How to Integrate Tricast and Forecast Bets into Horse Betting Strategy

Both types of bets involve attempting to predict the correct finishing order of race participants. These bets are mainly offered on horse and greyhound racing, but can sometimes be placed on motorsports or cycling, and even for outright betting markets in sports like football (soccer).

• Forecast: Pick the two horses to finish first and second in a race. With a straight forecast, the bettor must predict the correct finishing order.
• Tricast: Predict the horses that will finish first, second, and third in a race. In a straight tricast, all three selections must finish in the order the player predicts when placing the bet.

You can attempt to predict the result in its straight order (e.g., Horse A to come in first, Horse B to come in second, and Horse C to come in third), or alternatively pick the first two or three horses to finish in any order with different types of tricast and forecast bets. 

Winning a tricast is difficult, and that is reflected in longer betting odds.

While not quite as tricky as the straight tricast, forecasts are still extremely tricky to win. The size of the field is a key consideration and will impact the forecast betting odds. A forecast bet becomes much more winnable if there are fewer runners. 

Any chases with big fields will give you long forecast odds. You'll find it far more difficult if there are many runners in a race, but you will get a bigger potential payout. 

Due to the relatively complex nature of tricast and forecast bets, payouts can often be quite large, with bettors potentially reaping sizeable returns from relatively small stakes.

Forecast and tricast bets are popular because of the potentially huge profits one could gain from a winning bet. If, for example, the first two or three horses in a race have long odds, the return to the pound is likely to be a three-figure sum, or even larger.

Betting platforms have handy bet calculators that display the potential winnings from your stake alongside your online betting slip. Tricast and forecast bet returns are worked out by a computer calculation system, considering the number of runners and their starting prices.

Tricast bets will generally pay out better than forecasts as more selections are involved. However, this is not always the case, as it all depends on the odds.

If you combine the three runners with the lowest odds in a race in a tricast, the potential payout can be less than it would be if you combined two long-shots in a forecast. This principle applies to any multiple bet you place at the best betting sites.

The 2019 Mares' Novices Hurdle at Cheltenham is a good example of this market's profitability. A large number of runners and the open nature of the race meant that prices were high, and predictably, the forecast and tricast returns were huge.

Eglantine Du Seuil, a 50/1 shot, edged out her 66/1 stablemate Concertista by a short head in a hard-fought finish, with the Gordon Elliott-trained 40/1 outsider Tintangle taking third. The result delivered a huge £73,711.25 payout on the tricast.

A reverse forecast bet involves the bettor predicting the two runners coming first and second in a race. Unlike a straight forecast, they can finish in any order, and the bet will be successful. This multiple bet costs double your stake, equivalent to placing two straight forecast bets.

The reverse forecast is far easier to get right than a straight forecast, but the downside is that you have to stake more money.

1. Be patient with forecast and tricast bets. You might not find success straight away, but if that win comes in, you may well walk away with a tidy sum.
2. You must always know how many bets you place within your tricast or forecast bet and, therefore, how many chances you have to win. 
3. Examine the size of the field, as this will obviously have a major impact on the number of possible winning combinations. 
4. Consider each horse’s prices, form, and jockeys. 

You can use several tools to help you work out all of this, with many different betting calculators available online. If you consider all those factors and find that there is little to separate multiple runners, a forecast or tricast bet could be a great option.