[Ted Craven]

Re Show betting - I don't have much opinion, and think money would be better spent on Win or Exacta pools. I think the issue is to narrow the focus on true contenders to about 3.

Re multi-horse win betting, I do have an opinion:

If I like the 1 and 1A entry as primary contenders, and the post time odds are 2-1, if the #1 wins, the #1A loses, but my entry bet still pays at 2-1.

If in another race, I like the #1 at 4-1 and the #2 at 7-1 and I bet a synthetic entry of the #4 and #7 - and the #4 wins and the #7 loses, my bet pays ... 2-1, same as the first example. I consider a 2 hose bet as a synthetic entry which has a high and low payoff potential. A normal entry also has a high and low payoff potential - but the high and low are the same amount.

In between the above possibilities, are multi-wagers like Win/Place on 1 horse with a variable high/low payoff, Win on 1 horse, Place on another horse, Place on 2 horses, etc. Consider that it's not important how many horses you are betting, or in which pools, but rather what is your payoff range, your ROI, compared to your risk.

Ted