Triple Crown Betting Sites

Horse racing and gambling are intimately linked, and without betting, the whole industry would probably collapse. Horse racing betting has been legal in many US states since the early 1900s and is largely centered around the Triple Crown. The Triple Crown is by far the most prestigious and bet-on horse racing event in America, combining the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.

In this guide, we are going to pull back the curtain on this legendary event, break down Triple Crown betting markets and tips, and show you the best sites where you can make Exactas, Trifectas, Superfectas, and more!

What Is the Triple Crown?

The Triple Crown is the three biggest horse races in America, the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes. The Triple Crown races are contested between 3 year thoroughbreds and take place in May and early June. If a horse manages to win all three races in the same year, they win the Triple Crown.

The last time a horse won the Triple Crown was back in 2018, when Justify won all 3 races. In history, there have only been 13 Triple Crown winners going back all the way to the 1800s. Other legendary winners include American Pharoah (2015), Secretariat (1973) and Citation (1948).

Kentucky Derby

Everyone has heard of the Kentucky Derby! The Kentucky Derby takes place at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, and is contested over a distance of 1 1⁄4 miles. This is by far the most popular horse race in the US in terms of attendance and TV viewership, averaging 15 million viewers.

The Kentucky Derby is always held on the first Saturday of May and has been held annually since 1875, even WWII and COVID-19 didn’t stop this race. There is also a $3 million purse, and the winner collects $1.8 million!

Preakness Stakes

The Preakness Stakes is a major horse race that takes place on the 3rd Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the second leg of the Triple Crown and is contested over a 1+3⁄16 miles long dirt track. This event has been held since 1873 and features a $1.65 million purse.

Belmont Stakes

The last leg of the Triple Crown is the Belmont Stakes and is held on the first or second Saturday in June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is contested over a 1+1⁄2 miles dirt track and features a $1.5 million purse. The 1973 winner, Secretariat, holds the track record at 2:24 minutes.

How to Bet on the Triple Crown?

So now you know how the Triple Crown works and the best Triple Crown betting sites, it is time to make your first bet! To get started, follow these steps:

1. Select any Triple Crown betting site from our list above and follow our link to go to their official website
2. Tap the sign up button and fill out the registration form – share your name, date of birth, email, mobile number, and last four digits of your SSN
3. Upload your ID and proof of address
4. Tap the deposit button, enter the amount you wish to deposit, and type in your payment details (your deposit will be processed instantly)
5. Claim your bonus cash or bonus bet offers

Now that your Triple Crown betting account is fully set up and you have successfully added funds to your balance, you can make your first bet:

1. Go to the Triple Crown gambling markets or click on one of the Triple Crown races, for example, the Kentucky Derby
2. Select a bet type, for example, Win. You can bet on a horse on the day of the event or even months or weeks away from the event. Betting on the day of the event is safer, but futures offer higher odds.
3. Pick a horse, for example, 5 Tapit Trice
4. Enter your stake, for example, $50
5. Submit your bet

Then it is time to tune into your Triple Crown race and pray your horse is having a good day. If you pick a winner, your bet will be automatically settled, and the winnings will be added to your account.

What Type Of Triple Crown Bets Can I Place?

You can make all of your standard horse racing wagers on the Triple Crown, including straight and exotic bets. Here is a breakdown of the Triple Crown betting markets:

Straight Bets

With a straight bet, you are betting on a single horse to win, place in the top 2 or in the top 3. These are the 3 different Triple Crown straight bets available:

• Win – With a win bet, you are betting on a single horse to win the Triple Crown. Your bet only pays out if your chosen horse crosses the line in first place.
• Place – With a place bet, you are wagering on a particular horse to come first or second. For example, if you bet on 8 Mage and they come second, you still win.
• Show – If you aren’t a big risk taker, you can try a show bet. With a show bet, your horse just needs to place in the top 3. For example, if you bet on 11 Disarm and they come first, then your payouts are the exact same if they finish third.

Exotic Bets

With Triple Crown exotic bets, you are betting on multiple horses at the same time, similar to a parlay. These are the most popular Triple Crown exotic wagers:

• Quinella – With a quinella Triple Crown bet, you select two horses and predict them to finish 1st or 2nd. For example, if you make a quinella bet on 5 Tapit Trice and 16 Raise Cain and 16 Raise Cain wins, and 5 Tapit Trice comes 2nd or vice versa, then your wager pays out.
• Exacta – If you want to chase higher odds, you can make an exacta bet which works just like a quinella, except you need to get the order right. For example, if you bet on 11 Disarm to win and 1 Hit Show to finish 2nd, but 1 Hit Show wins, and 11 Disarm comes 2nd, then your bet won’t pay out.
• Trifecta – A trifecta is just like an exacta, except you need to predict which horses will place in the top 3 and their correct order. This is definitely a high-risk, high-reward bet.
• Superfecta – If you want to chase a lottery-like win, then make a superfecta bet. With this wager, you need to guess which horses will finish in the top 4 and their correct placings.

