Betting Horse Racing: Three significant Kentucky Derby prep races are on tap for this weekend, beginning with the Grade II Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park. That field has eight horses, four of which are coming from stakes wins. Burnham Square (Grade III Holy Bull), Gate to Wire (Swale Stakes), Sovereignty, and Keep it Easy (Ed Brown Stakes). Sovereignty has been resting since a stakes win back in October.
A fifth horse that makes the race even more interesting is River Thames, with two wins in two starts, but making his stakes debut. This weekend’s Grade II San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita. Barnes won the Grade II San Vicente by 6 ½ lengths, while Rodriguez was second in the Grade II Robert B. Lewis. The biggest opposition could come from Journalism, winner of the Grade II Los Alamitos Futurity.
Finally, the Grade III Gotham at Aqueduct will feature Sand Devil, who has three big wins in three starts against fellow New York horses. Sacrosanct is also in this field with three stakes wins.
As horse racing season begins to heat up, let’s look at some basics about how you can incorporate the sport of kings into your online betting.
Betting Horse Racing: Everything You need to Know this 2025
What are the Betting Horse Racing bet types in Xbet?
Xbet offers various standard betting options similar to other platforms and tracks. A simple bet in horse racing is the “win-place-show” wager, where you choose a horse to win, place, or show. The minimum bet is typically $2, with higher wagers allowed. A common strategy is to bet “across the board,” requiring a $6 total bet ($2 for three positions) on a horse finishing in the top three. This method is safer, but payouts are lower compared to betting on one specific position or a “win-place” bet, which covers first or second place with a minimum $4 bet.
^Exacta
To predict the top two horses, consider an exacta bet. A “straight” exacta requires you to pick the exact finishing order of the horses; if they finish differently, you lose. Alternatively, an “exacta box” allows either horse to place first or second, but costs twice as much since it covers two combinations. You can expand the box by adding more horses; for five horses, you have 20 combinations (5×4), costing $40 at $2 per combo. This type of bet includes favorites, long shots, and intermediate odds, giving the potential for substantial winnings if you choose correctly.
^Trifecta
The trifecta is a high-paying yet difficult bet that involves selecting three horses. In a straight trifecta, you must choose the exact finishing order (1-2-3). With a trifecta box, the order is irrelevant as long as the selected horses finish in the top three. To calculate combinations, multiply the number of horses by the next two descending numbers; for example, a five-horse box would yield 5 x 4 x 3 = 60 combinations, costing $120 for a $2 base bet. Alternatively, the trifecta key allows bettors to choose a strong horse and fill remaining spots with others.
^Superfecta
If you’re feeling adventurous, there’s also the superfecta, which is similar to the exacta and trifecta but involves predicting the top four horses. This bet can either be placed straight (for a specific 1-2-3-4 finish) or as a box, which allows flexibility in how the horses finish within the top four.
^For those who want to spread their wagers across multiple races, there are multi-race bets like the pick three, pick four, and pick five. In these bets, you choose the winners of three, four, or five consecutive races before the first race begins. The minimum wager is typically 50 cents, and you can increase your stakes if you feel particularly confident about the outcome of one race while diversifying your picks for the others.
^Betting Horse Racing explained: How to read a horse racing form
A horse racing form tells you how the horses in an upcoming race have performed in their previous events. On the race card, it generally shows up as a line of numbers that show finishing positions or other indicators about past races. As you look from left to right across the line of numbers, you move from older to more recent results.
If you see a number 1-9, that means the position where the horse finished (1 = 1st, 2 = 2nd, and so on). If you see a zero, that means that the horse did not finish in the top 9 in that race. You’ll find a dash (-) between racing seasons; numbers in front of the dash come from last season. If you see a slash (/), that means a longer break. Most commonly, this means that a horse missed a whole racing season.
Instead of numbers, you might see some letters on the form. The most common is P or PU, which means that the jockey pulled up the horse and did not finish the race. Other abbreviations that you might see, but that are more frequently limited to jump racing, include the following:
- R = Horse refused
- F = Horse fell
- U or UR = Horse unseated the jockey
- BD = Horse was brought down by a competitor
Some other abbreviations tell you about a horse’s history, but not necessarily about the most recent race on that course or in that horse’s time line:
- C = Horse has won on that course in the past
- D = Horse has won over that particular distance in the past
- CD = Horse has won on that course and over that distance in the past
- BF = Beaten Favorite. This means the horse was favored to win a particular race but ended up losing.
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How to read a horse racing program
If you’re going to the track for the first time, reading a program might be a bit confusing. Let’s take a look at a sample program and break down the various components.
At the top left, you’ll find the date of the race and the approximate post time, which is the estimated starting time for a specific race. Across that same line, you’ll see the available wagers for that race, as well as the “exotic” bets (exacta, trifecta, and so on).
The number below the date and time indicates the race’s order in the day, such as the fourth race. Accompanying this is a track diagram and event distance, as variations exist by track and schedule. Additionally, the track name (Parx Racing) is displayed, along with a QR code for real-time updates on scratches, past race results, and race changes before post time. The race rating reflects the expected Equibase Speed Figure for the winner, assuming maximum effort, and there’s space for notes on win, place, and show.
Below that, back to the left, you see the type of race (here, Maiden Claiming $16,000). After that you will find the total purse and other parts of the race condition (age limits, weight assignments, distance, and claiming condition). Below that you will see the details about the track record holder (name, age, weight, time and race record).
The lower half of the image shows information about each horse, including the program number that will be used to bet. The program number and starting position may be different. The color of the fabric on the horse’s saddle is also indicated.
Morning Line Odds (ML Odds) tell you what the track oddsmaker set for that horse. The initial odds can fluctuate throughout the day. The claiming price indicates the fixed sale amount for a horse if claimed by a new owner. Silks, the jackets worn by jockeys, help identify each horse’s stable. Information on the trainer, including statistics (starts, wins, places, shows), follows, along with the horse’s name and details on its equipment and medication.
Medications are indicated by capital letters
- A = Adjunct Medication
- B = Bute
- C = 1st Time Bute
- L = Lasix
- M = 1st Time Lasix
Equipment can range from aluminum pads (a) to goggles (g) to an aluminum pad (j). Then comes the horse’s color and gender.
Gender codes work as follows
- C = colt (young male, not yet gelded)
- F = filly (female not yet matured or eligible for breeding)
- G = Gelding (male horse castrated to reduce aggressive behavior)
- M = mare (adult female)
- R = rig (male with one or both testicles undescended)
The summary includes the horse’s age, sire and dam, total weight carried (jockey, saddle and handicap weights), and jockey statistics (races, wins, places, shows). The horse’s class figure indicates earning potential and the rest of the data relates to the racing form.
^What do “evens” mean in horse racing?
Each horse will have its own odds in a race. If a horse is listed as “even”, it means you will win as much money as you bet if your chosen horse wins. For example, if you bet $100 on a horse at even odds and it wins, you will receive $200: your original wager plus your winnings. Whether you approach horse racing as a hobby or to enhance your experience as a professional bettor, remember to maintain your bankroll. Don’t bet more than you can afford to lose and limit your wagers to three to five percent of your available bankroll. Don’t chase losses with bad bets.
^New Run-up Distances: The run-ups for 1 1/16 mile and 1/1/8-mile races has been extended. An additional 85 feet has been added to 1 1/16-mile races and 53 feet has been added to 1 1/8-mile races.
— Gulfstream Park (@GulfstreamPark) February 28, 2025
This change will give horses a longer distance before they enter the first turn. pic.twitter.com/02qlyMjCX2
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