It is impossible for me to imagine that the interests of the public were at heart when Santa Anita Park offered trifecta wagering on the fourth race Wednesday, a contest in which only three betting interests went to post.
The trifecta returned slightly better than even money but less than the exacta when 7-to-10 favorite Awesome Patriot defeated 11-to-10 second choice Riveting Reason with 5.6-to-1 longshot Miles Long Gone a distant third.
$2 to win on Awesome Patriot returned $3.40. The chalky exacta returned $4.60 for that same $2 while the trifecta using the only other available horse in third returned $4.20.
Santa Anita said that it was allowed to offer trifecta wagering because six horses entered the race and at least three started. So if five horses enter a race there can be no trifecta wagering even if they all start, but you can offer the bet on a three-horse race even though it makes no sense for a punter to enter that pool given that you're essentially betting an exacta at higher takeout.
Rather than sticking it to bettors by increasing takeout, the California Horse Racing Board should focus its efforts on regulations that could stimulate handle. Getting the extra juice on the $14,039 bet into the trifecta pool that otherwise may have gone in either the win and/or exacta pools is negligent at best and unethical at worse.
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