Horse Racing

For those who haven’t placed a trifecta in a while, here is a brief reminder of what it involves – you must pick the first three finishers in exact order. It’s difficult to pick exactly, so most punters go with a 3 horse box trifecta instead to cover all combinations of their picks. The reward for getting your trifecta pick right is getting paid out at a much better rate than the regular Melbourne Cup odds will offer for a straight-up win.

RACES.COM.AU 2011 Melbourne Cup Trifecta Tips

#1 – Americain ($5.00 @ Luxbet)

He’s the defending Melbourne Cup champion and there’s simply nothing you can take away from him going into the race this year. He’s obviously proven over the trip and he’s racing in peak form, once again thriving on Australian soil. He won the Moonee Valley Cup when he wasn’t even at peak fitness so things are looking great for the 2011 Melbourne Cup. The only possible query would be his weight but remember this horse is considerably bigger than Makybe Diva and she coped no worries

#3 – Dunaden ($7.50 @ Luxbet)

He’s Americain version two and these two look like the ones that will be battling out the prize. He comes through the Geelong Cup, a race he was only 85% fit in but he still won it convincingly. It’s the same route Americain took last year and he seems well positioned to repeat the winning feeling for the French in 2011.

#17 – At First Sight ($14 @ Luxbet)

He has a flying finish and the ability to fire off a blistering series of sectionals. The Flemington straight will suit him down to the ground giving him plenty of time to balance up and find the line. The only query is the fact he seems to place far more than he wins but that’s of no concern in trifecta betting.

Take a Melbourne Cup Trifecta bet today at Luxbet

Value Melbourne Cup Trifecta Roughies

#2 – Jukebox Jury ($12 @ Luxbet)

He can hold on for a long way out in front on the back of his European form.

#9 – Lucas Cranach ($12 @ Luxbet)

Another with the ability to run a lightning final 200m and will be coming home late.

#23 – Niwot ($12 @ Luxbet)

He was fantastic in the Lexus Stakes and if he brings that form here he’s a massive go.

Read more: 2011 Melbourne Cup Trifecta Betting Analysis

Here is an example of a Melbourne Cup trifecta, taken from the 2009 Melbourne Cup:

• 1st – Shocking (21)
• 2nd – Crime Scene (8)
• 3rd – Mourilyan (5)

If you made a Melbourne Cup trifecta bet that picked this exact finishing order, you would have gotten a return of $9,320.50 per dollar invested in the the bet. A $100 trifecta on this result would have paid $932,050! The reason the winnings are so high is because only a small number of bettors would have picked the correct result compared to the total size of the trifecta prize pool.

How to Pick the Melbourne Cup Trifecta

Accurately picking the Melbourne Cup trifecta isn’t all a matter of luck, though that certainly helps. For the most part, punters who make a successful pick do so based on an evaluation of the runners’ performances over the spring season. They are often actively betting at Sportsbet on many other races as well, keeping up to date with what’s going on.

You first have to start with who you think will win. While the second and third place matter just as much as the winner in a Melbourne Cup trifecta, you generally have to base those picks on who you think will win. If you aren’t too sure, then check out the Melbourne Cup tips we provide in our news section.

Compare the performance of other horses against the runner you think will be the Melbourne Cup champion. Look at previous races, times they finished in similar distances on the same track, how they perform in different conditions, how they behave under different jockeys, etc. Once you’ve taken that into account, you should have a pretty good idea of what you think the most logical Melbourne Cup trifecta pick should be.

‘Logic’ is the watchword in all of this. While you can’t be right every time, you will have the best outcome over the long run by making Melbourne Cup trifecta picks based on sound logic that is informed by previous results. Again, spending time betting on other races at online bookies like Sportsbet can be great preparation for picking a Melbourne Cup trifecta later in the season.

Where to Place a Melbourne Cup Trifecta

Where you place your Melbourne Cup trifecta matters, as you want to get the best odds and have the least confusion placing your bet. While mistakes placing bets can work out for the best – one man won $2.6 million on accidental Melbourne Cup trifecta bets in 2003 – you generally want to be sure you are placing the bets you intended to.

We recommend you place your Melbourne Cup trifecta at online betting sites like Sportsbet, IASbet or SportingBet. These are all excellent bookies that have very competitive odds and frequently offer special deals on exotic horse racing bets. If you are new to betting online, then we suggest you start with Sportsbet and become familiar with its easy betting interface.

Placing a Melbourne Cup Box Trifecta

If you can’t decide on the exact finishing order of the first three horses, but think you know which ones will finish in the top few places, then you should consider a Melbourne Cup box trifecta.

The box trifecta is a bet on every trifecta combination of a number of horses you pick. To place a box trifecta, you make your selections (you can choose more than 3 horses), and then choose a base bet amount. Your final bet cost will be the number of trifecta combinations there are for your chosen horses X your base bet

For example, say you have selected 5 horses at a $1 base bet. This is a box trifecta, so there are 5 horses that can come first, 4 that can come second, and 3 that can come third.

This makes your final bet (5X4X3)X$1 to equal $60. The advantage of a Melbourne Cup box trifecta is that it gives you a better chance of winning than a single trifecta, while still paying well if you do win.

At Sportsbet, it is even easier to work out the cost of a Melbourne Cup box trifecta, as you can simply use FlexiBet. With FlexiBet, you can set an overall cost for your box trifecta. That cost is then spread over all the combinations, and you get paid out based on an equivalent percentage of the dividend if you win.

With FlexiBet, you can choose to pay 10% of what you would need to cover your full list of picks in order to receive 10% of the normal dividend. This is a great choice for punters on a budget, so we recommend you sign up with Sportsbet now if FlexiBet interests you.