On the day of the race and closer to the race generally more markets are available depending on which book you use.
Some I just looked up were offering markets such as :
"horse a vs horse b" Lines
"Horse to win by x lengths .." the longer the winning margin, the longer the odds offered
Place only markets, extended place markets (four places instead of 3, 5 or 6 or 7 or 8 places are sometimes offered in bigger handicap fields.
You can bet on a horse "not to win" or "not to be placed" and often odds are available in a race "without the favorite" or "without x or y horse" Some books also offer "cover bets" so you win if your horse wins, but if it comes second or third or fourth your bet is void and the stake returned.
Horse to finish exactly 2nd or exactly third or exactly fourth, "both horse a and b to place ...
"Either horse a or b to win."
The answer to your question appears to be .... plenty of other markets are available depending on the race and the book that you are using.
Examples above were from bet365 and skybet at the first race at Ascot tomorrow.
Those are silly markets, like the swinger offered by the tote.
But explain me this:
Why not trios and quinellas, quinella doubles ?
Those were the popular bets in Greece.
Before 2010 they did not want UK in the national circuit. The company operating the pool tried to have Ascot 2008 broadcasted - they thought it might be good advertisement if they started to broadcast international events of high prestige. The jockey club intervened and it was cancelled, no foreign racing they said. But two years later they changed their mind so both UK and France were introduced through bilateral agreements.
So from 2010 to 2016 we had Greek-UK- French and also South Africa was added.
France was very popular as they came first but UK slowly overtook France. South Africa third in popularity.
The betting was conducted with local rules, local pool, local markets so everyone was more or less happy.
Then in 2016 all changed. Common pool and fewer markets available and the market dwindles !
In 2015 when it was UK racing day the attendance in betting shops was 60-70% compared to Greek racing days.
Now it is 0-10% !
One day I walked into a betting shop and I wanted to place a bet on a race from Lingfield. The shopkeeper takes the money and he says to
me "ok matey, you want me to turn the tv on so you can watch it ?" !
Though I don't like the common pool system, they could easily introduce quinella and trio even under the common pool system. Just add a square in the ticket where we tick if we want our forecast-tricast selections to be dutched. The dutching operation gives an exact result even under the mutuel system.
I m' trying to figure out why but nobody gives an answer and I don't know of any company who likes to see its customers walk away !
It cannot be that the UK tote would lose money either. Let's say they are in for 3% of the take, they would be in for 3% of the take anyway. But
with fewer customers they too are surely losing money.
Now sometime in 2011 I heard of a French representative who was moaning because we had tetracasts and in France they don't do tetracasts.
But no further info as to why the Frenchman objected and if in fact the story was true. So it's a mystery.
