Generally, the odds displayed at Hastings are fractional. This means they are easy to understand and convert to a possible payoff. If the odds are displayed as a number such as 5, they are actually read as 5 to 1. This means for every $1 wagered, the track will pay you $5 if that horse wins plus the $1 originally invested. Therefore is you make a $2 wager on a horse that has odds of 8 or 8 to 1, your payoff will be $16 winnings plus $2 for the original investment for a total of $18. You might notice that odds are sometimes displayed as 5*2 for example. This means that the current odds are not “to 1” but rather “to 2”. So for every $2 wagered the, the track will pay you $5 if that horse wins plus the $2 originally invested.

Try wagering a ‘show parley’. Each person in your group invests $2. Find a horse you all agree on and place a show bet with your groups ‘pot’. When you win your bet, take the proceeds and do the same with the following race. Keep your parley going as long as you can for maximum excitement. Generally, shorter fields (much better odds at winning your show bet) are placed at the beginning of our program, giving you a greater chance to build up your pot early.

Did you know that your chance of winning goes up if you bet your horse to PLACE or SHOW? When you bet on a horse to PLACE, that horse can come in either first or second for you to win your bet. When you bet on a horse to SHOW, that horse can come in either first, second or third to win your bet. If you’re not seeing results by just betting on the horse you picked to WIN, consider going with a PLACE or SHOW bet. Ask one of our Learn 2 Wagering Ambassadors on how to increase your odds of winning.

Bet Both on an Exactor. You collect if you select 2 horses in one race to finish 1st and 2nd in exact order. Exactor payouts are also almost always greater than just Win, Place or Show bets.

Choose a Trifecta bet and you can bet all three at the same time. You collect if you select three horses in one race to finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in exact order.

Choose a Superfecta bet and you can bet all four at the same time. You collect if you select four horses in one race to finish 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th in exact order. Although challenging to do, this bet will generally pay out higher than any other One-Race bet at Hastings Racecourse.

Box your picks and give yourself a better chance at winning. Boxing your picks will allow you to still win no matter which of the horses you chose finishes first (example: Say “I’d like an Exactor BOX on horses 3 & 8”. Those horses can then finish 1st and 2nd in ANY ORDER and you’ll still win that bet). This works on Exactors (choose 2 horses), Triactors (choose 3 horses) and Superfectas (choose 4 horses).

Choose a Double (or Daily Double) bet. A Double allows you to pick what horses you think will win in two consecutive races. Also with this bet instead of making two straight win bets at $2 each, you can bet one single Double wager and spend $2 on the whole ticket.

Play Win 3 or Win 4 bets. You can increase the amount you receive for picking winners of consecutive races when you bet them all at once. You collect in a Win 3 bet if you successfully choose the winner in 3 straight races. You collect in a Win 4 bet if you successfully choose the winner in 4 straight races.

• Maiden Race is a race for horses who have never won a race.
• Allowance Race is classified by conditions of past performances and/or earnings that determine the eligibility of the horse.
• Stakes Race is the highest quality race, often requiring entry fees by owner to be added to prize money.