Horse Racing

Correctly picking the Melbourne Cup First Four is both extremely profitable and an achievement you can brag about for years!

The First Four bet requires you to correctly pick, in exact order, the first four finishers in the race. Many bettors use box First Four bets instead of single First Four bets in order to reduce the difficulty of picking up a win.

RACES.COM.AU 2011 Melbourne Cup First Four Tips

#1 – Americain ($5.00 @ Luxbet)

He’s the must have addition for any of your exotic bets in the 2011 Melbourne Cup. On form and history he simply has to be a factor, you’d be a brave man write off the defending champion.

#3 – Dunaden ($7.50 @ Luxbet)

If you’ve got Americain then you have to have Dunaden given he’s a spitting image of the horse form last year. He come sin off a Geelong Cup win, the form producing a top three finish every year since 2006.

#17 – At First Sight ($14 @ Luxbet)

Save yourself a lot of anguish and include this horse in all your exotic bets. When you see him flying down the outside with 200m to go your heart will be glad he’s in and not out.

#9 – Lucas Cranach ($12 @ Luxbet)

He’s the German import that comes here on the back of big wraps and we can’t ignore the kind of praise he’s been given. Solid in the Caulfield Cup while not at full fitness, no excuses here.

Take a Melbourne Cup First Four bet today at Luxbet

Value Melbourne Cup First Four Roughies

#18 Moyenne Corniche ($26 @ Luxbet)

Horse hasn’t had a lot of attention of late but he’s over the odds at $26.

#22 Tullamore ($26 @ Luxbet)

Consistent as the day is long and he won’t be too far away.

#7 Unusual Suspect ($35 @ Luxbet)

Can rattle of a flying final 400m if he has the luck to find a run.

#13 Hawk Island ($101 @ Luxbet)

Every first four needs a 100 to 1 chance, our pick of the bunch is Hawk Island.

Read more at 2011 Melbourne Cup First Four Betting.

Here is an example of a successful Melbourne Cup First Four bet for the 2009 Melbourne Cup:

• 1st – Shocking (21)
• 2nd – Crime Scene (8)
• 3rd – Mourilyan (5)
• 4th – Master O’Reilly (4)

Note that the exact order is necessary to win. If Mourilyan had placed fourth and Master O’Reilly had placed third, the bet would not be paid (it would be paid if all the picks had been made in a box First Four bet, however). This successful bet would have paid $97,361.80 for each dollar wagered!

How to Pick the Melbourne Cup First Four Bet

It is incredibly difficult to just pick the first four finishers, let alone the exact order they finish in. This is why most serious bettors making a Melbourne Cup First Four bet will make it a box bet.

If you decide to go with a box bet, your first step to winning is to narrow down your picks. The Melbourne Cup field is large, so it is very inefficient and unprofitable to cover every combination of the runners.

For a Melbourne Cup First Four box, you really just need to decide where you will stop with picks. Take into account the weights the horses are carrying, ages, spring carnival performance, and previous Melbourne Cup results.

You are looking for the horses that stand a chance of finishing in the first four, not just those with a chance to win. A Melbourne Cup First Four box bet will usually need to cover a large portion of the field to be successful.

Where to Place Your Melbourne Cup First Four Bet

If you want an easy and convenient betting experience, go with online betting sites when placing a Melbourne Cup First Four bet. We recommend you choose from Sportsbet, IASbet and SportingBet as they all offer an excellent service.

Beginners who have never placed a First Four bet before are advised to start with Sportsbet, as it has the easiest betting interface.

Placing a Melbourne Cup Box First Four Bet

Once you have made your picks for your Melbourne Cup First Four box bet, you will want to calculate how much it costs.

The formula for working out the cost of a First Four bet is (number of horses selected) X (number of horses selected – 1) X (number of horses selected – 2) X (number of horses selected – 3) X base bet amount.

For example, if you have a First Four box bet on the Melbourne Cup with 6 selections at a $1 base bet, you would have a bet of (6)X(6-1)X(6-2)X(6-3)X$1 to equal $360.

That is a bit pricey for some punters, which is why Sportsbet has the FlexiBet option. This allows you to set an overall cost, which is spread equally over the combinations in your box bet. If you win, you will be paid out based on a percentage of the dividend that corresponds with the money dedicated to the winning combination.

If you want to make a Melbourne Cup First Four box bet without stretching your budget, then sign up for a Sportsbet account and give the FlexiBet option a try.