You have picked out a horse you like in an upcoming race and are very confident of his chances. A win wager on that horse is the first bet to consider, but you may want to go for a bigger payout by playing the triactor.
The triactor is one of several vertical wagers available in horse racing, including the exactor, superfecta and the much-newer High 5. These wagers are popular with fans as they offer low minimum base bets (20 cents in Ontario) for a number of combinations and payoffs that can be lucrative.
As its name suggests, the triactor requires you to pick the top three finishers in a race. The simplest way to play a triactor, much like the exactor, is to “box” your selections. If you like three horses in a race but aren't sure which order they will finish, you can box them for a $1.00 base bet for a total of $6.00. If you want to box five horses, the cost would be $60.00 or, for a 20-cent base wager, $12.00.
The more horses you box, the more the ticket will cost.
However, when you box horses you are essentially stating that all of those selections have an equal chance of winning the race you are handicapping. Of course, this is rarely the case and if the favourite or a low-priced horse wins, your triactor payoff will be low. In fact, if you’re not a fan of the favourite in a race, playing the triactor is a good wager to make.
“Wheeling” or “part wheeling” is a fun and creative way to play the triactor (and most vertical bets) as you place horses in certain positions based on your opinion of the race. For instance, the horse or horses that you like the most to win would be placed in the first position, followed by, perhaps, those same horses with additions for second and third. Wheeling means you’re putting one horse in a slot and part wheeling means you’re putting more than one horse in selected spots in your wager.
Here's the layout of a simple triactor part wheel:
AB/ABC/ABCDE = $12.00 for a $1.00 base bet or $2.40 for a 20-cent base bet.
In this wager you have selected two horses for the win spot, the same two with one other for second place and those three plus an extra to finish third. Of course, you can put any number of horses in those slots (remembering that the cost goes up).
(You can find a horse racing wagering calculator on numerous websites including
here.)
Let's put our triactor strategy to work for race 6 at Fort Erie on Tuesday, July 16.
FORT ERIE TUESDAY
RACE 6, 5 1/2 furlongs, Main track
In this allowance race, a number of the starters were pacesetters in their most recent races, including the morning line favourite No. 3 BUSTA GROOVE. This gelding won the Sprint Summer Cup over a wet Fort Erie track in May and recently tried a tougher race at Woodbine and finished sixth. Woodbine jockey Leo Salles is named to ride Busta Groove again. I will put this gelding in the second and third slots but be sure to check the odds closer to post time.
The two horses I will use in the win position both have outside posts. No. 5 M C JACKHAMMER, while winless since 2022, might benefit from a pace battle and his first race of the year was quite good. In that event he finished third in a quickly-run allowance race and he has come back with a bullet workout on July 1. Recent claim No. 7 BACK TO REALITY has shown an ability to stalk the pace and rally (when he won his maiden at Tampa Bay Downs in March).
The wager: $1 Triactor Part Wheel - 5, 7 / 3, 5, 7 / 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 = $16.00 ($3.20 for a 20-cent base bet).
Good luck with your wagers!
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