A forecast asks you to name the first two home in a race, and a tricast the first three. Both can be placed straight, in a set order, or as reverse and combination bets that cover several orders at once. This guide explains how each version works, how many bets you are actually placing and how they are paid out. It is part of our horse racing betting guides.
What is a forecast bet?
A forecast is a bet on which two horses will finish first and second. The basic version, the straight forecast, names them in order: horse A to win and horse B to finish second. If B wins and A is second, the bet loses.
William Hill’s rules, which are typical of UK bookmakers, accept forecasts on horse races with three or more runners and settle them on the official result. Unless the bookmaker has given you a fixed price, a forecast is paid at the official dividend, the Computer Straight Forecast (CSF).
What is a reverse forecast?
A reverse forecast covers both orders: A first and B second, and B first and A second. It is simply two straight forecasts, so it costs twice your stake. A £5 reverse forecast is a £10 bet.
Only one of the two lines can win, so you always lose at least one stake. It suits a race where you think two horses stand out but you cannot split them. If you do have a clear view of the order, a straight forecast pays the same dividend for half the outlay.
What is a combination forecast?
A combination forecast takes three or more horses and covers every order in which any two of them could finish first and second. The number of bets is the number of selections multiplied by one less than that number.
- 3 selections: 6 bets
- 4 selections: 12 bets
- 5 selections: 20 bets
- 6 selections: 30 bets
Each bet is a separate line at your unit stake, so a £1 combination forecast on four horses costs £12. Only one line can come in, which means the dividend has to be bigger than the total cost before the bet shows a return above your outlay.
Banker forecasts
If you are sure about the winner but not the second, you can name one horse to win and several to fill second place. That is one line for each horse in the second slot, so a banker with three others is three bets. Not every bookmaker lists it as a separate bet type, but you can build it from straight forecasts.
What is a tricast bet?
A tricast, or straight tricast, names the first, second and third in the correct order. It is one bet, and all three must finish exactly where you placed them.
Tricasts are more restricted than forecasts. William Hill’s rules accept them on handicaps with eight or more runners unless stated otherwise, and Sky Bet’s rules say they are accepted where an official computer tricast dividend is declared. If no dividend is declared, Sky Bet settles the bet as a straight forecast on your first two. Bet365 offers a separate fixed-price tricast on races of eight or more runners.
Does a tricast have to be in order?
A straight tricast does. If you want your three horses to fill the first three places in any order, you need a combination tricast, which covers every order of finish.
- 3 selections: 6 bets
- 4 selections: 24 bets
- 5 selections: 60 bets
- 6 selections: 120 bets
The formula is the number of selections multiplied by the two numbers below it, so four horses is 4 x 3 x 2. Costs climb quickly: a £1 combination tricast on five horses is £60, not £5. It is the same multiplying effect you get with full-cover bets such as the Yankee, only here every line is in the same race.
How are forecast and tricast dividends calculated?
The CSF and the computer tricast dividend are worked out after the race by a formula, not from a pool. The inputs are the starting prices of the horses involved, the number of runners and the prices of the rest of the field. A dividend is declared to a £1 stake, so a £2 line pays twice the declared figure.
You will not know the exact return when you strike the bet. In general, finishers at bigger prices mean a bigger dividend, and a short-priced favourite in the first two tends to shrink it. Some bookmakers also offer priced forecasts before the off, which fix the return at the odds you take.
Tote Exacta and Trifecta
The Tote’s equivalents are the Exacta (first and second in order) and the Trifecta (first, second and third in order). The Tote’s own rules describe the Exacta as its version of the CSF. These are pool bets: stakes go into a pool, a deduction is taken and the rest is shared among winning tickets, so the dividend depends on how many people found the same result.
Non-runners and dead heats
Rules vary between bookmakers, so check yours, but William Hill’s are a fair guide to how they usually work.
- One forecast selection is a non-runner: the bet becomes a win single at SP on the other horse.
- Both forecast selections are non-runners: the bet is void.
- One tricast selection is a non-runner: the bet becomes a straight forecast on the remaining two.
- Withdrawals cut the field to five or fewer: a tricast is settled as a forecast on your first two.
- A dead heat for a placing: a separate dividend is declared for each winning combination.
Our guides to non-runners and Rule 4 deductions and photo finishes and dead heats cover how those situations affect ordinary win and each-way bets.
When do forecasts and tricasts make sense?
They reward a strong view of how a race will be run rather than just who wins. Big-field handicaps are where tricast dividends tend to be largest, because more runners means more possible finishing orders. Races such as Saturday’s big handicap chase at Cheltenham, covered in our Paddy Power Gold Cup trends guide, are the type that draw tricast interest.
- Work out the full cost before you place a combination bet, as the number of lines rises much faster than the number of horses.
- Remember that only one line can win, so a dividend can still be smaller than your total stake.
- Read the race first: a horse that likes to lead, or one that runs on late, may suit a particular finishing position.
- Treat these as higher-risk bets that lose far more often than they win, and stake accordingly.
Forecast and tricast FAQ
What is a forecast bet?
A forecast is a bet on the first two finishers in a race. A straight forecast needs them in the exact order you name.
What is a reverse forecast?
A reverse forecast is two straight forecasts on the same two horses, covering both orders. It costs double your unit stake and pays one dividend if they finish first and second either way round.
How does a tricast work?
You name the first, second and third in that order. It is paid at the computer tricast dividend, and many bookmakers only accept it on handicaps with eight or more runners.
Does a tricast have to be in order?
A straight tricast does. A combination tricast covers every order of your selections, which is six bets for three horses and 24 for four.
How are forecast dividends calculated?
The Computer Straight Forecast is calculated after the race from the starting prices and the size of the field, and is declared to a £1 stake. The Tote Exacta is a pool bet, so its dividend depends on how much was staked on the winning combination.
Sources: checked on 12 November 2026 against William Hill’s forecast and tricast rules, Sky Bet’s forecast and tricast help page, bet365’s tricast rules, the Tote betting rules and the Tote’s guide to pool betting.
Header photo: “Tight Finish” (Newbury, May 2014) by Florian Christoph, CC BY 2.0, cropped, darkened and with text added.
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