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Forecast and Tricast Bets Explained: Naming the First Two or Three Home
How straight, reverse and combination forecasts and tricasts work, what they cost, how the computer dividends are settled, and when the Tote's Exacta or Trifecta is the better bet.
By Horse.bet Team · Updated 23 October 2026
The basics
Forecast and Tricast Bets: How They Work
A forecast asks you to name the first two home in a race in the correct order. A tricast asks for the first three, again in the correct order. Both are bookmaker bets, but neither is settled at a price you take when you bet. They are paid at dividends declared after the race: the computer straight forecast, known as the CSF, for forecasts, and the computer tricast for tricasts.
They suit races where you have a view on the shape of the finish rather than just the winner: a big-field handicap where your fancy may run well without winning, or a race where two horses look clear of the rest. Because the dividends are worked out from the starting prices, a forecast that includes a longer-priced runner can pay far more than backing the same horses to win.
The Tote runs pool versions of both bets, the Exacta and the Trifecta, which are compared further down. In British betting, forecast and tricast mean the bookmaker bets; the American-sounding names belong to the Tote.
First and second
Straight, Reverse and Combination Forecasts
Straight forecast: one bet. You name the winner and the runner-up, in that order.
Reverse forecast: two bets of equal stake. Your two horses can finish first and second in either order, so a £1 reverse forecast costs £2.
Combination forecast: three or more selections, covering every order in which any two of them can finish first and second.
The number of bets in a combination forecast is the number of selections multiplied by one fewer: n × (n − 1). Costs climb quickly:
Selections
Bet
Number of bets
Cost at £1 a bet
2
Straight forecast
1
£1
2
Reverse forecast
2
£2
3
Combination forecast
6
£6
4
Combination forecast
12
£12
5
Combination forecast
20
£20
6
Combination forecast
30
£30
Only one line can win, however many you cover, because only one pair of horses finishes first and second. Bookmakers accept forecasts in races of three or more runners, and some also take forecast doubles and trebles across races; Betfred, for example, explains that each reverse forecast double contains four bets and each reverse forecast treble eight.
First, second and third
Straight and Combination Tricasts
A straight tricast is one bet: three horses, named to finish first, second and third in that exact order. A combination tricast covers every order of your selections, and the number of bets is n × (n − 1) × (n − 2):
Selections
Number of bets
Cost at 50p a bet
Cost at £1 a bet
3
6
£3
£6
4
24
£12
£24
5
60
£30
£60
6
120
£60
£120
Six selections in a combination tricast is 120 bets, and still only one line can come up. That is fine when the dividend is large, but on a race won by fancied horses you can collect less than you staked.
Tricasts are only accepted where an official computer tricast dividend is declared, which in practice usually means handicaps of eight or more runners. William Hill's rules, for instance, take straight tricasts on handicaps of eight or more unless stated otherwise. Where no tricast dividend is declared, Sky Bet and Paddy Power settle the bet as a straight forecast on your first two selections and ignore the third.
Settlement
How the CSF and Tricast Dividends Are Settled
The CSF is an industry-wide dividend: every bookmaker settles on the same figure. It is calculated from the starting prices once the result is confirmed and quoted to a £1 stake. The tricast dividend works the same way for the first three. Neither is known when you place your bet, which is the price you pay for the bigger potential return.
A winning £1 straight forecast returns the CSF dividend once; a 50p stake returns half of it. On a reverse or combination forecast, only the winning line pays; the other lines lose.
Worked example (illustrative figures)
You place a £1 combination forecast on three horses, A, B and C, in a 14-runner handicap. That is six bets, so it costs £6.
Horse A wins at 7/1 (8.0) and horse C finishes second at 12/1 (13.0). The A–C line has won. Suppose the CSF is declared at £98.40: you receive £98.40 for your £6 outlay, a profit of £92.40.
The same £6 as a win single on horse A would have returned £6 × 8.0 = £48. Use our bet calculator to check stakes and returns on any combination.
Worked example: a combination tricast (illustrative figures)
You take a 50p combination tricast on four horses in an 18-runner handicap at York. That is 24 bets at 50p, so it costs £12.
Three of your four finish first, second and third. Exactly one of the 24 lines has the right order. If the tricast dividend is declared at £412.80 to a £1 stake, your 50p line returns £206.40, a profit of £194.40 on the £12 outlay.
If the same three horses had been the first three favourites, the dividend could have been too small to cover the £12 stake, and you would have lost money despite finding the first three home.
If two horses dead-heat for first or second, a separate dividend is declared for each winning combination. A forecast or tricast that includes a withdrawn horse is handled under each bookmaker's own rules, set out below.
