Since the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness are long over, people are now starting to talk about the 2021 Belmont Stakes, the third race of the triple crown.
The next thing will happen on June 5, and most horse race enthusiasts now have various predictions and favourites to win the race.
Horse racing is such an exciting sport, and betting for this sport boosts the fun that every spectator feels. If you haven’t bet for a horse race before in your life, then you might want to continue reading so that you can have a good idea of how to do it properly. Below is a guide that can help you and all the newbies in your first-ever horse race betting.
Placing a Bet
We have to talk about in our belmont stakes race guide about placing your wager. There are live tellers on the race track during the race where you can place your bet. You will have to approach these tellers and place your wager on the horse of your choice.
Make sure that you do not forget to tell the important information to the teller, such as the name of the track, amount of the bet, type of bet you are joining, number of the horse you are betting for, and the race number.
Additionally, there are also self-service wagering terminals where you can place the bet independently. It is super simple to use. You will have to insert your mutual ticket or betting voucher plus your credit card or cash to pay for the bet. Vouchers and cash cards can be purchased from the voucher selling windows you can find in the race track as well.
Minimum Bet Amount
There is a minimum amount that has to be bet on the race day for Belmont stakes. The bet that has the lowest amount is the superfecta. It usually costs only $0.10. Next is the trifecta, pick four and pick five where you can bet with an amount of $0.50. You can ask for the teller’s assistance to know all the bets available and their corresponding amount so that you know which will nest for you based on your budget.
Betting Options
Horse race betting has various options made available for all the bettors. First is the straight bets where you will have to choose a horse that you think will win the race and wager on that horse. Once the horse that you choose wins, then you will win the bet as well.
The second bet type is the exotic bets. This is where the exacta, trifecta, superfecta, and quiniela belong. You will have to choose the top two finishing contenders in exact order for the exacta. You will have to pick the top three finishing horses in exact order for the trifecta, while the superfecta will require you to choose a top four finishing horses to win this bet.
Quiniela, on the other hand, is much like the exacta where you will have to pick the first two finishers of the race. The only difference is that in quiniela is if either of the horses you picked wins the race, you will still win the bet.
In addition to the already mentioned type of exotic bets, you can still add a little spice to whichever bet type you choose. First, you can “box” your exotic bet where you will box your combination of horses in a particular exotic bet and guarantee a win as long as all of the horses you boxed will finish the race in either 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or so on.
Another thing you can do to your exotic bets is to “key” them. When you key your exotic bet, you will have to pick a horse that you think will surely win the race and add any combination of other contenders to complete your exotic bet.
For example, you are very confident that horse number 5 will win the race but are not sure who amongst horse number 1,3 and 6 will win on the second, third, and fourth positions. If you key horse number 5 and all the rest of your picks, you will be guaranteed to win the bet as long number 5 will indeed finish the race first, and it doesn’t matter whoever from your remaining picks will win second, third, or fourth.
Strategize
Now that you know how to place and choose a bet, it is now time for you to learn a little strategy in horse betting. It is advised that you do not bet on the favourite. Unlike with the other two races, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, where the favorite usually wins, this is not always the case in Belmont Stakes.
This does not mean that every favourite will not win at Belmont, but it is not wise to bet all your money on the favorite. You can still wager on the favourite, but it is highly recommended to include exotic bets on your wager.
The next thing you must do is check each contender’s background and see how much rest each horse has. It would be best if you remembered that rest is critical for horses to win a race.
In Conclusion
Horse race betting, in general, is a straightforward game which is why it is not hard to learn how to bet on the Belmont Stakes. Once you know and understand the basics of how to bet on the Belmont stakes, it will be very easy for you to place your bet and win.
