Now that you know which wagers to make and avoid and how to use the ABC method, a bettor is ready to take the next step: building tickets while taking odds into consideration. For example, a Pick 3 ticket using the favorite in all three legs should not be constructed the same way as a Pick 3 ticket using no favorites.
Proper ticket design can often make the difference between a good horse racing bettor and a great one because it allows the bettor to maximize profits when the handicapping is spot-on.
This latest installment in SportsLine's series on betting on horse racing will go through betting exactas, trifectas, doubles and Pick 3s while giving scenarios such as when a bettor likes all favorites and when a bettor doesn't like any favorites at all.
A former reporter and editor at Sports Illustrated, Menez covered an array of sports, including horse racing, for the magazine and its website for almost 14 years. Between 2010 and 2012, he served as SI's handicapper for the Triple Crown races and correctly predicted Super Saver to win the Kentucky Derby in 2010.
In 2015, while writing for Sports on Earth, Menez accurately gave out the Kentucky Derby superfecta (American Pharoah, Firing Line, Dortmund and Frosted), which paid $1,268.20 for $2. Then in 2017, he tweeted out his Kentucky Derby picks, including Always Dreaming to win, and hit the Pick 4, which paid almost $6,900 on a $1 bet. In 2024, Menez gave out 18-1 Mystik Dan as a live longshot in the Kentucky Derby.
Menez excels on horse racing's biggest days. In 2024 he crushed the late Pick 4 on Breeders' Cup Saturday for a $5,303 windfall. Last year he nailed the winner, trifecta and superfecta in the Florida Derby for a $529.60 score and the winner and trifecta in the Blue Grass Stakes for a $761.96 jackpot. He hit the late Pick 4 on Kentucky Oaks day for $915.48. In the Kentucky Derby, he hammered the exacta and trifecta for a $1,045 payout. And earlier this year he struck big on Fountain of Youth day, hitting the late Pick 5 for $4,648.
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