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Preakness Stakes 2015: What is a Trifecta?

By Charles Rahrig V

May 17, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; The starting gate is moved into place before the 139th Preakness Stakesat Pimlico Race Course. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
May 17, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; The starting gate is moved into place before the 139th Preakness Stakesat Pimlico Race Course. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /
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When betting on horse racing, potential betters try to occasionally bet on a trifecta, but what does that mean?

When it comes to exotic bets in horse racing, trifectas take the cake for biggest potential winnings.

At the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, those looking to haul in large payouts may steer away from normal bets and go for the trifecta instead.

What is the trifecta however?

Rather than the usual win/place/show bets made, a trifecta is correctly betting on the horses that will finish first, second and third in the race. It’s also a lot harder with so many possible combinations. If it’s a standard two dollar payout, and the better puts down $20 on a horse to win, multiply the payout by 10 times and so on and thus forth.

There are three types of trifectas when placing bets, the straight trifecta, trifecta box and trifecta wheel. The straight is probably the most simple of the three.

To win the straight trifecta, the person placing to bet has to have the correct 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers in order. While it sounds simple, it’s a lot harder than it looks with several possible combinations.

The trifecta box is a little easier to get a payout off of. Rather than having to have the correct order of the first three finishers, the person betting just needs the correct three, but the top three horses can be in any order. It’s essentially six combinations instead of three given.

Last is the trifecta wheel where the the person betting has their sights set for sure on one horse winning but isn’t sure about the horses therefore wheels them together. For example, if horse 4 is the horse that the person betting is sure on winning, they could wheel horse 4 with horse 5 and horse 7. As a result it would look like 4/5, 7/5, 7. 4 would have to win with 5 and 7 finishing second and third. It’s a four dollar bet instead with two outcomes 4/5/7 or 4/7/5.

The trifecta isn’t easy to win, but it offers the grandest of payouts. Only the most ardent of gamblers should place trifecta bets when it comes to horse racing.

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