Breeders' Cup to have dime superfectas

The minimum bet for superfectas in the 11 races of the Breeders' Cup on Oct. 26 and 27 at Monmouth Park in New Jersey will be 10 cents, according to the Breeders' Cup's simulcasting consultant, Ken Kirchner.

The Breeders' Cup will also guarantee both pick-four bets on Oct. 27 for $2 million, Kirchner said.

In reducing the minimum superfecta wager from $1, Breeders' Cup will be following in the footsteps of a number of tracks that have implemented dime superfectas in the past 18 months, including Monmouth Park and its sister track, the Meadowlands, which already offer 10-cent minimums for the bet.

The average superfecta pool for one of last year's eight Breeders' Cup races was approximately $1 million. Racing officials are currently divided as to whether a reduction in the minimum has a negative impact on the total amount wagered, but Kirchner said that Breeders' Cup made the decision "strictly to be fan-friendly."

"I haven't seen any data on whether it's a plus or a minus for the size of the pool, but we know it's a plus from the player's perspective as far as being able to afford the bets and eliminating some of the IRS tax issues," Kirchner said.

The IRS requires racetracks to deduct automatically taxes on any wager with a payoff higher than $5,000, and also requires bettors to report any winnings from a bet paying off at 300-1 or greater, at a minimum of $600.

Kirchner said he is also exploring the implementation of a wager that will require a bettor to pick a winner in head-to-head match-ups for all 11 races.