The CSF, and the tricast dividend where one is declared, are published with the official result, so you can always check what a finish paid. Looking back over a few days of results alongside the starting prices is the quickest way to get a feel for the sums involved.
Pool betting
CSF or Tote Exacta? Tricast or Trifecta?
The Tote offers the same two bets as pools. The Exacta is the first two in the correct order, and the Trifecta the first three; both can be taken in reverse or combination form. Your stake goes into a pool, the Tote takes its deduction, and the rest is shared among the winning tickets. The dividend depends on how much money backed the winning combination, not on the starting prices.
That difference is the whole choice. When the first two or three include horses the betting public overlooked, the pool can pay more than the computer dividend; when the result is popular, the CSF can be the better return. There is no rule that holds every time, so compare the two on the results for a few meetings at the tracks you follow.
Bet
Type
Your selections must
Settled at
Straight forecast
Bookmaker
Finish 1st and 2nd in order
CSF
Reverse forecast
Bookmaker
Finish 1st and 2nd in either order
CSF (two bets)
Tricast
Bookmaker
Finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in order
Computer tricast dividend
Exacta
Tote pool
Finish 1st and 2nd in order
Pool dividend
Trifecta
Tote pool
Finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in order
Pool dividend
Swinger
Tote pool
Both finish in the first three, any order
Pool dividend
The Tote's Swinger sits between a place bet and a forecast: two horses, both to finish in the first three. Trifecta pools run in UK races with three or more declared runners at bet365, which voids the pool if declared runners fall below three. Our Tote Placepot guide covers the multi-race pools.
The small print
Minimum Runners, Non-Runners and Dead Heats
Forecast rules are not identical across bookmakers, especially when one of your horses does not run. This is how four large UK firms set them out in their own racing rules:
Stake goes on a straight forecast on the remaining two
Name your horses. Sky Bet, Paddy Power and Unibet do not accept the unnamed favourite in a forecast.
Two non-runners in a tricast void the bet at Sky Bet and Paddy Power; William Hill settles it as an SP win single on the remaining horse.
Shrinking fields. At William Hill, a tricast race reduced to five or fewer runners is settled as a forecast on the horses you named first and second.
Dead heats produce a separate dividend for each winning combination.
Rules differ between firms and can change, so check your bookmaker's racing rules if a non-runner looks likely.
Using them well
When a Forecast or Tricast Makes Sense
Have a view on the shape of the race. A front-runner who should hold on for a place behind a strong favourite is a forecast; a horse you merely like is a win or each-way bet.
Compare the cost with a simpler bet. A combination forecast on three horses is six bets; ask whether a win bet on your strongest fancy would serve you better.
Avoid two short-priced horses. Because the CSF is built from the starting prices, a forecast on two well-backed horses rarely pays much.
Pick the right races. Big handicaps produce bigger dividends and are where tricasts are generally available; our handicaps guide explains how they are framed.
Match the bet to the plan. If you want several horses across several races rather than several horses in one race, a Yankee or Lucky 15 is the multiple you need.
Forecasts and tricasts are long-odds bets that lose far more often than they win. Stake what you can afford to lose; betting is for over-18s.
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Bookmakers for forecasts and tricasts
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Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is a CSF in horse racing?
CSF stands for computer straight forecast. It is the industry-wide dividend paid on forecast bets, calculated from the starting prices after the race and quoted to a £1 stake. Every bookmaker settles forecasts on the same CSF.
How many bets is a combination tricast with four selections?
Twenty-four. A combination tricast has n × (n − 1) × (n − 2) bets, so four selections give 4 × 3 × 2 = 24 bets, costing £24 at £1 a bet or £12 at 50p.
Is a reverse forecast two bets?
Yes. A reverse forecast is two straight forecasts of equal stake, one for each order of your two horses, so a £1 reverse forecast costs £2. Only one of the two lines can win.
What is the difference between a forecast and an Exacta?
Both require the first two home in the correct order. A forecast is a bookmaker bet settled at the CSF, which is based on the starting prices. The Exacta is a Tote pool bet whose dividend depends on how much money was staked on the winning combination.
What happens to a forecast if one horse is a non-runner?
It depends on the bookmaker. Sky Bet, Paddy Power and Unibet make the forecast void. William Hill settles it as a win single at SP on the remaining horse. Check your bookmaker's racing rules.
How many runners do you need for a tricast?
Tricasts are accepted only where an official computer tricast dividend is declared, which usually means handicaps with eight or more runners. Forecasts need at least three runners.
Can you do a forecast on the favourite?
Not as an unnamed favourite at most bookmakers: Sky Bet, Paddy Power and Unibet all require named selections for forecasts. You can, of course, name the horse that is favourite.
