A less common term used in betting for horse racing, but what is an exacta bet?
For a beginner, an exact bet might seem daunting when you compare it to a win or each-way bet which are far less technical but the reward for this bet can be bigger if successful. But what is an exacta bet? I’ll explain below.
What is an exacta bet in horse racing?
An exacta bet is often found on the Tote, (known mostly everywhere else as a Forecast), where you correctly predict the first and second in a race and can either be a straight Exacta (must finish in the exact order) or a reverse Exacta (can finish in any order first and second).
A winning straight Exacta will return a bigger payout than a reverse Exacta but it is a much harder way to succeed compared to a reverse, which is why the latter costs more.
Although these are the two common Exacta types of bet, there is also the option of a combination Exacta, where you can pick more than two horses in a race and hope any of them can finish first or second. This bet does tend to cost more than the two common Exacta.
For new bettors or those with little experience, it is recommended to start small, looking at the smaller fields, to get a flavour of what the bets are before moving into the larger-field races, so you have the confidence for the more difficult races.
A race I can recall for an example of an Exacta came in the 2014 Gold Cup (blue riband race on Day 4 of the Cheltenham Festival) when Lord Windermere at 20/1 beat fellow 16/1 outsider On His Own which saw the Exacta pay £358.20 to a £1 stake.
If you are punting on the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, make sure you visit our free bets page to guarantee the most value from your selections.
Bet365
- Slick, clean interface
- Full suite of safer gambling options including profit/loss
- Market leading all customer offers across all sports
