while they are in the paddock and then again in the Post Parade.

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