Breeders' Cup lowers minimum bet for pick six, other exotic wagers
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Minimums for the pick six bet offered on each day of the Breeders’ Cup event this year on Oct. 30-31 at Keeneland Racecourse will be $1, and the minimum for trifectas, pick threes, pick fours, pick fives, and super hi fives will be 50 cents each, Breeders’ Cup announced on Thursday.
The $1 minimum bet for the pick six wagers, which was reported last week by Daily Racing Form but was not confirmed by Breeders’ Cup until Thursday, will be a reduction from a previous $2 minimum. The $2 minimum for pick six bets offered during the Breeders’ Cup has been in place since 1997, after Breeders’ Cup experimented for three years with a $1 minimum. Handle declined substantially on the wager when the $1 minimum was in place.
Minimums have also been lowered on the trifecta and pick three this year. Last year, the minimum for those wagers was $1. The minimum for all superfecta bets will be 10 cents.
While Breeders’ Cup said it will not announce the official race order until Oct. 22, the organization said on Thursday that four Breeders’ Cup races will be held on the Friday card, with the Distaff as race 9 on a 10-race card. The 12-race Saturday card will feature the remaining nine Breeders’ Cup races, with the last Breeders’ Cup race on the card, the Classic, appearing as race 11.
Each card will start with a pick five, Breeders’ Cup said. On Friday, when first post is 12:30 p.m. Eastern, the pick fours will begin with race 3, race 6, and race 7, and the pick six will begin with race 5. On Saturday, when first post is 11 a.m. Eastern, the pick fours will start on race 3, race 8, and race 9, with the pick six beginning on race 6.
The Distaff and the Classic will each feature a super hi five, which requires players to pick the first five finishers in order. A double will link the Distaff and the Classic.
The pick four, pick five, and pick six wagers are expected to have guaranteed pools. The size of the pools will also be announced on Oct. 22, Breeders’ Cup said, along with the official race order.
Takeout rates at Keeneland are some of the lowest in the country, with win, place, and show takeout at 16 percent and all other bets at 19 percent.