The Daily Double was the first so-called “exotic” wager offered by North American racetracks, debuting in Canada in 1931 at Connaught Park Racetrack near Ottawa by owner Léo Dandurand, according to the
Montreal Gazette.
When more tracks adopted the wager, in which a bettor must pick the winners of two consecutive races, the double was a fixture on races one and two in an effort by tracks to get fans out to the track early.
Today, many tracks have “rolling doubles' in which the wager begins on every race on the card except the last race. These have become a favourite bet of fans who prefer to try and pick two winners rather than three, four, five or six in the multiple leg bets.
With the influx of Pick 3s, 4s and the like, the Daily Doubles tend to get lost in the shuffle, allowing bettors to capitalize on a wager that may pay handsomely because more money is being bet into the other exotics. And while fans are often lured to the wagers with more legs in an effort to get an even bigger payout, the Double payout is often an overlay as compared to a $2 win parlay on the two winners.
For example, on Sept. 11 at Ajax Downs, a $2 win bet in Race 3 on No. 2 A Rushn Lily at 2-1 paid $6.80. If you parlayed that $6 to win on the co-favourite in Race 4, Cash and Dash ($4.30 to win), you would have got back $12.90. Meanwhile, a $2 Daily Double payout on those two horses paid a whopping $24.90, for a 50 per cent profit.
The strategy to placing a bet on a Double is similar to an exactor. If you’re playing a couple of different Double wagers, avoid playing the same amount on every combination. Also, Doubles with the same trainer or jockey winning both races tend to be over-bet by the public. The key to the Double wager is to find a horse in one of the two legs that may offer value on the odds board or betting against a vulnerable favourite.
Let's a take a look at two consecutive Daily Double wagers on the Ajax Downs Quarter Horse card on Sept. 18:
Race 5: No. 1 JUST A KVN won her last start at this class level and will likely be bet down as the favourite since she was only 2-1 in her latest.
That day she beat her stablemate No. 3 FIESTY FEEBEE. Both fillies are contenders but the horse who will be overlooked a bit in the race is No. 2 DAGNY TAGGART, who was a closing third in her Aug. 14 outing at the same class level behind stakes winner Sour Candy. She was 7-1 that day.
In a previous race, Dagny Taggart was 6 -1 and second to the promising gelding Quick Willy in a quickly run race that earned this filly an 87 speed index.
A check of the odds board before the race will come in handy when making your decision but Dagny Taggart may be the horse to select if Just a Kvn gets over-bet.
Race 6: Princess Maturity winner No. 2 QUEEN CHARLOTTE could be favoured in this speed index race since she ran a 100 speed index in her stakes win. That race was at 400 yards and she must shorten up to 300 yards for Wednesday’s dash, which could make her a bit vulnerable.
No. 3 HAD TO BE RELENTLESS is a steady gelding who was second to Horse of the Year Snow Moose in a tough race last time, although the 300-yard distance of this dash is also a bit on the short side for him.
No. 6 QUICK ASA HICCCUP has won three of six races this year and is on a roll, he might be the play.
I might use Queen Charlotte on a more expensive Double ticket and Hicccup on a smaller ticket.
Race 7: The day's finale features my strongest opinion of the day and that is No. 2 FIRST COLD WAVE, who was second by just a head in the Ontario Sires Maturity on Sept. 1. This classy five-year-old has gone winless in just about a year, but this is the easiest field he has faced this year.
The wagers:
Race 5 Daily Double: $5 2/ 2, 6 = $10.00
Race 6: Daily Double $10 2, 6 / 2
NOTE: If Queen Charlotte is below even money odds in Race 6, consider cutting down your Double wager and use one of the other contenders at better odds.
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