With the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in the rearview mirror, we turn our Triple Crown focus to the Belmont Stakes on June 10.
Kentucky Derby-winner Mage was unable to capture the second leg of the Triple Crown at Pimlico. Bob Baffert’s National Treasure took the Preakness, followed by Blazing Sevens and then Mage in third.
There are plenty of ways to bet on horse racing in Ohio. We will dive into the best ways to bet on the Triple Crown races in person or online below.
Mage falters in Preakness Stakes
Mage was 15-1 to win the Kentucky Derby but pulled off the upset in Lexington. He entered the seven-horse Preakness as the favorite out of the No. 3 gate, the only Derby starter to also race the Preakness.
Mage’s biggest competition for the Preakness was indeed No. 1 National Treasure (4-1 odds) after the scratch of No. 8 First Mission (5-2). Unfortunately, Mage couldn’t make up enough ground over the final quarter-mile to catch National Treasure and Blazing Sevens.
Early reports suggest that Mage will not run in the Belmont Stakes, but National Treasure is likely to make the trip to New York in June for the final leg of the Triple Crown.
How to bet on horse racing online in Ohio
Betting on horse racing has been legal for a long time in Ohio, mostly restricted to physical racetrack locations. With the legalization of sports betting in Ohio, there are now more online horse betting options than ever.
A unique feature of horse betting apps that differs from sports betting apps is the ability to watch the races right from the app.
Users of FanDuel Sportsbook can bet on horses and watch races seamlessly with the FanDuel Racing app they already have. Other sports betting operators, like BetMGM, offer a separate horse racing app.
TwinSpires is the longest-running horse betting app in Ohio and offers a site rich with news, expert picks and other information.
Types of horse racing bets — straights and exotics
Straight bets
For simple fun and good payout potential, straight bets are an easy option for new bettors. A straight bet would be picking one horse to either Win, Place or Show. A Win bet pays if your horse finishes first. A bet for your horse to Place pays if your horse comes in first or second in the race, but it doesn’t pay as much. Similarly, a Show bet pays even less, but you win if your horse finishes in the top three.
Exotics: exacta, trifecta, superfecta
The next step up would be an Exacta or Trifecta bet. With an Exacta, you pick the top two horses to finish in the race, in the correct order. Improve your chances by “boxing” your selections, so they can place in either order. A boxed Exacta bet with two horses costs twice as much, since it’s technically two bets, but the payout for winning is the same.
You can even add more than 2 horses to your Exacta bet to increase your chances, but the cost rises quickly. A $2 Exacta box costs $12, but you can choose a $1 Exacta box for $6. If your Exacta hits, the $1 Extacta box ticket pays half of the $2 ticket, which is what is displayed on the board.
A Trifecta bet is choosing the top three finishers in the correct order. You can also box a Trifecta, but again it’s technically six bets ($1 for each possible combination of three horses), so the cost jumps to $6. Add a fourth horse to your Trifecta selections and you’re looking at a cost of $24.
A similar option with longer odds, higher cost and higher potential payout is the Superfecta, in which you pick the top four finishers in the race.
Daily Double, Pick 3 or Pick 4
With these bets, you pick the winner of two, three or four consecutive races. You must win every leg of the bet to win.
Ohio Preakness parties at racetracks
The best place to bet on the race in person is at a racetrack, of course. Ohio has seven racetracks across the state, and they all host celebrations for the Preakness Stakes.
Ohio’s seven tracks are considered racinos because they also feature slot machine gaming.
- Belterra Park: 6301 Kellogg Road, Cincinnati 45230
- Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway: 777 Hollywood Blvd., Dayton, 45414
- Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course: 655 N. Canfield Niles Road, Youngstown, 44515
- JACK Thistledown Racino: 21505 Emery Road, North Randall, 44128
- MGM Northfield Park: 10777 Northfield Road, Northfield, 44067
- Miami Valley Gaming: 6000 OH-3, Lebanon, 45036
- Scioto Downs: 6000 S. High St., Columbus, 43207
When is the Belmont Stakes?
To win the Triple Crown, Mage will have to top the eight-horse Preakness Stakes and win the Belmont Stakes on June 10. It’s a rare achievement, last accomplished in 2018 by Justify, trained by Bob Baffert.
Baffert also trained the 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. Before that, there hadn’t been a Triple Crown winner since 1978.
All three Triple Crown races are Grade 1 contests for 3-year-old thoroughbreds, but they differ in length. The Kentucky Derby is 1 1/4 miles, or 10 furlongs. The Preakness Stakes is slightly shorter at 1 3/16 mile (9.5 furlongs). Runners go the distance at the Belmont Stakes which is 1 1/2 miles long.
Triple Crown locations and dates:
- Kentucky Derby: Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky., May 6, 2023 (winner: Mage)
- Preakness Stakes: Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, Md., May 20, 2023
- Belmont Stakes: Belmont Park, Elmont, N.Y., June 10, 2023
