Guide To Triple Crown Betting

The finest three-year-old thoroughbreds in the business vie for fame and fortune in a trio of prestigious Grade 1 races each year. The Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes combine to form the fabled Triple Crown, and they are reserved for elite runners only.

Winning a single leg of the Triple Crown is a tremendous achievement, so prevailing in all three races is enough to earn legendary status. Just 13 horses have pulled it off since Sir Barton first achieved the feat back in 1919. However, recent triumphs for American Pharaoh and Horse of the Year Justify have galvanized interest in this exciting series of races.

You can ratchet up the excitement by betting on these eagerly anticipated thoroughbred racing events. Our horse racing betting guide explains the betting options at your disposal, teaches you how to read horse racing odds and highlights the best online racebooks for Triple Crown betting.

Which are the best sportsbooks to bet on the Triple Crown?

The Triple Crown Races

The Triple Crown consists of these illustrious races:

• Kentucky Derby | This is the biggest race of the year in the United States in terms of betting activity and media coverage. It takes place on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs over 1 ¼ miles. This famous horse race is dubbed “the most exciting two minutes in sport.”
• Preakness Stakes | The second leg of the Triple Crown takes place at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is held two weeks after the Kentucky Derby over a 1 3⁄16 mile distance. Some of the most famous names in horse racing have prevailed in the Preakness over the years.
• Belmont Stakes | The final leg takes place three weeks after the Preakness at Belmont Park in New York. It is the longest individual race in the series, run over a distance of 1 ¼ miles, so fresh horses often perform well.

Sir Barton was the first winner of all three races, but the “Triple Crown” term did not enter general parlance until Gallant Fox repeated the feat in 1930. There were several Triple Crown winners in the 1930s and 1940s, and three horses – Secretariat, Seattle Slew and Affirmed – managed to triumph in all three during the 1970s.

There was then a 37-year gap, and it seemed as though winning the Triple Crown was impossible in the modern era. However, legendary trainer Bob Baffert then landed it twice, with American Pharaoh in 2015 and Justify in 2018.

What types of bets can you place on the Triple Crown? 

Racing fans can find fixed-odds Triple Crown futures betting odds on these classic races weeks before they begin. However, they are only available at high-quality offshore racebooks such as Bookmaker, Bovada and BetOnline.

Closer to post-time, you can choose from a variety of pari-mutuel betting options on the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont:

• Win | A straight wager on the first horse past the finishing post.
• Place | A bet on a horse to finish either first or second in a Triple Crown race.
• Show | A straight bet on a horse to finish in the top three.
• Across the Board | Three bets – one on the win, one on the place and one on the show.
• Exacta | An exotic bet on the winner of the race and the runner-up, whereby you must name the exact order in which they will finish.
• Quinella | A bet on two horses to finish first and second in any order.
• Trifecta | A bet on the winner, second-place and third-place horses, in that exact order.
• Superfecta | A wager on the first four horses to finish, in that exact order.

You can also place exacta or trifecta boxes, where you group various runners together and place a series of exacta or trifecta combinations. There are exacta and trifecta wheels too, and some offshore sportsbooks and racebooks also offer head-to-head betting between two specific horses within the field.

Understanding Triple Crown Betting Odds

Fixed-Odds Futures

If you visit an offshore site, you can enjoy early betting on the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes and Preakness Stakes. They will display their early Triple Crown odds in the sports betting section under “Horse Racing,” as opposed to the racebook.

They allow you to bet at fixed odds, meaning you know precisely how much you will win if your prediction is successful. You can often find double-digit odds. For example, 2022 winner Rich Strike had Kentucky Derby odds of 80-1 (+8000) before the race.

Fixed-odds futures at sites like Bookmaker, BetOnline and Bovada are rendered in the American format. Unless there is a very heavy favorite, they will begin with a plus symbol. Here is an example:

• Early Voting to win the Preakness Stakes (+350)

The numbers after the plus sign tell you the profit available from a $100 bet. If you had wagered $100 on Early Voting, you would have earned a $350 profit. You get your bet amount back if you win, resulting in a total payout of $450.

Pari-Mutuel Dividend Payouts

When the post positions have been announced and the race is nearly upon us, you can bet on pari-mutuel markets such as the win, place, show and exacta. Your potential profit is not fixed, so you only discover your winnings after the race.

A tote board at the track reveals the pari-mutuel payout available on each market. For example, these are some of the dividends from the 2022 Kentucky Derby:

• A $2 bet on Rich Strike to win paid $163.60.
• A $2 bet on Rich Strike to place paid $74.20.
• A $2 bet on Rich Strike to win show $29.40
• A $2 exacta paid $4,101.20.

You can use those dividends to calculate your payout. For example, if you wagered $20 on Rich Strike to win, you would have earned a return of $1,636. That includes your profit and the return of your bet amount.

Where can you bet on the Triple Crown races?

We highly recommend using trusted offshore online betting sites for wagering on the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes online. They offer fixed-odds futures on the Triple Crown races, allowing you to gain an early edge on the horse racing betting public. You can enjoy the full menu of pari-mutuel options – win, place show and so on – as the race approaches.

Bookmaker.eu is the best overall site for Triple Crown betting. It offers very competitive fixed odds, a competitive racebook rebate and a maximum payout of $100,000 on Triple Crown races. Bookmaker is also a reputable offshore betting operator that always pays out on time, so it is our top choice for Triple Crown wagers.

Who has won the most Triple Crowns?

It is only possible for a horse to win the Triple Crown once, as the races are restricted to three-year-olds only. Each of the below jockeys have achieved the feat:

• Sir Barton (1919)
• Gallant Fox (1930)
• Omaha (1935)
• War Admiral (1937)
• Whirlaway (1941)
• Count Fleet (1943)
• Assault (1946)
• Citation (1948)
• Secretariat (1973)
• Seattle Slew (1977)
• Affirmed (1978)
• American Pharoah (2015)
• Justify (2018)

Only one jockey, Eddie Arcaro, has won two Triple Crowns. He was aboard both winners from Calumet Farm: Whirlaway in 1941 and Citation in 1948. Calumet Farm shares the record with Belair Stud – which yielded 1930 winner Gallant Fox and 1935 winner Omaha – as the joint most successful owner in Triple Crown history.

Bob Baffert and John Fitzsimmons are the most successful trainers, having won two Triple Crowns apiece.

FAQ – Triple Crown Betting