Horse Racing 101: How to make money on a race with a huge favorite

What do you do with a huge favorite in a horse race? This is a question bettors ponder daily as horses sit at odds of 1-2, or something similar, in multiple races at multiple tracks. Here’s a quick guide to betting races in which a heavy favorite is involved.

The only opinion that matters is yours

Beginners should not be unduly influenced by the betting activities of others when placing their bets – it’s your money at stake! The only opinion you should be basing your bets off of is yours. Favorites lose all the time, so don’t assume that they will win a given race just because they’re taking significant action at the windows.

Betting on the heavy favorite

Let’s say you’ve done your homework, studied the past performances, and determined that the heavy favorite simply should not lose a given race. Betting this horse to win, place or show won’t yield much profit, so it’s time to get creative.

Bettors should start by looking at the exacta (first two finishers, in exact order) and Daily Double (two consecutive race winners) probables. If a bettor likes what he sees in the probables in either department, he or she should make an appropriate wager.

However, those payoffs can still be somewhat deflated with a heavy favorite on top. But fear not; trifectas (first three finishers in order), superfectas (first four finishers in order), and multi-race wagers like Pick Threes and Pick Fours can still yield significant payoffs, even with a heavy favorite coming in.

Betting against the heavy favorite

There are two alternatives to betting against a heavy favorite. One is to skip the race entirely and wait until the next one, something that highly-disciplined and professional gamblers do all the time. But for those looking to have fun, or those who have a clever hunch about an alternate horse to the heavy favorite, money-making opportunities are there for the taking.

The wisest course of action is probably to place a simple win wager on the horse you think can upset the heavy favorite, depending on the odds. But the chance at exceptionally high payoffs comes when a bettor can beat the heavy favorite in a multi-race wager like the Pick Six, or knock the public choice out of the trifecta or superfecta altogether.

The latter is a little harder to do, and you’re typically playing into a pool with a larger takeout. But multi-race wagers, especially ones with reduced takeout, can really pay off when a heavy favorite runs out. However, there is much more work required of the handicapper to study multiple races instead of just one.