Racing Betting Strategy: Forecast and Tricast Bets

Contributor | April 9th, 2013

A popular option for racing betting fans is the forecast and tricast market. This type of bet involves attempting to predict the order of the first two or three runners to cross the finish line in a horse or greyhound race. Due to the relatively difficult nature of this bet, payouts can often be quite large, with punters reaping sizeable returns from relatively small stakes.

Payouts

In contrast to other markets, payouts for forecast and tricast betting are not simply predetermined by bookmakers. In UK horse racing, the payout you receive for a forecast bet is usually the official industry forecast return, which is determined by the odds of the horses involved, the number of runners in the race, and various other factors.

Many people are attracted to forecast and tricast bets because of the often huge profits they could see from a racing results page. If, for example, the first two or three horses of a race have large odds, then the return to the pound is likely to be a three figure sum, or even larger.

Order Betting

When picking a forecast or tricast bet, you can opt to attempt to predict the result in its straight order (e.g. horse A to come first, horse B to come second and horse C to come third), or alternatively to pick the first two or three horses to come in any order. The latter option is called a 'reverse' or 'combination' bet. Reversing your forecast costs more, as you are effectively making two separate bets, but it also increases your chances of success. Additionally, you can choose to include more than just two or three runners, further increasing your chance of winning.

Combination Bets

There is a simple formula for working out your stake for combination bets. With forecasts, you simply take the number of horses you wish to select ('selections') and multiply it by one less than the number of selections. With tricasts, multiply the number of selections by one less than the number of selections, and then multiply that by one less than the previous figure. For example, if you want to make a combination tricast using four horses, you would multiply 4 x 3 x 2, which equals 24 bets. You then multiply this by your stake, e.g. £1 for a four-selection tricast comes to £24 in total.

2013 Grand National

The 2013 Grand National is a good example of how profitable this market can be. The large number of runners and open nature of the race meant that prices were high, and predictably the forecast and tricast returns were huge sums. The winner, Auroras Encore, had a starting price of 66/1, and the second and third placed horses were 12/1 and 10/1 respectively. The resulting straight forecast payout was, therefore, £706.08 and the tricast was £8409 (from £1).

What to Consider

When betting on this market, it is important to take into account the prices, form and jockeys of each runner, as they can affect your chances of success. If you choose to experiment with forecasts and tricasts then remember to be patient. You might not find success straightaway, but when that win comes in, you may well be walking away with a tidy sum.

To make your forecast and tricast bets, visit 888 Sports today.