The main race is a group 1 mid distance race that is run over 1 mile, 3 furlongs and 211 yards. It is open to all horses aged three years and above. Originally, there were two separate races: the King Geroge VI, a 2 mile race that was held in October, and the Queen Elizabeth, named after his wife, which was a one and a half mile event in July. The two were combined in 1951, and the result has been a staple at Ascot ever since. In addition to the main highlight, there are 13 other races, open to horses of different sexes and ages, and are they run over different distances. The final race in the event is called the Longines Handicap Stakes. It is a race that is open only to female amateur jockeys, to help promote women jockeys in thoroughbred horseracing.
King George Weekend Betting
The King George Weekend can attract some huge attendance figures, ranging from horse purists to casual partygoers who want to try something new, but something that unites a huge number of attendees is the desire to place bets. It is highly attractive to punters because there are plenty of betting options available on each race, which can translate into massive returns.
Race Winner
This is the most straightforward bet. It simply requires punters to pick which horse they think will win in a single race. One thing to look out for is how many horses there are in each race, there are some races during the weekend that only have 6 runners, whilst others may go up to 12. If there are more runners, then the odds will generally be longer.
Place
Place bets are on a horse to finish in one of the places, this could be in the first two, or first three, depending on how many runners there are in a race. For races with fewer runners, place bets may not be available. Races where there may be up to 12 runners may offer place bets, which will require the chosen horse to finish anywhere in the top three.
Each Way
Each way are bets where a punter can place half their stake on a horse to win and the other half of the stake on the horse to place. It is a combination of the two bets listed above, and is useful as it can offer larger returns on a win than the place bet, and if the horse only places, it can cut the losses.
Each way bets may vary depending on the race. Some may offer a higher fraction of the winning odds for a place, whilst some may offer lower odds but will have more cover for where a horse can place. For example, there may be a bet on a horse to win at odds 6/1, and the each way bet offers 1/4 of the winning odds if the horse finishes anywhere in the top three places. To place a bet of £10, a punter will need to put a stake of £20, £10 for each bet. If the horse wins the race, the part of the stake on the horse to win will be returned with the winnings from the full odds: £10 + £70, and the other half of the stake will be returned with the winnings from 1/4 of the odds: £10 + £5. This will make a return of £95.
If the horse placed, the half of the stake on the horse to win will be lost, but the place bet will win, returning £10 + £5, for a return of £15.
Exotic Bets
There are several bets that are far trickier to predict but come at far longer odds than the bets mentioned above. These are the exotic bets, and rather than just requiring a prediction of which horse will win a race, they require punters to predict the first two, three, or four horses that will finish the race.
The Quinella is a bet that requires the first two horses to cross the line to be picked.
The Exacta is the same as the Quinella, only the horses will need to be chosen in the right order of finishing.
The Trifecta is a bet where punters need to pick which three horses will finish first in the correct order.
The Superfecta is the most ambitious bet, as it requires punters to pick the first four horses that will finish, and put them in the correct order. In truth, the chances of winning this bet are extremely slim, but the bet comes with some tremendous odds that could bring some massive returns from even the smallest stake.
Betting Systems & Combinations
The exotic bets can be highly attractive to any bettor who wants to try to hit massive wins, but it is by no means the only source of long odds in horserace betting. There are combination bets and system bets that allow punters to bet on multiple races with a single bet, and these can increase the odds dramatically. The King George Weekend has plenty of great races to watch, so bettors may decide to combine their bets and hope they can receive returns equal to that of the longest exotic bets.
Betting Combinations
Betting combinations are the same as parlays. The idea is simply that multiple bets will be combined together, and the odds will be multiplied against each to create for far longer odds.
If a punter is placing bets on three horses to win in three separate events, where horse A comes at odds 4/1, B at 9/2, and C at 5/2, then a single bet of £15 can bring a return of £1428.75. If the same stake was split into three single bets of £5, the full return would be £70.
Whilst combination betting can be highly profitable, the only downside is that all three horses need to win for any returns to be made. Should only one of the bets lose, then there will be no profit at all, making this bet more risky.
Betting Systems
Punters can cut that risk by using betting systems. These systems will not bring the same large profits as a combination bet comprising the same number of wagers, but they will come with some considerable insurance.
Punters have to make at least two selections to create a betting system. The way the system works is that a bet will be placed on each of the combinations that can be made between the selections.
If there are two picks, then there will be 2 single bets and 1 double bet.
If there are three selections, there will be 3 single bets, 3 double bets, and 1 triple bet.
If there are four selections, there will be 4 single bets, 6 double bets, 4 triple bets and 1 quadruple bet.
If there are five selections, there will be five single bets, 10 double bets, 10 triple bets, 5 quadruple bets, and 1 five way bet.
To show how well these bets can make a profit and how well they can provide insurance, here is an example. If four selections were chosen, with odds 3/1, 7/2, 4/1, and 9/2, then, if all bets were to win, the overall winnings from a stake of £15 (£1 for each bet) would be £1071.50.
If the first selection at odds of 3/1 were to lose, the system bet would still bring a return of £213.50. If the first selection and second selection were to lose, the bet would only bring £38, a profit of £23. If the first three bets were to lose, the return would only be £5.50, which at least reduces your losses.
The only way a system bet does not bring at least a small return is if all bets lose, which is probably just as rare, if not rarer, than hitting a perfect Superfecta bet.