Horse racing is a thrilling sport with a long and rich history. For many fans, part of the appeal is the opportunity to place bets and win money. One way to increase your chances of winning is to take advantage of carryovers. Carryovers are good for the sport because they add excitement and drama to the races. They also create opportunities for smart bettors to make some serious money.
If you’re looking for a way to add some excitement to your horse betting, keep an eye out for carryover races.
What’s a Carryover?

A carryover happens if bettors don’t win in their wagers on a specific day. The carryover bets in this type of horse racing are Pick 4, 5, or 6. The most common is a Pick 6, although it has a low success rate.
If the bettors didn’t accurately predict all the six winners of Pick 6, the working committee of the racetracks would distribute part of the pool to bettors who correctly predicted the winners of each race (without experiencing a loss). The committee will carry over the remainder of the pool to the following race the next day.
This process will be repeated until a winner is determined. As a result, the horse racing carryover is intense and can potentially exceed the expected return unless a winner is chosen. It’s one of the reasons why carryover bets are pretty popular among horse race bettors, especially experienced ones.
If you want to learn more about carryovers and the bets you can place, continue reading below.
Popular Carryover Bets

As mentioned above, any jackpot or multiple bets that create a pool can be carried over when it didn’t win on the day of the race. It’s why it’s called ‘carryover.’ The following are the popular wager types you can place:
Pick 4, Pick 5, or Pick 6
In these bets, you pick four, five, or six winners of specific races. If the bettor didn’t predict any of the winners, the money would roll over to the next day’s horse racing event.
Pick 5 or Pick 6 Jackpot
It’s like the Pick 5 or Pick 6 wager mentioned above. However, in this type of wager, you should only be the sole winning ticket with the correct combination of all 5 or 6 winners to take home the jackpot. It’s also known as Rainbow Pick-6, Single 6, or Empire 6.
Pentafecta or Super Hi 5 Jackpot
In this type of wager, you’re going to choose all the first five finishers in a specific race in the exact order to win the Super High Five. It’s become a very popular bet in standardbred or harness horse racing.
Different Types of Carryovers

There are three different types of carryovers that any beginner should know.
Jackpot Carryover
Only one ticket holder will win the prize pool here. If there’s a case where multiple people also have a winning ticket, the racetrack will distribute a portion of the pool to the following races. The pool money is distributed to all winning tickets in a jackpot carryover.
Rolling Carryover
Rolling carryovers are available in multiple races within the same day. If there weren’t a declared winner, bookies would move the prize pool to the following race, which will continue until a winner is chosen.
Traditional Carryover
In traditional carryovers, there isn’t a one-of-a-kind winning ticket. Instead, the prize pool typically rolls over to the following race. If the carryover bets are given on both following races the next day, it will only be in the final race where the carryover wager is available.
Additional Information You Should Know
There’s a belief that goes “money draws more money” in the gambling community. Therefore, bettors who desire to earn a large sum would be more included in placing bets on the carryover pool than other wagers. The nature of this “pool” is that the more money it has, the more people will likely bet on a certain holdout. This is one of the reasons why horse betting is exciting!
Additionally, experienced bettors who are aware of a horse’s value typically wait until the carryover occurs. With carryover bets, they believe they could gain a much greater payout than the usual wagers.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know what a carryover is, its types, and the bets you can place, you can now go on a betting spree and bet on the horses in a carryover pool! Wagering on the pool allows you to enjoy an increased benefit and minimized risk. However, this can only occur when you’ve already practiced well enough in this setting and if you made good predictions.
Remembering that horse race betting always comes with risks would be best. So, be careful when making betting decisions. Even if the carryover pool can reach millions, you should remain logical and avoid making decisions based on your emotions.
Also read: Setting Straight The 5 Biggest Horse Racing Myths