How Do Triple Crown Betting Odds Work?

Triple Crown betting odds reveal two pieces of critical information: your potential winnings and your likelihood of winning. This is why it literally pays to research odds and try to find the best deal on the market.

To calculate your potential winnings, you first look at the numerator; this is the amount of profit you will receive when you bet the denominator. For example, if a horse is paying 8/5 odds, then you will receive $8 profit for every $5 you bet. Or if a horse is paying 20/1, then you will receive $20 profit for every $1 you bet.

To determine your odds of winning, you first convert the fractional odds to decimal odds. At your racebook, you can click a button, and all fractional odds will instantly become decimal odds. Then you just divide 1 by the decimal odds. So let’s say you bet on a horse with 2.5 odds of winning. Your implied probability is 40% (1/2.5).

Initial Triple Crown odds are set by the racebook. The racebooks use expert handicappers who develop models that are designed to predict the outcome of the event. The model looks at a range of factors, including the different horses’ form, weather, track conditions, jockey, trainer, and more, and then spits out the odds.

The odds then shift based on which horses the general public is betting on. In pari-mutuel betting, you are wagering not against the racebook, but against other bettors, and the final odds are decided once the betting closes.

For example, if $100 is bet on Horse 1, $50 on Horse 2, and $25 on Horse 3, the total betting pool will be $175, but then the racebook will take a commission, usually around 10%, so the final betting will be $157.5. So in this example, Horse 1 will pay out 1.575 (157.5/100), Horse 2 will pay out 3.15 (157.5/50), and Horse 3 will pay out 6.3 (157.5/25).

Tips For Successful Betting on Triple Crown

Don’t just bet on the horse with the best name! Use these insider tips to create a winning Triple Crown betting strategy now:

• Bet on Bob Baffert trained horses – Bob Baffert is the most successful Triple Crown horse trainer in history and trained the last two Triple Crown winners, American Pharoah and Justify. Baffert has also been the mastermind behind 6 Kentucky Derbies, 8 Preakness Stakes, and 3 Belmont Stakes winners.
• Bet on whatever horse Irad Ortiz, Jr. is riding – Irad Ortiz, Jr. is considered the number 1 jockey in the US. The Puerto Rican legendary jockey has 3,000 + career wins, including the 2022 Belmore Stakes on Mo Donegal.
• Try Dutching – Dutching is where you spread your stake amongst multiple horses in the same race. The goal is to profit no matter which horse wins. A good strategy is to pick two favorites and then a few live underdogs.
• Use a Key – Using a key is where you make multiple different bets which all feature one horse. For example, you make a Win bet on Angel of Empire and also make a Quinella, Exacta, and Superfecta containing Angel of Empire.

Notable Triple Crown Betting Moments

The fastest Triple Crown winner of all time is Secretariat, who won in 1973. Secretariat, also known as Big Red, is considered one of the best racehorses the world has ever seen and won the Triple Crown in a combined time of just 6:16.40.

The biggest upset in Triple Crown history happened all the way back in 1913 during the Kentucky Derby. This was the first race where working-class people could bet as racebooks accepted bets as low as $2. Prior to the race, the eventual winner, Donerail, was paying a mouth-watering 91 to 1 odds.

American Pharoah won the Triple Crown in 2015, which was a fantastic story seeing as the controversial owner Ahmed Zayat had to declare bankruptcy in 2009 due to his failing horse racing business. However, the Egyptian-American managed to save his business and won the Triple Crown in thrilling fashion, breaking a 25-year drought.

Bob Baffert is the only horse trainer to train two Triple Crown winners. So you should pay attention to any horse that has come in contact with the GOAT trainer. The last Triple Crown winner was owned by WinStar Farm, which has a long history of training top thoroughbreds. So if a WinStar Farm horse is in the race, consider betting on them.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

• Betting on a horse because you like their name – You would be surprised at the amount of novice gamblers who bet on a horse simply because of its name. A horse’s name should have no impact on your betting decision. Your Triple Crown betting decision should be governed 100% by logical analysis.
• Gambling on long shots – Sometimes long shots do win, famously, in 1913, Donerail won the Kentucky Derby at 91-1 odds. However, there is typically a very good reason why certain horses are long shots. If you ever want to see your money again, avoid chasing horses with absurdly high odds.
• Forgetting to claim a bonus – Horse racing betting sites are literally giving away bonus bets and bonus cash which you can use to win real money. Before you wager on the Triple Crown, you should be browsing every legal horse racing betting site’s promotions page and seeing what deals you can score!
• Betting too big – Too many Triple Crown bettors get all starry-eyed looking at the potential win but neglect to think about the state of their bankroll if they pick a loser. No single losing Triple Crown bet should have a significant impact on your bankroll. We recommend not risking more than 2% of your bankroll on a single Triple Crown bet.
• Not comparing odds between racebooks – The odds for the Triple Crown can differ significantly. By not comparing multiple racebooks, you could be slashing your potential profits before the horses have even left the gate!