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What is a quinella bet in horse racing?

Mike BrunkerMB
Horse Betting Expert · former Las Vegas Review-Journal racing writer
Updated November 2026 · 2 min read   𝕏inRJ
Horse racing journalist and handicapper who covered the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont and Breeders’ Cup for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
HORSE BETTING GUIDE · BET TYPES
Reviewed by the Horse.bet Team
How a Quinella WorksPICK THE TOP TWO — IN EITHER ORDERRACE 6 — OFFICIAL RESULT41ST12NDYour TicketRace 6 · 1-unit stake · any orderANY4ANY1Official finish 4 – 1✓ WINNERpays ≈ 19× stakeWins whether 4 beats 1 or 1 beats 4.horse.bet — betting guides
What is a quinella bet in horse racing? — worked example: Pick the top two — in either order. Wins whether 4 beats 1 or 1 beats 4.

Amounts are per betting unit — switch to £ or € above. Real dividends depend on the pool and the currency of the track.

A quinella in horse betting is similar to an exacta bet in that it requires a bettor to correctly predict the top two finishers in a race in order to cash. The difference is that quinellas are automatically “boxed,” meaning the bettor wins if the two selected horses finish first and second, no matter which one wins.

As with exactas and other multihorse or multirace wagers , many players include multiple combinations on their tickets to improve their chances of cashing.

To calculate the cost of such a ticket, you need to know how many combinations are included. It’s a simple calculation: Take the number of horses included, then subtract one and multiply the two figures.

How does quinella bet work?

For example, a four-horse quinella with a base bet of $1 costs $12 (4x3=$12). If your base wagering unit increase, simply multiply by that at the end. So a $3 base bet would increase the cost to $36 (4x3x3=$36).

Where can you place quinella horse bets? Try Amwager or TVG .

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Available to new customers only. Make a qualifying deposit of £5* or more and claim the offer within 30 days of registering your account to qualify for 300% of that amount in Bet Credits, up to a maximum of £30* in Bet Credits. Once released, your Bet Credits will be held in your account balance and are non-withdrawable. To release your Bet Credits for use, you must place qualifying bets to the value of your qualifying deposit (capped at £10*) and they must settle within 30 days of claiming the offer. Only qualifying bets placed and settled after claiming the offer will count towards this requirement. PayPal, paysafecard and all other prepaid credit and debit cards, where available, cannot be used for either your qualifying deposit or any subsequent withdrawal of returns from Bet Credits stakes unless we have successfully verified an accepted form of your Identity Documents and you have entered a Postal Verification Code (PVC), or we have successfully verified two accepted forms of your Identity Documents. See condition 2 of full Terms and Conditions for details. Bets placed must meet certain conditions to count towards the release of your Bet Credits: Must contain at least one selection at odds of 1/5 (1.20) or greater. Only the largest cumulative stake on an individual selection within a market/fixture combination (either pre-match or In-Play) will count towards the settled bets requirement. Cashed Out, Instant Games, Gaming, Free Bets, void bets, In-Play bets which are settled as a push or Fantasy Sports entries will not count. Your Bet Credits are non-withdrawable, and Bet Credits stakes are not included in any returns. Any returns from Bet Credits placed will be added to your Withdrawable Balance. Bet Credits cannot be used on certain products, offers/promotions and bet types. See full Terms and Conditions for details. Your Bet Credits will expire 7 days after they are added to your Bet Credits balance.

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